# The Theory of no highbacks



## Guest (Dec 13, 2008)

_If necessity is the mother of all invention then holding an idea in contempt before consideration is the dead-beat dad and progression becomes a proverbial Dodo bird. The idea of riding without highbacks draws such an overwhelmingly, unwavering rejection that I see it as a compliment. Trying something pales in comparison to the strides taken in order to avoid the inevitable.

When I started doing switch runs in contests, no one saw the logic, including the judges, as I literally wasn’t scored. Furthermore most of my contemporaries saw no point either, so I find it amusing that I get the same reaction now as I did then (verbatim); “you can’t ride like that.”

In the 80’s boards were wooden (sometimes drywall), edgeless, had ropes tied to the nose and we rode in socks with metal skags (whatever the fuck those are); so any support was welcomed. Unlike the west coast; Europe, Japan and the US east coast had been predominately ski influenced (into the mid 90’s). Predicated on the likelihood that the competitive forum would be racing (like skiing), the wide acceptance of the highback and stiffening of boots is put in perspective.

The lame-duck two-piece ski boot/binding design has remained unchanged (essentially), representing the best we can offer since 1986. The design factors of forward lean, stiffness and rigidity are taken from ski boots; which in and of itself is a testament to the importance of drawing influence from skating and surfing (wake boarders figured it out), not skiing. Let’s not forget; until the fish shape opened the doors to off center, directional boards, eventually leading the way to rockered bases; skiing also blessed us with camber.

In skating and surfing, maximum control is achieved by minimization of what’s between your foot and your board. Just as TV and junk food prevent people from being in touch with nature; the highback prevents riders from being in touch with their board. The loss of progression is put into perspective when you realize how much our mobility and balance have not only compromised our ability to manipulate a snowboard but remain untapped.

Before you convince yourself that you can’t turn on a heel edge without highbacks ask yourself how do surfers & skaters do it? They use their body to lean into the turn; without boots and in the case of surfing the boards are 18” wide, they’re working against a current and they’re barefoot (savages). Snowboarders can’t absorb kinks on rails because their ankles are locked; whereas skaters absorb kinks with their ankles. To allow this progress inhibiting, ski boot influenced piece of plastic to dictate every aspect of riding is embarrassing (I think).

Heels withstand weight and ankles are the pivoting point of balance; thus the use of highbacks cuts off the ability to balance and distribute ones weight. Theoretically your toes need support before your heels would. I’m sure someone is developing a halo like structure to ensure you don’t have to try at all.

The overdesigned, forward-leaning snowboard boot already does the high backs job for them. Boots ensure an unprecedented amount of ankle immobility; the stiffening support to the degree of non-movement is where it stands today. Riding with highbacks is comparable to limping years after an injury; your body works around the limp and doesn’t truly recover.

The marketability and overdesign of the highback is matched only by there uselessness, in short; highbacks are archaic, expired training wheels that are rolling the sport into an evolutionary cul-de-sac.

PS: Using lowbacks ‘back in the day’ has as much validity as using step-in (shit) bindings; they both inhibit the flexing of the ankle.

Standing up
You wouldn’t ever think of it, as it’s never been an option; it’s so nice to strap-in, stand-up and go without sitting or crouching. No need to dig a strap in pit when in the backcountry and easy toe to heel edge hops (visa versa) when compromised by steep conditions. I sacrificed so much comfort and stability over the years in order to let a 6” piece of plastic dictate how I much I could control my board. Every movement you make is predicated on the highback; the false sense of stability (via burning your quads) is of no advantage to the rider.

Turning
The feeling of digging in your heels so deep with all your weight then releasing the energy, rather than absorbing it, allow for more powerful, tighter turns than thought possible. Over-rotating heel turns and allowing the tail to dig in and the board to whip itself back to forward. Also you can absolutely destroy frontside lips, bashing the shit out of anything with all your weight on your heels.

Traversing
When forced to traverse on the heels, even a caveman will learn to ride switch. Traversing burns your quads because you’re squatting, flexing the ankles (like on the toe edge) allow a higher traverse sans the pain associated with heel traverses.

Mind & Body
The natural flow or chakras (look it up dummy) of ones body is skewed; ankles locked at 90° kink the body (ankles, knees, hips). The highback doesn’t allow the energy to be distributed throughout your body while on the heel edge. When applying pressure to the heel edge, most of your energy is apportioned to holding the squat position. Essentially you’re applying what energy is leftover after burning your quad muscles. The pain one feels after riding has way more to do with squatting all day than it does with riding. The psychological dependence on highbacks is strong, but the physical is nil.

