With more refinement and customizing options, step-ins are tomorrow's bindings of today. "Which to choose?" is the eternal question. What would you require from a step-in snowboard binding system? A cool connection that's adjustable, dependable, and suitable to your riding style, right? Now try to imagine one binding system meeting those needs for all the millions of riders worldwide. You see the problem-snowboarding is an individual sport. From how you set up your board to where, how, and when you rail it, no one else can decide what makes up a good system for you, because they're not you. Step-in bindings are the most versatile, adjustable, and economic system for every type and style of rider.
             In the beginning, snowboard boots and binding systems were very simplistic. The first snowboard boots look like Smurf shoes compared to the everyday running shoe. They are huge and very rigid. The first bindings were just a set of metal plates with plastic interlocking straps that went over the boot. Today, the basic design of the strap-on binding is more complex. The base is usually made of a thick polyurethane, composite material, or aluminum. This reduces the weight of the binding without sacrificing any strength. In the center of the base is a stance dial. The stance dial is a disc that is placed in the center of the base of the binding that is the connecting piece to the board. This lets the rider angle his or her stance to be more compatible with his or her style. The back of the binding is always made out of a thick polyurethane or composite material. It comes in two different styles, the highback or the lowback. Each of these has an adjustment wheel on the backside, which allows the rider to adjust how much lean is in the stance.
             The first type of boot was a soft boot. Soft boots were made to be very maneuverable. Unlike the ski boot, you can actually walk in snowboard boots. This type of boot ...