Why aren’t wakeboard bindings more like Snowboard

Last week my son had an unfortunate Skateboarding accident that left him with a broken Femur. This has been set in place with the insertion of a full length Titanium rod inside of his Femur and 3 pins to hold it in place (ouch!)

This has got me thinking about how to try and prevent any further injuries, especially late this summer when he starts wakeboarding again.

I maybe wrong but it seems the biggest risk and injury happen when 1 foot comes out during a hard fall. On a Snowboard this basically never happens, when you crash your feet stay attached.

Wouldn’t it make sense to have a Wakeboard Binding/ Boot system that you never come out of during a crash?

There must be something that I a missing, are the forces greater during a wakeboard crash then a Snowboard crash?

My other thought is maybe buying him a Skyski ( airchair ) in place of Wakeboarding which might be safer on his leg. Not sure if they are safer and any input would be great.


Thanks

ya man, just start riding the collective development bindings, he wont fall out of those.haha that is a big problem though, you want to come out of your boots. if you stay in, your impact is way way worse. get bindings he will pop out of.

I believe the exact opposite actually. Both of my bindings are supper loose so I come right out (usually both feet). No matter how tight you make them, eventually you're going to get ripped out. When you do, you're going to cause major damage to your ankles and knees. It already happened to me once.

Your boots should have incredible hold down so that one foot never comes out. You want to come out of both in a major eat it.

try wakesurfing...

The tighter they are, the better your chances of only one foot coming out in my opinion.

I wouldnt keep the bindings loose at all. Last summer my buddy did a back flip and his foot slid through his binding on the landing. Instant compound fracture. He still isnt the same. I agree with Ryan. Wakesurfing can be a ton of fun and a good thing to get your son back on the water.

If your foot slips through the toe overlay, then the bindings are simple too big.

I got crushed a few times in my CD's because they don't release. Right now I'm riding the LF transits and think they are perfect. I've come out of them once on a really hard fall. Other than that I stay in place. You need a binding that has a lot of support, but I also think you should be able to come out in a really hard crash.

Evan~ How do the Transits ride I want them so bad?

i rode my dads board and bindings for a couple of weeks while i was in between boards and hes my size and no matter how much i tightened the bindings i would pop only one foot out on some falls on spins even if they weren't that hard, nothing ever got hurt in any way but i did want to get my board alittle faster and now with the 04 parks i just tighten em up good and they stay in when i fall, i've only pulled out once on a major faceplant but i do feel safer having them stay both in than havign the chances of one come out.

Andrew... They're sick. I've ridden a lot of different bindings from a lot of companies and they are my favorite. I like having the ability to tighten the top and bottom laces seperately and I also like the thick footbed. Having the Neoprene liner is the icing on the cake. They are the only bindings I've ridden that are tight enough to hold my feet in place and comfortable enough to make me happy.

The LF Teams are the closest to snowboard bindings I have ever seen. It is the same kind of support you get with SB bindings. Bindings that are too tight is a bad thing. On a hard fall you want to eject b/c laws of physics say that the energy is going somewhere. If you are stuck in your bindings the weakest link will most likely be your knees, need I say more?

I myself also ride the LF Transits. IMO they are the perfect bindings. Great support with awsome flex. Wearing them is a treat b/c they are so comfy. They will always hold me in but when they need to release I will come out cleanly.

I recently demoed the transits, when I was up and ridding they were the best feeling my feet have ever felt. But when I was sitting in the water waiting for the boat, they were killing the arch of both my feet, so I dont know if they just need to be broken in, or if they just are not for my feet.

I've stayed in on many diggers and never felt any pain in my knees. Now my head, that's a different story. In my own experience I've seen far more injuries from loose bindings, and one foot out, and one in, because of loose bindings. I'm stickin' with the saying "your better off in than out".

Agreed! One in and one out is far worse than staying in. But my Transits when tightend down snug will release both of my feet on every big fall I take (I have only come one foot out once, and I actually strained my groin LOL). The main thing is find a pair of bindings that fit your feet, with demo programs this should not be too hard.

My worst fall was 1 in 1 halfway out, lisfranc fracture dislocation of my right midfoot. Horrible injury, I barely avoided surgery. I was in hyperlite splits then, now I ride LF sphynx's and I have not come out yet.

Chris,
I used wakesurfing to rehab my foot. It is just so easy on the body. IMO a great first step to get back to wakeboarding after a major injury.

check out NICE bindings specificaly the prs1 and the RG1 models they have a rachets just like a snowboard binding way cool!!

I leave the top of my CD's loose and the part over my toe area tight. This way I can come out on hard landings but I still have tons of support around my ankle.

I had an older pair of bindings that I've sprained my ankle with twice, because only one foot came out, and the other got wrenched around with the board. OUCH! So now I have the Byerly and whenever I have a hard fall, which has only been once so far, both feet come out, and the rest of the time, both feet are firmly planted in there.
KJ, I hear ya on the Split bindings. I used to come out of those all the time, regardless if it was a hard fall or not.