Transitions
Halfpipe runs are predominantly ridden on the toe edge, as it’s easier to generate speed due to the flexing of the ankle when riding up the wall. Ever notice on quarter pipes and heel edge walls that riders are locked? The highback inhibits the rider from pumping the wall (hell edge) or springing off the lip; instead riders float off the lip (not pop) as they run a flat base on heel edge walls. Take Danny Way; he goes just as high as the best snowboarders with half the speed (after landing a back flip) because he pumps the transition then pops off the lip, snowboarders have only momentum.

Landing
In the air, your ankles want to flex (slightly) to keep balance; highbacks inhibit the natural balance resulting in snowboarder’s “opening up” before landing. Staying tight by minor ankle adjustments is how skateboarders do it. On frontside walls, instead of having to be over your board, you can push the board in front of you (stalefish, lien-crooked cop). Then your feet can adjust for the transition easier when your board in front you; like a proper FS Ollie when skating It also literally answers the age-old question of why straight airs are so hard.
February 2004

I rode a snow-skate (RIP) once at Snoqualmie Pass; Mike Olsen let me take a run on his. First thing I noticed was that I cold push my back leg out on a heel turns. It made me wonder, as my balance wasn’t compromised why snowboards even had highbacks.
January 2005

I needed to commit myself to the concept, so I clipped my highbacks off with shears and strapped in. I realized that if I can skate 20’ (coffee in hand) to chair 7 without falling, then I’ve proven that I’m able to ride without highbacks. The very first thing I noticed is that I didn’t notice anything at all; no really… I can’t stress it enough, nothing, zip, nada.
December 2007- April 2008

This is when it evolved from shits & giggles to being an absolute benefit to snowboarding. Reason being; I rode everyday and was able to utilize this factor to change the way I stand on, turn, jump and land a snowboard._

from The Theory of No Highbacks by Mike Ranquet | Transworld Snowboarding

sounds like his logic is on point anyone every tried this?


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2008)

haha, well here you go!


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2008)

i tried to tell you you where crazy dog!!!!!!


haha sublime brought this up at my house. i think its crazy. like soooooper crazy. i cant belive it was so great that it wouldent be a hell of alot more popular.


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

It has its uses.


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2008)

It sounds to my inexperienced ears like a legitimate argument, a stiff boot plus a stiff binding seems a little overkill. Only think I have ever ridden though has been rentals with step-in bindings, no high back, and a really stiff boot. I've noticed that some boots for strap in bindings are just as stiff, so really, you could go without a highback in theory. some sort of support up the leg boot or highback is necessary I would think


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## Flick Montana (Jul 9, 2007)

Isn't that basically just a step-in bindings? You just have super stiff boots and no highback.


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2008)

Flick Montana said:


> Isn't that basically just a step-in bindings? You just have super stiff boots and no highback.


thats what i thought i did the burton learn to ride when i first started snowboaridng, they used these. they were shit.


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## Flick Montana (Jul 9, 2007)

My second or third time I had to rent step-ins. They worked I guess. I wasn't a fan, though.


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## Guest (Dec 13, 2008)

that article reads like a reformed smoker railing against tobacco.

highbacks are so popular because they work so well. they are efficient at translating rider movement into board performance and, with appropriate forward lean, they encourage efficient leg position and movement (hence performance).

if the author wants to start a no-highback revolution and ride like that, good luck to him. i'm also a fan of out of the box thinking and any attempt to make life easier/better for riders. in some cases, it's inevitable that somebody will try to fix something which isn't necessarily broken and the highback could be an example.


Sick-Gnar said:


> thats what i thought i did the burton learn to ride when i first started snowboaridng, they used these. they were shit.


burton ltr is all straps (and highbacks) now.

alasdair


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

I'll be doing the highbackless challenge this week and I'll be writing a post on my blog about it. Look for it on The Angry Snowboarder he makes some ok points. But remembering back 13 seasons ago when I tried it I can't say I agree with him. So I'll give it another go and write a response about it.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

Snowboarding already out grew this theory back in the late 70's early 80's when people were riding boards with make-shift binders. He thinks its some kind of new evolution but it sounds to me like devolution. What next take the edges off the boards?


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

BurtonAvenger said:


> I'll be doing the highbackless challenge this week and I'll be writing a post on my blog about it. Look for it on The Angry Snowboarder he makes some ok points. But remembering back 13 seasons ago when I tried it I can't say I agree with him. So I'll give it another go and write a response about it.


heh right on... now what I want to know is, he says he "clipped off his highbacks" um, does that mean he got rid of the heelcup? Why not just unscrew the highback and pop it off :dunno:


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

hmmm that is pretty interesting. I think i do too much all mountain riding and having that highback when you are traversing long distances is quite nice.


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

Okay people, tell me this:

Where is the highback on a noboard?

0h sn4pz0r5

What's next, boards with reverse camber?


