For years, engineers have been working to improve an imperfect technology: the snowboard binding.
Some of those innovations have been met with scorn. Some have been hesitantly embraced, like Burton’s StepOns. While others just keep going back to snowboarding’s roots: good old fashioned ratchet straps.
Erwin Knoester and Xavier Nidecker wanted to address one issue above all others. For decades, binding innovations have prioritized convenience over performance, missing the mark for advanced riders. So how could they build a binding that not only moved forward, but brought the core riders with them?
That's how FASE- Fast Entry Binding system was born.
Photo: FASE
“We feel (that market) is still growing, but we also see that the core is not really accepting it, or the performance user, because they do miss the two-strap feeling of a standard binding,” Nidecker said. “So this was kind of where all this started. The inspiration to make the strap-in process hassle free, but keeping the two strap look and performance.”
FASE bindings will feature a highback that pulls back, allowing for the rear entry of a binding, mimicking how the majority of people put on regular shoes. A lever will lock the highback into place, and a rider will be able to customize their ankle strap appropriately.
The binding system – named for its fast entry system – was developed in partnership with Jones, Rome, Bataleon, and ThirtyTwo. The team at FASE considers the tech an ingredient technology, similar to Vibram, Gore-Tex, or MIPS. The idea is it allows more appeal to riders across different styles and disciplines.
FASE will offer an easier way to strap into bindings than the traditional two-strap bindings, but still offer that same natural board feel and customization. Perhaps most importantly, it will allow riders to use any type of snowboard boots they desire.
Photo: FASE
The exception to that last part is ThirtyTwo. The brand up until now has only offered snowboard boots and outerwear as a part of its offerings, but will offer its first snowboard bindings in October 2025. Nidecker said that brand was working to try and develop a StepOn boot, but jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with FASE, because it meant that it would not have to change the beloved design of its boots that so many riders already love.
“We’ve explored various binding systems with our boots, but when our engineers and riders tested FASE, it stood out,” ThirtyTwo’s brand director Brian Cook said in a press release. “FASE provides us the opportunity to enter the market with a revolutionary binding system without compromising our boots fit and design. Proving once again that when passion meets rider-driven innovation, the result is unparalleled technical performance.”
Photo: FASE
Some of the most respected snowboarders in the game have already signed on. ThirtyTwo riders Pat Fava and Chris Bradshaw will each have their own pro model. Jeremy Jones is on board too, as well as fellow Jones rider Victor de Le Rue. So is Beyond Medals rider Tor Lundstrom.
It could have been easy for FASE to fall into a category of a “freeride binding” according to Nidecker. By having a wide variety of different riders, all with different styles of riding, it will help break down preconceived notions or stigmas that potential customers might have.
“People resonate with certain brands. Let's be honest, I mean, I do it. We all do it,” Knoester said. “I'm an engineer, but I still do it. I like that brand. I like the dude who's riding it. I like the colors that he's riding, and I know that the binding from Rome might be better in terms of tech, but f*ck it, you know?”
You might see the FASE system out in the wild this season – riders like Fava and de Le Rue already have pairs – but they won't be available to the general public until October 2025.
Related: Union to Release Step-On Binding Collab With Burton