# Anyone rocking "no-backs"?



## Zak (Jan 25, 2011)

sounds like a great way to break your ankles.


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

it's different and definitely not recommended for people who don't know what the fuck they're doing


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

If you like breaking back spines in your boots go for it.


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## Ocho (Mar 13, 2011)

gauntlet09 said:


> As in bindings with the highback removed? I was talking highback stiffness with someone at a local board shop who said he knew a bunch of people who liked to ride "no-backs" as he called them. I laughed 'cause I thought he was #%$*ing with me...but he wasn't. He said you get a more "free and surfy" feel, especially good for riding pow. I might give it a shot next time I go up. I'll probably crash and burn and look like a dumbass (maybe he really was #%$*ing with me) haha. Anyone ever try this?


Ha. I've never ridden without a highback but I sawed-down my first pair of bindings ('94 Kempers) as far as I could, to the highback adjustment slide. It wasn't unusual back then - at least in my circle of snowboarding friends. For me, the height of men's highbacks created WAY too much calf bite, especially when paired with the men's boots I had. Some people have since referred to my old "customization" as "no-backs" but I still had them...just at 5" high.

But those old Kemper bindings were a hard plastic material and binding tech now makes that unneccessary, at least for me. My Milans are at 8" and have enough flex to eliminate any calf bite. I see no need to "customize" them and wouldn't want to...they're too "pretty" haha.


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## HoboMaster (May 16, 2010)

Surfy, as in sloppy? Highbacks give you more control and support the boot. Riding without them just makes you a hipster, ironically.


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## twin89 (Jan 21, 2009)

nooope. I would like my boot spines to last longer than a week.


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## gauntlet09 (Feb 15, 2011)

Found this at Snurfers Journal in another thread http://www.snowboardingforum.com/snowboarding-general-chat/39067-snurfing-whats-up.html. Now I can see how "no-backs" might be a cool feeling for pure pow surfing. And from their riding (skip ahead to 2:15), it doesn't really look like the loss in response is that much. Next epic pow day, I'm tryin' it.


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## Daniel Furgatch (Apr 5, 2018)

I just installed Burton freedbacks to my Custom camber 158W. I ride goofy so i put one on the back(left) binding only at first. Didn't want the board to fall while on the lift. I loved it. Soooooooooo much easier to get in and out of the VS the malavitas highback. It felt more responsive and had better control. Could not get the boot to come out while strapped in, so i went down to the parking lot and put the other on. I will never go back. I have 2 more pairs coming for my Custom X with Xbase, and my Custom FV also with malavitas. I carved a diamond and a couple intermediates and i think the freed backs are the best thing ever. I can imagine that doing rails and other park stuff would be even easier with these, but my knees wont take that abuse. My boots are Photon boas, so no issues with the ankles and the freed back hooks in where the hi backs went so the back rib shouldn't have any more strain on it. Last thing about them--- Never have to worry about the hiback getting caught under the lift chair getting on or off. Those pesky really low landing areas with multiple people on the chair, and cant get the board out from underneath. not a concern. Burton Freed backs are so new that there are no reviews anywhere that i could find. Would love to hear from somebody who has them. They could be called super lo backs. 

Ps. They are one size fits all and are $40 just unscrew the high backs and screw in these, 5 mins


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

I use the freedback on front foot sometimes, it's kinda nice for just cruising.


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## Fielding (Feb 15, 2015)

Nope. Sounds like a bad idea for anything but pow surfing or maybe some little park stuff.


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## taco tuesday (Jul 26, 2014)

More response with freedbacks? I've tried them on my Cloudsplitter with Cartels. There is no way you are getting better response. That doesn't even make sense.


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

If I were going to do that I'd use some extreme forward angles to approximate surfing.

But if I want that noback feeling I'll jump on a snow skate. Right tool for the right job.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

taco tuesday said:


> More response with freedbacks? I've tried them on my Cloudsplitter with Cartels. There is no way you are getting better response. That doesn't even make sense.


 Can feel like the foot is more locked in than with a cartel highback on toeside turns, but not heelside of course. Unless you have really stiff boots and normally run zero forward lean on highbacks, then maybe, but then it wouldn't make sense either way.


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## Abjyoungs (Jan 31, 2021)

Daniel Furgatch said:


> I just installed Burton freedbacks to my Custom camber 158W. I ride goofy so i put one on the back(left) binding only at first. Didn't want the board to fall while on the lift. I loved it. Soooooooooo much easier to get in and out of the VS the malavitas highback. It felt more responsive and had better control. Could not get the boot to come out while strapped in, so i went down to the parking lot and put the other on. I will never go back. I have 2 more pairs coming for my Custom X with Xbase, and my Custom FV also with malavitas. I carved a diamond and a couple intermediates and i think the freed backs are the best thing ever. I can imagine that doing rails and other park stuff would be even easier with these, but my knees wont take that abuse. My boots are Photon boas, so no issues with the ankles and the freed back hooks in where the hi backs went so the back rib shouldn't have any more strain on it. Last thing about them--- Never have to worry about the hiback getting caught under the lift chair getting on or off. Those pesky really low landing areas with multiple people on the chair, and cant get the board out from underneath. not a concern. Burton Freed backs are so new that there are no reviews anywhere that i could find. Would love to hear from somebody who has them. They could be called super lo backs.
> 
> Ps. They are one size fits all and are $40 just unscrew the high backs and screw in these, 5 mins


I ride Freedbacks with Cartels on a 161 3D Fish with Concord Boa boots. It’s snow surfing. I added a leash also LOL


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