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## X1n54n3x (Sep 28, 2007)

+1, i'm stoned.


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## X1n54n3x (Sep 28, 2007)

no but really, 'sublime'- you stole this article of transworld. it was like last week on the front page bro.


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## X1n54n3x (Sep 28, 2007)

ah didnt see you cited TWS in the original post, again, i'm stoned.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

legallyillegal said:


> Okay people, tell me this:
> 
> Where is the highback on a noboard?
> 
> ...


Yeah but this is similar to skateboardings long boards vs skateboards debate. You're pretty limited with what you can do on a long board, the same way you'll be limited on a Noboard, or Backless bindings.


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

I think that I take what a guy like Mike Ranquet says pretty seriously as he has helped progress the sport over it's history and that there has to be some merit to what he's saying. Even think about Gigi riding his snow skates and how much he flows the lines because of the free foot movement he has. I too here the counter though having riddent the Step in bindings of the late 90's also and completely remember how much they blew for response and board feel. I think it's at least worth thinking about at least for freestyle riders though. Think of the enahnced tweakability provided and in that genre people have been riding soft boot/binding combos in order to be able to tweak grabs and have fuller range of motion. 

I probably wouldn't try this myself, but I can definitely see where he's coming from.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

alasdairm said:


> that article reads like a reformed smoker railing against tobacco.
> 
> highbacks are so popular because they work so well. they are efficient at translating rider movement into board performance and, with appropriate forward lean, they encourage efficient leg position and movement (hence performance).
> 
> ...



well does anyone no what im talking about? in like 02 or 03 i think they were step ins. they just had he two clips on the bindings and idk if they had a high back or not but definitely no straps.


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

Sick-Gnar said:


> well does anyone no what im talking about? in like 02 or 03 i think they were step ins. they just had he two clips on the bindings and idk if they had a high back or not but definitely no straps.


Yes, those were the bindings I'm talking about. I actually had Switch's I think which were similar to the K2 Clicker and I think the Burtons where regular names with the Si like Moto Si or some shit like that. The boots had like ankle straps built into them and weighed like 2 tons. Then they came out with the steps ins with the highback but no straps.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

lisevolution said:


> Yes, those were the bindings I'm talking about. I actually had Switch's I think which were similar to the K2 Clicker and I think the Burtons where regular names with the Si like Moto Si or some shit like that. The boots had like ankle straps built into them and weighed like 2 tons. Then they came out with the steps ins with the highback but no straps.


yeah exactly!! the thing i remember about those is how horrible they were, i dident ride very well and i was about 13, when i came back the next year i went to copper on a regular high back rental board and it was butter way easier to me. 

so i dont understand how if this is some revolutionary thing, that it hasn't caught on with more people.


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## Flick Montana (Jul 9, 2007)

From PAGE 1:


Flick Montana said:


> Isn't that basically just a step-in bindings? You just have super stiff boots and no highback.


Step ins already existed. They sucked. Highback-less bindings would suck as well. Why try to fix what isn't broken?


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

Flick Montana said:


> From PAGE 1:
> 
> 
> Step ins already existed. They sucked. Highback-less bindings would suck as well. Why try to fix what isn't broken?


i second this wholllllle thought.


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)




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## X1n54n3x (Sep 28, 2007)

i like the idea of more mobility, but honestly landing a 40 footer without the support provided by a highback and a stiff boot is kinda sketchy to me, but maybe cause im just conditioned to think that i need the two, which he points out in the article somewhere. lets just say if anyone comes out with this evolved binding and boot combo, i would love to try it out, but i would be a lot more conservative until i had enough faith in the ancle support. the last thing i want to break is any bones in either leg, (wrist,collarbone etc. i can deal with), break something in the leg, and im fucked on a number of levels.


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2008)

X1n54n3x said:


> . i can deal with), break something in the leg, and im fucked on a number of levels.


Not true! Just yesterday I saw a guy with a broken leg one legged skiing with two ski support polls!

Back on topic.. hey of course you can ride like that, I ride a mountain board with no high backs and hiking boots .. and I saw a guy on a single ski snowskate "carving" down a blue run.


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## Gnarly (Mar 12, 2008)

So forgive me if I'm stupid, but why did he cut off his highbacks when he can just remove 2 screws and take them completely off? Or, is he talking about cutting the heel cup too?

If he's talking about just the highbacks, I think I may give this a go on Saturday. I'm not committing to it by cutting off the highbacks, but I'll remove the highback and take a couple runs to see what happens and how riding feels. If I hate it, I'll put the highbacks on again and drink massive quantities of alcohol to kill any brain cells that attempt to remember my attempt at riding sans highback. 

I shall report back on Sat night.


