Season Universal Snowboard Binding Review

The Season Universal Binding - Review- How it rides and who it is for Review by The Good Ride

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A Detailed Breakdown of How The Season Universal 2024-2025 Binding Rides

I borrowed this for an extended demo
Days:6+
Conditions: Hard early season snow, great groomers, pretty good pow, and uneven snow.
Riders:  James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Deadbolts
Insoles: Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers and Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Boards:  Soul Shift, Jones Hovercraft, Korua Otto, YES Standard Uninc
Jacket: Skyline Fuse 3L Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt

Similar (but not the same) Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Strata, Salomon Hologram, Nitro Team Pro, Nitro Team, Rome Katana, Rome DOD, Rome 390 Boss,

How It Was Tested

I rode it on many different boards by myself but then tested them against the Atlas I had. I took a run, switched out bindings, took another run, set it up Atlas front/Universal back, and then switched them. It’s an excellent way to understand what a boot is doing.

Weight

2.0lbs with screws and discs

Highback Flex

There is very medium flex happening with the Season Universal Binding. You have a little give going back and a good twist to minimize calf bite.

Flex Underfoot

A lot is going on underfoot for a full-size disc binding. To minimize contact, you have some soft plastic, EVA foam, and milled-out areas. The SEason Universal Butters are pretty good, and they don’t make the board feel dead underfoot.

Turn Initiation/Response

I was impressed at how well the Season Universal Binding turned the wider boards I tried, like the YES Standard Uninc and Korua Otto. They were almost there in same-day tests with the Atlas I was comparing them against.

Shock Absorption/Dampness

It’s not a lot, but it’s far from too little shock absorption. The Dense EVA foam across the footbed did a great job creating a non-fatiguing ride.

Even though it has a plastic bar going up the middle of the heel, which slightly hinders the overall cush feel, you can still feel some of that cush-softer EVA foam. The base plate, with the hard rubber/soft plastic, is pretty damp, too.

Boot Support

The ankle and toe straps do a great job of supporting your boots. You will never feel like your ankle is alone in uneven snow, and the straps really pull the boot into the heel cup.

Ratchets

The Season Universal’s ratchets could use some more work, but they are functional and less sticky the more I rode them.

Adjustability

There is almost none here, which is strange for a binding that fits size 8-11.5 boots. That’s a very wide range compared to most bindings. Usually, it’s 8-10. I would have thought it would have a gas pedal and heel loop you can slide out to adjust to the boot size/footprint. They have neither. Instead, Season made a flat gas pedal, so if your boot is an 8 and you are far behind, you get a similar response. You can’t center your boot in the binding, and it’s not ideal to center the binding on board. You have to use the disc to do that. That means you can’t turn it sideways, so adjust your stance width with most sizes. This fits if you want to center your boots on your board for more symmetrical turning.

Conclusion

Overall, I’m not into the wide sizing range and limited adjustability, but I can’t argue that it turned well and had a good feel underfoot, good support, and solid shock absorption/dampness.