What is the practical difference between traditional and "toe" snowboard bindings?

Question

Here's an equipment question. What is the real practical/effective difference between these two types of snowboard bindings:

• "Traditional" (over the foot):
• "Toe":

What sort of effect do these different bindings have on riding control, carving, jumping, comfort, etc.

I used traditional in the very beginning on rental boards and obviously didn't make any specific observations at the time. Now I have Burton Custom on my board which is a toe binding and I don't have anything to compare...

P.S. If there's a proper name for what I call "traditional" then please correct me :)

Answer 1

From what I understand, there are 2 benefits to toe strap bindings:

1. It helps you push the heel of your foot further back into the bindings
2. There's less added pressure on the top of your toe, so more comfort.

I have Burton Citizen bindings and my sister has a Burton Stilleto. I can tell you point 2 is definitely true.

Our indoor snow area use T-Bars and what I found is that in my normal board, by the time I get to the top, the pinky toe on my left foot (I ride regular) goes numb because of the added pressure by pushing the board forward going uphill. At first I thought it was because I ride 18 degrees forward, but I changed it to 15, and I still get the same issue. However when I try out her board, I never get the numbness. This is only in T-Bar situations though.

I would also assume that toe straps are quicker response wise when you go back edge as the first thing to react would be your toes, though I'm no pro, so it's just speculation on my end :)

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Reasons that toe straps that cover your toe are better than Over the top straps:

• A lot more responsive!
• Extremely comfortable (especially for those with long toes).
• They take all the pressure off your toes, allowing for good blood circulation which keeps your feet warmer.
• Holds your boots tighter.

From all the parts of my snowboard setup I have upgraded over the last 10 years, upgrading to toe strap bindings made the biggest difference out of board or boots.