SP FASTEC speed-entry bindings: “I just don’t see myself going back to normal bindings”

Are these the best speed-entry snowboard bindings for deep powder and carving in Japan? Jamie O'Brien puts them to the test in Japan.

Interest in speed-entry bindings seems to have exploded this season. Many people are trying them out, and opinions seem to be divided. Some people just hate the idea altogether, some try it and don’t like it. Others love them and will never go back.

There are a lot of options on the market from the big brands, but many of them seem to have drawbacks, particularly with adjustability, fit, or a lack of aggressive forward-lean options. These tend to be things that a beginner wouldn’t notice, but a more advanced rider or someone who chases powder would consider a problem.

I have a long history with speed-entry bindings, having learnt on K2 Clickers with stiff boots, then moved on to rear-entry Flows. Ultimately, I decided that to progress and for use in deep snow, I needed traditional two-strap bindings. I was getting stuck because I couldn’t reach the release lever under deep snow, and I had trouble with snow underfoot clogging things up far too often. Now, many years later, I wanted to see if the technology had improved to the point where it isn’t an issue in powder.

SP FASTEC Bindings

SP isn’t one of the big US manufacturers, so sometimes they go under the radar, but the German brand is well known and has a strong following in Europe, Japan and China. The FASTEC system has been on the market since 2007, and rather than recently launching something completely new, they have been slowly refining the system over the last 20 years.

A key difference between SP’s FASTEC system and step-ins is that the FASTEC system is dual-entry. This means you can use the straps and get in the normal way, or you can open the highback, enter from the rear, then close the highback and buckle the ankle strap by flipping a latch. This gives you both a traditional strap feel when riding and the ability to unstrap in difficult situations. The hinged highback and heel cup are also much higher than a normal binding, which some carving specialists prefer, as this reduces heel drag at extreme angles.

After recently trying some step-in bindings and being disappointed, I was excited to see how close the FASTEC system is to regular bindings and if I could get the fit and feel that I’m used to.

The Speed-Entry Experience

SP has refined the entry system so that it works every time and feels like a regular binding. It might initially seem like two steps (closing the highback, then closing the ankle latch) is inferior to one-step systems, where you just step in. After using them, I now believe that the two steps are essential to replicate the traditional feeling of being held down from the top, not being pushed in from the back or held in by cleats.

The process is very easy. Find a flat spot or kick a groove in the snow so you can stand flat. Stand with your back foot half on the snow and half on the board. Push the highback down with your boot if it isn’t already lying flat, then insert your boot. Go in high so the wider toe of your boot doesn’t catch on the narrow point between the highback bolts. Then, press your toe against the toe strap and put your boot flat. Now, bend down, flip up the highback and lock the rear latch in one motion, then close the latch on the ankle strap. The whole thing takes about three to four seconds for one foot.

It’s best to keep the toe and ankle strap a little loose when setting them up so the closing of the highback and latch is easy. If you overtighten your straps, it can be hard to close the latches, and then the pressure feels wrong, like your foot is being pushed forward by the highback. If you tighten the straps normally, then loosen them one or two notches, you will get the desired tightness. Once I worked this out, I didn’t have any issues inserting my boot.

The toe strap is locked in place and can be angle-adjusted, but this requires a lot of force, so they stay in place. The ratchets are quick-release with a press-to-lock function, so when you’ve dialled in your strap, you can lock that position. After 20 days of riding, I didn’t have to fiddle with the toe strap once when I was stepping in.

Getting out is simple – just flip the highback latch and step out. The ankle strap pops open by itself.

I didn’t realise how often I choose to skate when walking would be easier, if not for being attached to the board. Knowing it only takes a few seconds to unstrap meant I unstrapped a lot more often. If I’m helping someone, checking over an edge, on a flat spot or needing to get up a slope, it just felt really nice to always be able to pop out and get straight back in with exactly the same settings. This surprised me.

Deep Powder and Steep Terrain

Using these bindings in deep powder and on steep slopes was a complete non-issue. If I did need to unstrap in deep snow, I could usually make a platform and still use the rear entry standing up. On the rare occasions the board and highbacks were buried, I just used the quick-release straps to get out and back in again. When you need to unstrap in deep snow, these are identical to normal bindings. Sometimes you get snow underfoot in a tricky spot, but that’s also no different to regular bindings. If this happens, you might need to slip the ankle strap open a couple of extra notches to close the ankle buckle.

All-mountain charging and hard carving: SP Peak FASTEC Snowboard Bindings

The SP Peak FASTEC Snowboard Bindings. Image: sp-bindings.jp

Retailing at ¥62,700/US$399.90, the Peaks are SP’s top-of-the-range, stiffest freeride bindings. They certainly look like premium bindings with a metal chassis, smooth moulded plastic and foam padding. They feel very sturdy, weighing 1.2kg per binding. While this is heavier than the average two-strap bindings (around 0.9kg), it’s similar to other high-end bindings like the Nitro Phantom (1.3kg) or the Ride A10 (1.1kg). There’s no stiffness rating out of 10, but SP’s own flex scale puts them at 60-100% responsiveness. They feel like a 7 or 8.

Fit and Adjustability

The M-size bindings fit my 9.5 K2 Darko boots perfectly after some adjustment. The M and L sizes actually have the same size chassis, just with the highbacks set all the way forward or all the way back. There’s also an S and an XL, accommodating boots from US sizes 4 to 14. I moved the highback to the middle hole, which improved the fit, but moving it is fiddly as the ankle strap and its mechanism sit on the same nut and bolt. It’s best to dial in the fit before you get near the snow. The toe straps have two mounting points 10mm apart.
The discs can be rotated for on-the-fly stance adjustment without fully removing the screws, and they are compatible with 4×4 or Channel boards. The quick-release tabs for changing strap length are excellent – much easier than tool-based adjustment or thumb screws.

