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Luke
SYSTEM BINDING
($170; hyperlite.com)
MAREK, KOBALT AND MURRAY BOOTS
($320, $300 and $300; hyperlite.com)
For 2011, Hyperlite is rolling out a paradigm shift for wakeboarding: a boot and binding system. Similar to a snowboard setup, the new Hyperlite System binding is compatible with three new boot models — the Hyperlite Marek, Hyperlite Murray and Hyperlite Kobalt. Each boot is designed with different riding styles in mind and is lightweight and free from hard internal plastic, which helps with comfort, fit and range of motion. Overall, the combo is designed to give you three things: responsiveness, support and a closer connection to your board. Hyperlite’s new philosophy is to replicate the performance of true athletic footwear.
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best boots iv ever ridden! the most responsive and soft boot out there! warning though: ankle will break before the system lets go! still sickest out there, dont beef until youve tryed them!
I have been kitesurfing with these for abut a week and wrote a review. I have no connection to hyperlite what so ever, and bought these bindings because they look cool and would probably work well in cold water; which they did!
http://www.andreastoverud.com/index.php?option=co...
I just came from Seafair in Seattle and saw that half the riders such as Murry and Darren were all using these.. is there a greater chance for injury for average riders who eat Sh*t a lot or should we advance more before moving on. because I feel the think that I am lacking to take my riding to the next level is response on the edge. any help or reply would be helpful thanks
The only thing keeping me from buying these is the ejection factor. Can anyone compare the ejection to normal high ankle bindings. or can you break free at all from these
iv got these systems, and while they are super comfy and the most responsive yet soft boot iv ever riden, you cannot EVER come out of them bailing. your leg will break first! they are totally sick thou, best boot iv ever riden!
Do you think that girls can use these? considering that they dont make them for women… I'd really like to use these but are they specifically designed for men?
I'm leaning hard towards getting some of these. Has anyone who is testing them had the chance to beef it hard? I wonder if not having the option to come out of the bindings during a fall is more dangerous than if you were able to eject? These look gnarly and I can't wait to try em!
Just broke my tibia on a crash. Currently I wear slingshot D2 boots which are snug. Wondering if this new binding system could help prevent ankle injuries as the upper strap may provide extra support and help keep an ankle from "rolling over." Going back and forth on whether "ejection" or staying in the boots is better (understanding its been long debated). Anyone have any thoughts on these bindings helping to reduce ankle sprains/fractures?
does the system binding only fit hyperlite boards? i have a ronix one and am thinking of getting some.
I'm a fan of all boardsports. Love snowboarding, but do agree, the main point in these type of bindings is so you can easily can in and out. I don't see the benefit for wakeboarding.
Since my long wakeboarding and snowboarding days, i am now a keen wakestyle kitesurfer and these bindings will be amazing for kitesurfing. Walk around on the beach in them, walk out to sea and just strap up the bindings, instead of trying to slip with the kite in the sky. These are the best idea i've seen, the benefits of bindings with the ease of footstraps.
Rode the cable with them at OWC, loved it, it answers all the problems from wakeboarding binding problems including heal lift, reponse, streching, packing, sliding forward. It is about time someone decided to use the benchmark of the boardsport industry (snowboarding) to move wakeboardig forward. Besides coping is the best form of flatery. As a snowboarder I accept the flatery gladly and as a wakeboarder and a shop owner I am super excited about wakeboarding again.
It is funny though that nobody has mentioned the incredible new board features from hyperlite including the slider base at no charge, the new Franchise board and Nick Davis new promodel, Tried them both and they are incredible!!
