# Experience as a beginner snowboarder with Burton Step On / GNU Carbon Credit



## TheSalamander (Mar 11, 2019)

Firstly just to be clear that the below is based on my experiences as a beginner snowboarder, so this "review" isn't going to answer questions that more advanced snowboarders have.

*Conclusion for those that don't want to read further:* If Burton Step On boots fit you (and that is a big "if"), and you are a beginner or intermediate snowboarder looking for convenience or to bend over less for doing bindings then the Burton Step On solution is a great option to consider.

*Background:*

I am an intermediate skier, having skied intermittently for 25+ years and around 15 days last season at Beech Mountain, NC. I decided to spend the 5 days of our final March 2019 winter trip trying snowboarding. This was for a couple of reasons:


My wife is a skier but is less experienced so by trying snowboarding it gives me a challenge to get up to the level she is at skiing so we could go down the slopes together and
I have 2 young kids (4/6) with the 6-year-old progressing very quickly at skiing. I am looking for the 6 year old to try out snowboarding in the 2020/2021 season so would like to understand more myself about how to snowboard.
We go to Beech Mountain, NC as while there are better places with respect to snow/runs in the North Caroline/Virginia region it is somewhat convenient and the kids really enjoy the ski school/instructors there.

I am 46 year old male, 5'9", 150-155 lbs, US size 9 snowboard boots (US 10 shoes, US 11 running shoes). I jog 3-5 miles 6 times a week so have a reasonable fitness level with some lower back issues. I ride my snowboard regular (rather than goofy)

*My 2020 equipment:*


Burton Step On Bindings (Medium)
Burton Step On Swath Boots (US Size 9)
GNU Carbon Credit 156 board (2018/2019 model)
Trew Gear Cosmic Jacket Cascade (Medium) - for most days
Obermeyer Kodiak Insulated Jacket Blue (Small) - for very cold days
Burton Men's AK Gore-tex Cyclic pants Golden Oak (Medium)
SmartWool PhD Slopestye Light Elite Cushion Ski Socks
TSLA base layer long sleeved top/Capri pants (mesh or thermal depending on temperature)
Gordini Storm Trooper II Gloves (Large) - for very cold days
Dakine Impreza Gore-Tex Gloves (Large) - for normal days
Burton Spectre Gloves (Medium) - for warm days
Anon Eclipse Helmet (last year I broke my Smith Vantage MIPS during a heavy heel edge fall so have moved away from the two-part shell helmet design for now)
Anon M4 Goggles/MFI mask with SportRX prescription inserts


*Snowboard & Step On Feedback:

GNU Carbon Credit* - I was looking for a board that had softer torsional flex to help with turns, was suitable for a beginner for resort runs and was rocker based. In addition, as I am on the east coast having some type of technology for helping with more icy based conditions would be beneficial. The GNU Card Credit (size 156) fit the requirements. Overall from practicing at home and on the slopes the board was easy to flex for initiating and controlling turns and I remain pleased with the board. I don't ride park and haven't progressed to any Ollies etc so can't comment on the board from that perspective, however for beginners riding groomed runs on the east coast I can recommend this board.

*Burton Step On Boots/Bindings* – Earlier this year I had posted my foot measurements on the forum and WiredSports indicated I was Mondo Size 9 and standard width. My local ski/snowboard shop had some size 9 Step On Rulers on discount at the end of last season. On trying the size 9 Step On Rulers I was pleased to find they fitted comfortably without any obvious immediate foot discomfort suggesting that Burton Step Ons seemed promising from a fit perspective. While the Rulers were on discount and were comfortable from a fit perspective I wanted dual BOA (or similar) due to the lack of bindings to hold the feet securely.

On looking at the 2019/2020 catalogue I saw Burton releasing new Swath Step On (Flex 5 dual BOA) or Photon Step On (Flex 7 semi-dual BOA). As the recommendation for beginners was a lower flex-rating I pre-ordered the Swath Step On boots. I received the boots in early November 2019 and had them heat molded. The fit was good and comfortable but on wearing them in the bindings I did notice some slight pressure on my little toe. After 7 days of wearing them for 30-60 minutes a day and flexing in the board/bindings the hot spot disappeared and the boots broke in nicely. I did take some small band aids with me during our Beech Mountain trip just in-case but I ended up not needing them.

I fitted my Step On Bindings at +15/-15 degrees and around 22.5" wide. I played with different variations while at home but ended up returning to +15/-15. Stepping On to the bindings was very easy while at home, just ensure the rear of the boot is against the high back to ensure it slots in, and then a slight twist to the toe area. Stepping out is a little trickier as you need to twist the front of the foot once you have lifted your heel.