There’s no adjustable toe ramp. I think that this might be because the bindings don’t have a solid heel cup, so strength has to come from the front of the binding. Also, the highback has very good adjustability, with 20mm of movement to angle or adjust the highback and a choice of three mounting holes for the bolts, spaced 8mm apart. This allows you to adjust the fit of the binding over a total range of around 74mm. That range of movement means that an adjustable toe ramp just isn’t needed.

Forward lean also has a huge range of adjustability. The lever on the back of the highback has a fine-tuning dial, but the securing cable also has two different mounting positions on the side of the bindings, which means you can adjust from zero up to 35 degrees of forward lean – more than most people would ever need.

This is market-leading adjustability for a speed-entry binding, and, combined with the fact that the bindings come in S (4-8), M (6-10), L (8-12), and XL (11-14), it means most boots will be covered. It also means a growing child with size 6 boots could keep the same bindings until they were beyond a size 12. And if you’re buying online and you’re anywhere between sizes 7 and 11, you can get size M or L to fit, since they share the same chassis.

On The Snow

Until I tried Spark splitboard bindings, I never would have considered metal bindings. I immediately recognised the solid feel of the Spark split bindings when I rode the Peaks. They’re stiff and responsive in all the right places, but still have enough padding and dampening.

The big padded ankle strap is easily the most comfortable strap I’ve used. It cradles your ankle and even seems to help stop my boot from compressing on toe-side carves, reducing pressure on the top of the foot. The straps have a stiff core that gets progressively softer at the edges, cradling your foot and allowing you to really lean into your turns without pressure points.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the Peaks. There aren’t any compromises here; in fact, thanks to their superior adjustability, I found they fit my current boots better than any other bindings I own or have tried. I’ve often felt that an M can be too small and an L too big. Having a binding that my boot is right in the middle of the sizing options, rather than at either end of the scale is great. If you like medium-stiff to stiff bindings and you’re worried about getting a dialled-in fit if you switch to speed-entry, the Peaks are a great choice (or either of the other two metal chassis models, Core and Team).

Great Value Entry-Level riding: SP Base+ FASTEC Snowboard Bindings

Great Value Entry-Level riding: SP Base+ FASTEC Snowboard Bindings. Image: sp-bindings.jp

At ¥31,900/US$199.90, the Base+ is SP’s best value model. It has two quick-release ratchets on each binding and good underfoot foam padding, while the cheaper Base model only has ankle ratchets and has less padding. The build is still good, but here there are firm plastic straps, and, as you would expect, a plastic chassis and less adjustability. The straps and ratchets otherwise just feel like regular entry-level bindings.

The Peak has more gel padding on the heel and grippier EVA padding under the toe. The Peak has a metal, hinged heel cup; the Base+ has a highback and heel cup integrated into a single piece of plastic. The Peak’s ratchets are a touch smoother.

Fit and Adjustability

Both models in M size have a 25cm baseplate. The internal width is slightly wider on the Peak (128mm vs 115mm), making toe entry easier if your boot is at the top end of the size range. The Base+ is also 5mm narrower in the heel cup (115mm vs 110mm).

The Base+ highbacks have a 20mm range of movement, while forward lean starts at around 10 degrees and maxes out at around 35 degrees with the toolless dial. You can’t change the mounting position of the cable, the highbacks or the straps. These bindings also come in four sizes: S (4-8), M (6-10), L (8-12), and XL (11-14). For my size, US 9.5 boots, the Base+ actually fit perfectly right out of the box and didn’t need any adjustment other than the straps.

The straps on the Base+ are perfectly usable for beginners and intermediates. If you do want to upgrade your straps, SP offers all components as spare parts on its EU website at very reasonable prices. You can replace everything from the padding to the chassis, swap straps, or upgrade highbacks. You can also get parts through Taobao in Asia and some US sites like The Splitboard Shop.

Without a fixed heel cup, all SP bindings pack down smaller than regular bindings. Remove the ankle strap with the quick-release lever, and they fold down to take up around 60–70% the space of a standard two-strap binding.

On The Snow

Swapping between the Peaks and Base+, the Peaks felt a fraction more padded underfoot. Rated at around 4/10 for stiffness, surprisingly, the Base+ bindings did not feel overly soft. They are perfect for learning, cruising groomers, quick laps of the park or hiking features. The Base+ model would be fine for most riders, or for those who prefer a mid-flex setup.

The Verdict

Something I love is that, as the ankle strap remains as a loop when open, you can slip your foot in on a chairlift and spread the weight of your board. This is great in Japan, where footrests are rare. It was also very noticeable that after 16 days straight on these bindings, I didn’t have backache at all. I didn’t realise how much bending to do up my bindings was contributing to back and shoulder pain. It’s also great that once you have your bindings set to the tightness you want, you don’t have to go looking for that again. When you latch it down, it’s the same as your last run.

For me, the fit is wonderful. I didn’t expect to get a superior fit with speed-entry bindings compared to my Burton bindings. I just don’t see myself going back to normal bindings because there aren’t any compromises or anything I miss. The stories I hear of people going back after trying speed-entry bindings usually involve difficulties getting in, straps moving around, failure, or trouble in deep snow. Personally, I had none of these issues, so I’m very happy with the bindings and will be sticking with them.

If you’ve rejected rear-entry bindings before and you’re looking for something that doesn’t compromise on adjustability or forward-lean, it’s well worth taking a look at what SP has to offer.