I will have the boards and the new system bindings to try out in my school for 2011. make an appointment with me starting in april 2011 info@hpwakeschool.com
u guys are just haters. what the f*** u havent even seen them in any other form except for 2 pics on the internet. thats a great source to base an opinion on and me personally i think they will be aight for boat but they witt be really popular in the winch and cable. there not even that expensive look at the 2011 ronix line….. same price and every boot (marek murry jd webb) is designed for a different type of rider. ill buy em.
by the way, screw u guys im goin home
cable riders will love em but you gys in the USA dont have many cables !!!!
it aways a pain walikg bare foot from the furthest corner of the cable back to the start after you have crashed ! it will also save the ware and tare on the laces that seem to be a big faliure point on bindings as you dont need to take them off as often
It's always nice bringing fresh ideas to wakeboarding - so you have to respect new development. Overall, I'd say nice job. It'll probably perform pretty well. Except, I don't see this as really 'new'…It's a snowboarding system, plain and simple. I'm a snowboarder that usually gets between 50-100 days a year. This system kind of annoys me in a weird way. It's almost alienating both board sports at the same time. Even though wakeboards are an offshoot of core board sports, this re-enforces the idea of wakeboarding being a little less legit than the rest of the main board sports. This product has that rollerblading vibe that I can't put my finger on exactly. The kids that don't do other board sports will probably like this - which accounts for more wakeboarders than not.
Thanks for the response Greg , i'm not hatin on them with out trying them first but what about the strap pressure points? I switched to burtons toe strap because of the pinching across my toes does this still happen or because of the short sets does this matter ?
it appears to me that hyperlite is trying to suck snowboardings pole. starting with the roam, followed by the use of Burtons "channel system" in their high end boards, and now this. Im all about ingenuity and trying to step up the technological game in our sport, but this isnt what i had in mind. They should focus instead on making their line more durable, not the most "high tech." However, something tells me they've already considered camber as an alternative to rocker in their boards….
agreed my snowboard set-up lasts way longer than the wakeboard set-up..this idea wont last for long. 1st wakeboarders arent gonna want to have there feet sitting in a "wet shoe" for longer than they have to. 2nd the f*cking burton style toe strap isn't there, i dont have to ride these to know my foot will move around in them. think about…water has a way of making things bend more, ice stiffens things, it wont work! come on dudes put the pipe down and start making quality gear!
I agree here too. Being from mostly a snowboard background, these bindings just look cheap to me. They should take notes on the 3d molding / gel and other padding that go into snowboard straps. These look like Kmart to me. Reminds me of the days of snowboarding step in bindings…
so what if theyre buying patents from other companies man? if it works, it works! I'm a snowboarder and when the channel system came out, I was skeptical too, now I have two boards with it and won't ever ride anything else. And if you'd look at their boards, they are making them more durable, stronger bases and cores on most of their boards just as ronix has been doing. seriously guys, go out to a shop and just get the things in your hands. I work at the local shop here and when we got them in, the first thing I did was boot on the marek boots that came as well, and straped in on a marek board. It's easy. my coworker that doesnt wake or snowboard figured it out first try. this is something we will be seeing a lot more in the future. tag em, and bag em boys.
So we are clear, I work at Hyperlite and have been involved in the Wakeboard industry since it began. I’ve also been heavily involved with the testing of our new System Binding and Boots, as has Rusty, JD, Murray, Davies, Jimmy, Langley and others.
I want to say thanks to all who’ve posted their comments, even the haters, if you weren’t talking about it, the System wouldn’t be as ground breaking as it truly is.
After my first experience riding the System, I compared it to what it was like going from ankle straps to the first high wrap boots back in the day, with respects to the control I felt on the board. Now I’ve ridden the System countless times and I still feel the same way but am even more excited to ride now that I have a set.
When you slip on the boots, either model (JD-Murray-Rusty) the fit is so sleek and comfortable that it feels like an extension of your body, so stepping on the board I’ve never felt closer from a control point of view. Even before you’re up on the water you feel the control while wiggling your ankles waiting for the rope to get tight, it blows me away every time I strap in and jump off the platform. At my level of riding these days, having the control the System provides rules. The second I think about changing my edge, it’s happening, and I simply don’t have to work as hard to achieve the control I’d get out of traditional boots.
