Dear Flow Snowboards: Can you get into some rental shops?

“Ease of use” is one factor that can differentiate one product from another. It’s their ease of use that makes me appreciate Flow bindings, which I have used throughout my snowboarding career.

But on this trip to Killington, I left my Flows (and snowboard and boots) behind. Why? Again, ease of use: I had free rentals available to me. “Should I haul my snowboard and everything else in an unwieldy 6-foot long snowboard bag, or should I pack a regular suitcase and rent?” That was an easy question to answer–or so I thought.

My rental board (Burton Custom X) has some sort of Burton bindings. I don’t recall which model, but really, it doesn’t matter: A traditional binding, no matter the brand, is a pain in the as—wait, no; it’s an exercise in aggravation.

How so? Consider the following:

1. When getting into them, it’s easy to step on both the ladders and the straps.

2. Threading the ladder through the strap can be difficult when wearing thick gloves or mittens.

3. Attempting to thread the ladder while standing up and leaning down can be uncomfortable, especially if doing so takes several attempts.

4. The alternative to the “bend over” position is sitting down, leading to “Snowboarder wet butt syndrome.”

5. Getting the heel into the heel cup, while sitting down, is another bothersome task.

6. My ski companions don’t like waiting the two or three minutes it takes me to strap in. They want to go.

7. I’m not sure how  relevant this is to the design of traditional bindings, but after a few runs down the mountain, I couldn’t get the ladder and ratchet on the capstrap to engage. So I put the strap on the top of my toes, losing whatever benefit the capstrap has.

Now, I understand that traditional bindings rule the market, and younger and more agile riders may not have these difficulties. But they’re real for me, and from talking with older snowboarders, I know I’m not the only one.

So Flow, could you do something to get your bindings into rental shops? I realize it may not do much for your image, but then again, Burton floods the shops and does just fine, at least in market share of the retail market.

Bottom line: If I had to put up with this every time I went out to a hill or mountain, I would give up snowboarding and go back to skiing.