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## Guest (Dec 19, 2008)

Gnarly said:


> So forgive me if I'm stupid, but why did he cut off his highbacks when he can just remove 2 screws and take them completely off? Or, is he talking about cutting the heel cup too?
> 
> If he's talking about just the highbacks, I think I may give this a go on Saturday. I'm not committing to it by cutting off the highbacks, but I'll remove the highback and take a couple runs to see what happens and how riding feels. If I hate it, I'll put the highbacks on again and drink massive quantities of alcohol to kill any brain cells that attempt to remember my attempt at riding sans highback.
> 
> I shall report back on Sat night.


Ha, that's the comment I made on page 2. it said he "Clipped his highbacks off" which is quite insane.


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## Gnarly (Mar 12, 2008)

BCsnowboardchik said:


> Ha, that's the comment I made on page 2. it said he "Clipped his highbacks off" which is quite insane.


Doh. I must have skipped over your question. 

The more I think about his points though, the more I wonder if he's actually onto something. I'm probably oblivious to it, but I can't recall ever feeling my highback pressing into my ankle. In fact, I usually remove the lean adjuster on my highbacks to get a true 0 degree reading so they're as out of the way as possible. I think that as long as my toe and heel strap were securely in place, I wouldn't need a highback...Unless I had really soft boots (which I don't). 

Can't wait for Saturday, and not just because I'm going to demo the SL-R again.


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## Guest (Dec 19, 2008)

Gnarly said:


> Doh. I must have skipped over your question.
> 
> The more I think about his points though, the more I wonder if he's actually onto something. I'm probably oblivious to it, but I can't recall ever feeling my highback pressing into my ankle. In fact, I usually remove the lean adjuster on my highbacks to get a true 0 degree reading so they're as out of the way as possible. I think that as long as my toe and heel strap were securely in place, I wouldn't need a highback...Unless I had really soft boots (which I don't).
> 
> Can't wait for Saturday, and not just because I'm going to demo the SL-R again.


hehe.. 

Now I am tempted to go to the tobogganing hill tonight and try it


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## Guest (Dec 19, 2008)

this is FASCINATING! I'm really blown away after reading that.

the only support I can say is:
When I first got my Flows, and spent the (mandatory) 50 minutes to set them up and 18 runs to get them just right (which now they are perfect) .. I had accidentally given myself some INSANELY stupid forward lean, and fell on my ass repeatedly. 

Immediately I slapped those high backs into a VERY LAZY position. There is probably about 4 inches between the back of my boot and the highback now...and I'm landing EVERYTHING I attempt.

I could cut those highbacks off and I doubt it would make a difference (except that the Flows wouldn't close anymore).

But when I see new comers attempting jumps and watch their board slip out from beneath their bodies and they land on their backs.. a) I can feel the crunch .. b)I have to think they didn;t have the board in the right place and in mid air was too late to adjust.

Maybe it's the high back?

thx for the post!


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## Guest (Dec 19, 2008)

ketchupgun said:


> this is FASCINATING! I'm really blown away after reading that.
> 
> the only support I can say is:
> When I first got my Flows, and spent the (mandatory) 50 minutes to set them up and 18 runs to get them just right (which now they are perfect) .. I had accidentally given myself some INSANELY stupid forward lean, and fell on my ass repeatedly.
> ...



Shit im going to go tonight and try it.. I agree with the forward lean thing, it sure sucks for tricks and mines almost always nearly minimal.


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## Phenix_Rider (Dec 24, 2008)

Don't know about the OP, but my boots are well worn in. To the point I can almost walk normally and drive (minus the bulk)- like well worn leather work boots. Without a highback, riding would be a lot more difficult. I like lazy. I've never crashed because I couldn't move my ankle backward far enough. A lot of the times I've crashed, having my ankle hyper flex like it could without a highback would have been very bad.


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2008)

> A lot of the times I've crashed, having my ankle hyper flex like it could without a highback would have been very bad.


I agree. I think highbacks, probably prevent alot of injuries, but I'm not sure. I think, people tried to start a no highback revolution about 30 ish years ago? (But it didn't work)


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

Started a revolution? No, snowboards STARTED without highbacks.


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## baldylox (Dec 27, 2007)

He cut them because the heel cup of your binding is significantly bigger than the heel of your boot. Without that bottom portion of the highback, the heal will float around. So removing the two screws and completely taking the highback off is a *BAD* idea. And if you have a toe cap and are able to actually wedge your boot back further, you will have heel drag and be off center which is VERY bad.


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2008)

The revolution was also tried in the early-mid 90's, when jibbing was taking off and 6' 200lb guys were riding 140cm for park 
I went a season back then without highbacks because my AZP generic bindings broke. I didn't have too hard of a time riding, but trying to land any size jump sucked- land then just sit down on my butt for no reason.


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