I’ll admit it was a bit awkward putting on boots while JD or someone else was riding, but I’m used to it now. One day I wore the boots around the office for an hour, made my way to the lake, slipped my boardies on over the boots and took a set. It was a fun feeling, not that you’d do it every day, but the boots are that comfortable. They are a true piece of footwear that we’ve designed for wakeboarding.
There’s no question this is different. No longer am I cinching my laces down as much as possible, there’s no need. I make the boot comfortable and then ratchet down the ankle and toe strap to my liking and go. For me it’s ideal because I prefer my support to spread over the entire foot and lower ankle. If you prefer support on the upper ankle, great you can cinch down the laces, personally I leave them kind of loose up top.
As for tweaking and poking out grabs, forget about it, the System allows you a freedom like no other boot out there. Traditional boots have hard sidewalls for the boot to be sewn to, these do not. The sidewall of the System Chassis is so minimal you can slam your ankle in any direction as far as you desire.
Wakeboarding has always looked to other action sports for inspiration and now many sports are looking at ours for the same thing. You think surfers would be winching across inlets hitting waves without Wakeboarding & Wakeskating? That being said, the philosophy behind this System binding is like snowboarding, make a comfortable boot and a supportive binding. We’ve done that, but applied it to our sport.
The thought that these drag you down when swimming is funny, they float and your feet go right to the surface. It’s funny when you stand on the platform that’s beneath 6 inches of water, your feet want to float. We’ve joked about the boots qualifying for Coast Guard Approval, but they don’t slow you down. And don’t worry about time to get in your boots and then your bindings, it’s not an issue.
I haven’t ridden cable yet with the System, but I will in a couple weeks after the Worlds. Nick has been out there during development and just being able to get in your boots once is a relief. You fall, you undo your bindings, get right back to the line and then strap back in, no walking barefoot over hot pavement, rocks or whatever.
I’m not a big wincher, but I’d imagine the System will have benefits in that arena as well.
I love the strong opinions from the posters who’ve never tried these, you guys rock. Thanks to those who have an open mind, I think once you ride it you’ll really enjoy the feel as I have.
FYI, our pricing is comparable to the price of any high end boot. Once you buy the System, it’s affordable to simply get new boots when the time is right.
-Greg Nelson
they look like a pretty decent idea, but as u said about tweaking grabs and poking things more, i could really see that as a problem in ankle support. especially if u didnt have ur boot in the binding the correct way. i broke my ankle 2 years ago in the murrays, just because i cased the wake on a roll to revert. make sure that u dont sacrifice support for more mobility.
i think that what Brandon said about the toe strap is a feature that should definatley be added to these bindings. it would make certain that when the binding is tightened properly, the boot wouldnt slip forward at all.
Well written, thanks for your post. Can't wait to see how it sells in my store and how well it stands up in my wake school.
Hey Greg, thanks for posting. Yes you have been around since the beginning. I just rode the system on my son's new board that he picked up last week at Mike Schwenne's West Coast Camp. I'm an older rider and have had several different setups over the years. I have to say I was a bit skeptical about this notion (I mean who wants wear wet boards around in the boat) but felt a total change in my relationship with the board as soon as I clamped them in. I usually flail around on any new setup, but the experience of riding these bindings was revolutionary. I've been going to Mike's camp for years, and we've talked a lot about product development over time. iIn our discussion this year about the system bindings (which is what he's riding now) it came up what a huge change this could be if people try it. So, all you skeptics and haters out there. Ride one set on these and tell me they are the greatest thing since sliced bread.
horrible idea, agree with Dave.
I can't believe that pro riders will be caught dead using this system….
Looks like more stuff to break and go wrong. They should call the boot line "The Lawsuit."
i predict this is what will do hyperlite in! this will fail!
Why would you move away from a system where the boot is permanently attached to the board? Snowboards only have this system because you need to be able to release one foot to push and get on chair lifts. Permanent attachment is far superior and I predict this system will fade out fast. First and last for this binding system.
Thats exactly what I was thinking man
I don't know about these? I like to be able to come out of them on hard wrecks, seems these would do more damage ?