How do you get in?
The mantra is ‘heel, toe, go’. Firstly, get your heel down into the rear of the binding, where the cleat on the back of the boot will connect to the inside of the highback. There are three levels of engagement in this mechanism – you might hear a small click, but it’s quite a subtle process. The next step is to engage the toe cleats, which protrude out from each side of the boot. Put a little weight on your toes and you’ll soon hear a much louder (and more satisfying) snapping sound on each side that tells you the boot is secure in binding – and unlike the heel cleat, you also get visual confirmation.

“After years of using straps it will feel weird at first, but that soon passes. It wasn’t long before we could step on whilst skating off the chairlift”

There are only three points of connection?
Yes, that’s all – the biggest difference between these and the step-ins of old is that your sole sits in the footbed just like a regular binding. No rigid metal plates, no compromise on boardfeel.

So they’re better?
We wouldn’t go that far – but it’s certainly no worse than the classic system either. Also, one of us reckoned that the fact that you weren’t being held down on the board by straps made it feel “a little more like surfing or skating”.

Do you get more heel lift?
None that we noticed, and the Boa strap on the boot does a good job of providing extra support if you need it.

How about foot pain?
Nope. After a morning of solid laps, only one person in the group mentioned feeling a slight ache under the side of their foot, but nothing major – and it could have had more to do with the fact that they were brand new boots, fresh out of the box. It’s possible that the system works a slightly different set of muscles in your foot, which takes a little getting used to.

What kind of rider are they for?
Any, according to Burton. First-timers will enjoy not having to fiddle with straps – as long as they can master stepping in on a slippery slope – while experts can appreciate the supposed increase in edge-to-edge response.

“Supposed”?
Well, physics is on Burton’s side here; it’s just a matter of whether or not you really notice the difference from a traditional system. We didn’t think it was all that noticeable, but our conclusion was that anyone willing to trust the system would get on just as well with these, no matter their ability level.

What else?
If you don’t like the Boa lacing system, then sit this one out; all models in the Step On system’s inaugural year (Photon and Ruler for men, Felix and Limelight for women) feature the wire.

Also, there’s a clip on the backstay that’s supposed to keep your snowboard pants from getting in the way of the heel cleat. For a couple of people in our group, this didn’t always do the job, as it’s a bit flimsy and gets bent easily. You can always remove it, bend it back into shape and reattach, but ideally this would be a lot stronger. We expect they’ll work on this.

“Drawbacks were minimal, but we did encounter a couple of issues. For example, it’s tricky to step in whilst on a steep slope”

Do I need to buy the boot and binding together?
Afraid so – regular boots don’t work in Step On bindings, and vice versa. There’s no word yet on whether or not Burton will license the system to other brands in the future, but they’ve not ruled it out.

Does it work with any snowboard?
Yes, it works with any snowboard from any brand. It’s compatible with Burton’s Channel system, of course, but anything with the classic 4×4 interface is fine too.

Right – anything to add?
The biggest obstacle facing Burton is that many snowboarders, especially the more experienced, will require some time to warm to these. From the look of online responses, many have already settled in the ‘never have, never will’ camp. There’ll be others that are open to the Step On, however, and we’re pleased to say that they’ll like what they get. The benefits are undeniable, and the drawbacks are manageable.

Could a system like this become the new normal one day? Well, halfway through the day we bumped into Jeremy Jones, who was doing his own product testing in the same resort. As he kneeled down to strap in his front foot, we found ourselves looking at him and thinking “what a faff that is”…

[monetizer101 search=’burton step on’]

Take A Closer Look At The Burton Step On binding here

Take A Closer Look At The Burton Photon Step On boot here

Watch Mikkel Bang and Max Zebe tearing it up on the Burton Step On System here