During the 2-3 weeks I was testing/trying the boots at home I found they broke in and became more flexible. You can see how they ended up from a flex perspective on this video: 




*TIP*_: More experienced riders or those looking for a stiffer boot should probably look at the Photon Step On boots, which also come in a wide fitting._

When we reached the slopes I had a chance to try the Step Ons properly. I was at Beech Mountain for 4 days during the Thanksgiving 2019 break. Day 1 and 4 had poor snow coverage, days 2 & 3 were much better.

*Step On Boot Comfort* - In terms of overall comfort of the boots I would rate them as an 8/10 or higher. I had no issues wearing the boots for 3-4 hours in the morning on the slopes, 1 hour during a lunch break and then another 2-3 hours in the afternoon on the slopes for the 4 days. I experienced no hot spots or soreness where the toe cleats are. I believe having a compatible foot shape/size and also breaking in the boots while at home helped a lot here.

I did hike half way up the slope a reasonable number of times on some of the days rather than use the chair lift and the boots remained comfortable to wear. One thing to note was I originally found the rear of my Burton AK pants would sometimes lift out of the boots rear pant-clip when hiking. This can be an issue if you then Step On without realizing as there is a risk that the pants will get caught in the rear cleat resulting in challenges in releasing the boot. When I properly used the front lace clip on the pant liner I no longer experienced the pants lifting out of the rear boot pant-clip. 

I did meet a few other Step On owners heading to the slopes, in chatting to them they had been using their boots for just a few days and while they liked them they had two negatives - foot comfort (toe cleat area), and getting used to stepping out (i.e. twisting). The hot spots/comfort issues could be due to these people and other reviewers not having "Burton shaped feet" or the boots not having been broken in properly yet.

Two fitment aspects I found with the boots were


The calf area of my legs is presumably less bulky that the typical person as I could tighten the top of the boot to the point where the outer shell was almost touching the front BOA handle. I didn’t experience heel lift though and the boots felt tight enough around the calf area. If you have skinny legs this could be an area of concern to consider.
My toes touched the end of the boots. I had the liners heat molded without toe caps. When on the slopes, while wearing my SmartWool PhD socks I found I could still wiggle my toes just a little bit which I was fine with from a comfort perspective.
While I would like to say the Step On system is much more responsive, my honest assessment is I am not experienced enough to be able to provide any meaningful feedback. I have noticed that the binding does flex on the reflex disc a reasonable amount.

*Stepping On* - This is the main area of benefit of the Step On system. While standing up on somewhat flat ground e.g. having gotten off the chair lift and skating down the exit slope to a stop, it then took 5-10 seconds at most to Step On and click in with my rear foot. I would flip up the high back, Step On and press down with my heel, then twist my toe area right then left to click into the toe cleats. Sometimes my rear cleat only clicked in on the first click because I wasn't pushing down very hard and so I just did a little jump/hop as I set off down the slope to ensure everything properly set in. I believe with just a little bit of practice I could flip up my highback and then Step On and click into the rear binding at the same time as getting off the chair lift, doing a small jump/hop and setting off, thereby meaning no stopping at all to strap in, similar to the experience when on skis.

I also tried to Step On where the ground was more sloped while standing up, here it was a little trickier as my balance is not the best, but no different to using traditional bindings on a slope vs flat. Just dig the heel edge of the board in and continue as per normal. As an experiment I did try sitting down and trying to Step On. It wasn't too difficult as I just held the toe edge of the board with my gloved hands so I had something to push against to at least get one click and then my usual hop when I stood up to ensure the boots were properly seated.

There were areas on Beech Mountain where there was around 6" of softer powder. I had no significant issues with Stepping On in these conditions either. Sometimes I would use my gloved hand to flick out the loose snow that was sitting in the binding. Someone on YouTube has posted a much more detailed view of using the Step On system in powder.

I didn’t experience the chatter/ticking sound from the toe cleats that some others have commented on, however as a beginner I am not really pushing the binding/boots in terms of flex or speed. I can see from the design why it could occur as there is a little bit of give where the boots connect with the toe cleats. While I couldn’t always hear the 2nd heel click e.g. when the resort was making snow, at no time did I feel the boot/bindings were not secure. I didn’t experience any issues with securing the boots to the bindings although a couple of times I felt the 2nd click engage when I did my little jump/hop.

Overall the need to bend over or sit down to "strap in" was reduced by 95%+ which is exactly what I wanted. Last season while using rental boots/board I was so exhausted from snowboarding in the last part of each day that my balance was getting wobbly so I ended up sitting down to do up my bindings when exiting the chair lift which then tired me out even more trying to get up, and resulted in much wetter gloves.

Note: While I have mentioned a number of times about doing a little hop/jump when setting off to ensure the Step On was properly engaged, that was just my way of being certain all was ok, the reality is that it isn't necessary and it is easy enough to Step On properly each time if you wish.

