Choosing the right snowboard straps for a better ride this winter

Having a solid understanding of how your snowboard's bindings and straps work will help you have more fun on this season.

If you're new to board sports, almost everything about snowboarding can feel foreign and strange. To get as much comfort and performance out of your snowboard, it helps to make sure you have bindings that suit you and that you've got a solid understanding of snowboard straps work.

In the early days of snowboarding—when mass-produced parts didn't exist—a lot of riders would make their own bindings from pieces of ski bindings and bits of plastic then bake their creations in the oven to mould them. How times have changed! Now there are a diverse range of bindings and straps from a huge selection of snowboard manufacturers, but they all basically evolved from the DIY lessons learned in snowboarding's early days.

There are two general forms of snowboard bindings:

1. Rear-entry bindings offer fast-access through a flexible, hinged back. These have a single, adjustable strap that covers the toe cap and ankle.
2. Strap-in bindings the most common binding, with a stiffer highback, and two adjustable straps—one across the toe cap and another across the top of the foot to brace the ankle.

Whichever binding you choose is a personal choice. Talk to the employees at your local snowboard shop about the pros and cons of each.

No matter which binding you choose, you should have an understanding of how the straps are used to maximize your comfort and fun on your board. Here are the types of straps:

• Toe cap straps goes across your boot's toe box and helps keep the ball of your foot positioned, which in turn holds your heel in place. This strap helps you get responsive turning.
• Ankle straps covers the top of your foot, above the ankle, and it keeps your boot down in the binding. This is where your power comes from, allows you to transfer weight to your edges, and helps you get the most from your binding.
• One piece straps are a hybrid strap, most commonly used on rear-entry bindings. While adjustable for tightness, it does not allow the dynamic range of adjustment possible on traditional strap-in bindings.

While different kinds of snowboard straps may seem a little bewildering at first, it's natural to fine tune and tinker with your strap positions, the angle of your bindings, or even which style of bindings you choose. By understanding snowboard straps you are helping yourself get the most from your bindings, which will help you enjoy your time on the slopes.