Used to ride in bindings that didn't release. Problem is any crash on an edge the board turns into an instant parachute and stops dead in the water while your body keeps going. This made for a lot of knee and ankle strains as those joints were the ones that stretched.

Now ride with very old Hyperlite Air Shock bindings. Mainly because they are comfortable, nice and tight, I only come out of big crashes and both feet come out when I do. They are getting very ratty, but I am in the process of looking for a new binding that I feel would offer the same features. Been looking for 6 months now.

Not a decision to take lightly as this would be the biggest area in wakeboarding where the equipment can cause you an injury rather then just your body doing something silly.

Andrew, I just got a pair of Transits. I used to have the Ultras but the Transits are they best i've ever ridden. They are extremely comfortable with no pressure points or spots rubbing against your foot. And they provite great support with a good snug fit.

I have a pair of Parks bindings, 03 I think, and they fit better than any other binding that I have rode in. Must just be my foot or something, but they have never come off, take a little squirt to get them on, then just release the straps and they are off.

I really like them. I rode my buddies setup, and ended up poping out 1/2 way. Jeeze does that hurt!

My worst yet, front flip attempt to face plant. One whole binding ripped out of the screw inserts and the board nailed me in the head. Go big or go home.

Sounds like everyone likes the Transits, and I also have to agree. They are the most comfortable I have ever ridden. I am buying a second pair for one of my other boards, just so I stay consistent.

When I first had them, I snugged the laces down real tight, and took a ride. I ended up catching my front edge on a W2W jump, and ended up doing the hardest faceplant I have EVER done. Just about knocked me out. The bigger problem was that I had them so tight, that I did NOT come out of the bindings, and got "yanked" or kinda stretched. Ended up having a pretty significant abdominal tear. Man! I wish the bindings would have let go. I was a whining baby for a couple months. I could hardly move for the first week or so, and could not board for close to 2 months. I could show you the pictures, but I posted them here once before, and it just about caused some to loose their lunch. Take my word for it. You don't ALWAYS want to stay in the bindings. I now snug the laces down slightly, and I do come out just fine. I have not had any issues with them being too loose, or having only one foot come out.

To everyone recommending the teams/transits I'd recommend you trying them on or riding in them before buying. I bought a pair at the boat show this offseason due to all the raves here on these boards and it turned out that they just don't fit my feet very well. My foot has a high arch to it and they just completely kill my feet. It feels like the little bones in my feet are just getting crushed. This is a far cry from all the "they have no pressure points" raves I've read about them. I tried on some teams this week and they also do exactly the same thing to my foot. I ending up going back to the 05 murray (I had the 04's previously), and they are just 100% more comfortable and better for my particular shaped foot. So bottom line, don't just go off and order something based on reviews and hype, make sure it actually works for you.

CD AS01 or AS02.......some people find them too stiff, but being a snowboarder and skier this is what I was looking for in a wake setup. haven't experienced a nasty fall in them yet, but they are comfy and supportive as hell and I will take that over having cramped feet. There are a whole lot of CD's on E-bay right now, good prices.

(Message edited by ogopogo on May 20, 2005)

ouch the femur is not a fun bone to break. I broke me in august, and im just now getting back into the grove of things. I have the titanium rod and 2 screws and 1 pin in my leg. I would not expect your son to be wakeboarding by the end of the summer if he just recently broke his femur. It takes a while to learn to walk again and to gain back all the strenght.
Good luck with it all, and make sure you son does the proper therapy, its gonna feel weird for a while, but i assure you it will soon be something to look back on and use as a stepping stone. I know i barely feel any difference between my good leg, and my metal renforced leg.
best of luck

FYI.... i dont venture to the "other" board very often, but i remember reading a few months back a very detailed and long discussion about this same issue. the one guy that started it all has done TONS of research about it and is even trying to invent a type of binding that addresses these concerns. it was definitely some interesting facts in there. worth reading.

I remember FULL TILT/SUB ROSA tried these snowboard style bindings years ago:

http://www.wakeworld.com/Boots/FullTilt.asp

Lloyd....I've had the exact same problem with my ankle getting wrenched around by the board and then coming out at the last second. This happened to me on my lead foot on the first ride of the season...over 2 months ago. My ankle still hurts everyday and I'm starting to wonder if it is ever going to heal. I haven't riden int two weeks because everytime that I fell really hard, the same thing would happen. I'm taking some time off to let it heal before I do permanent damage.

I wear a size 10 shoe and am currently riding with 2003 Hyperlite Belmonts size Large. Can anyone suggest a better binding for me that gives good support while riding, but breaks free somewhat easily in a crash to avoid this infamous one foot out, one foot in hell on my freakin ankle.

Thanks for the info in advance.

CWB Zeus' all the way. I got a bum ankle from awhile back & these things are soo damn supportive and comfortable. I've only ejected from both and it's like they havea certain amount they will hold you in & then they just release, perfect. That is all.