*Stepping Out* - Probably the area, other than boot fit, where people will have more of a challenge. Pulling the lever to lift the heel out is easy. I then found it was generally fairly easy when standing up to twist my right/rear foot anti-clockwise to exit the toe cleats. I'm still getting used to how to twist my front/left leg which could be due to simply not Stepping Out with my front foot as often.

There is someone on YouTube that has posted a modification to the lever that reduces the need to bend over as much to release for those who are less mobile. Even with my lower back issues I never had issues bending over to release the lever so I am fine with the current design.

When sitting down or kneeling down it is definitely a little fiddlier/harder to exit the toe cleats. When on my knees I found it was easier to flip over to sit down so I could more easily twist my foot and push away from the snowboard. This is the one area I found where traditional bindings are actually easier to use, although that ease doesn’t outweigh all the other positive aspects of the Step On experience.

*TIP:* If buying new Step On boots, even if having them heat molded, wear them in house to help speed up the break in as assuming the boots fit, this should reduce the chance of hot spots.

*TIP:* Correct Mondo size is even more critical for the Step On system, i had no pressure/discomfort and didn't lose any toe nails on this snowboarding trip (unlike my rental boots last year). If you don't have the right foot shape/size/width for Burton Step Ons then just accept they are not for you (at present) rather than buy them and find you have a poor experience since the lack of traditional binding straps means the boot fit is even more critical.

*Brief feedback on my other gear:* As a beginner I am using more strength than technique for turning which means I burn more energy and generate more body heat. If skiing I would wear my Obermeyer insulated jacket, whereas if snowboarding in the same weather condition I found the Obermeyer jacket too warm even if wearing less base/mid layers hence I purchased the Trew Jacket which has no insulation and has so far for this season proven to be good. I sized up compared to the Obermeyer to ensure I had plenty of space to move/bend and wear layers beneath if required, as winter progresses.

I also have different gloves depending on conditions although I have just bought the Dakine Impreza as the Burton Spectre were not sufficiently water resistant for my current needs and the Gordini gloves are too warm this early in the season. I personally prefer wearing gloves to mittens.

*2018/19 summary*

Last year for my 5 day snowboard trial experience I rented a Burton beginner board and US size 9.5 Burton laced boots. As it was the end of the season the gear was not in the greatest condition. One of the laces on the boots broke and they only had a size 10 boot to replace with so I used that for the last day. I lost my big toe nail on my front foot due to the boots being too big. I now know I am a Mondo size 9 boot.

I had 1-2 hours of tuition for each of the 5 days. At the end of the 5 days I was able to link my turns but felt very tense, didn't flex my knees enough or push my pelvis out etc. However, the experience was enough for me to feel that continuing to try snowboarding and investing in my own snowboard gear for the 2019/2020 season was worthwhile.

March 2019 video - 




*2019/2020 summary so far*

I’ve spent 4 days on the snow this season so far. As it is so early in the season the snow conditions at Beech Mountain on the 1st and 4th day were poor. They were able to make snow on day 2 that meant day 2 & 3 were much better from a snow perspective.

My first couple of days were spent getting used to my new equipment. I had waxed the board but not scraped off the wax based on comments that the icy type east coast snow would scrape it off anyway. On day 1 I didn't notice any ill effects from this, but on day 2 the man made snow was much more powdery and I noticed the board had far too much friction. That night I scraped off the excess wax and on day 3 my snowboard worked better.

I found that while I had spent the last 2-3 months watching YouTube snowboarding videos I was really struggling to get my turns to work. This was nothing to do with the GNU board or Step On system, but more due to me not committing properly mid-way through the turn and not flexing my knees, pushing pelvis forward etc. In essence, I knew what to do but I wasn’t doing it and hence I was becoming very frustrated with myself.

I caught up with my prior year’s instructor on day 4 for an hour’s instruction and things progressed to where I was linking my turns and was overall snowboarding slightly better than at the end of day 4 from last season. While I remain overly stiff, leaning over, not pushing pelvis out etc I was reasonably happy with where I ended up compared to the first couple of days. I'll be back again soon enough to continue progressing.

November 2019 video - 




*In conclusion*

I hope the above has provided at least some useful thoughts for beginner/intermediate riders who are considering Burton Step Ons. If your budget allows for Step Ons and they fit your foot shape/size then I truly believe they are an excellent option for many people who are looking for greater convenience/ease of Stepping On vs using traditional bindings.

If you don’t already own bindings/boots then the price premium to go to Step On isn’t that much compared to traditional bindings and there is much greater availability this year. However it is also important to be willing to accept that you may not have a foot shape/size that is compatible with Step Ons however much you may wish to use them.

While I am sure the Step On system will continue to be improved over the coming years they already work well and I plan to keep using Swath Step Ons. Possibly in a future season I would migrate to Photon Step Ons if I feel I am at the point where I would benefit from a stiffer boot.


----------

