Year Seven. Stronger. Yeah I know, using the companies own tag line is ridiculously lame and less than original, so shoot me, I am going somewhere with this!

Back in the day when petrol didn’t require remortgaging, Union Bindings were sure on one thing, creating a binding for snowboarders that thrash the living daylights out of their kit and expect it to take it like a man. Well why not!? Year one saw the impossible created, an elite binding that was nukeproof and then some, and with a platform of that calibre to go on, only good things could happen!

In the two years following the birth of awesome, the restless creative bods at Union go out their chemistry kits and submerged themselves into material development, design processing and improving on perfection…impossible? Not at all, it seems injecting magnesium and machine coring to increase strength and also cutting out excess weight was to be the way forward. This alongside exclusively working with Dupont Zytel ST * made sure that Union Bindings were in it for the long haul. Throw what you like at them. Go on.

The reoccurring fact about Union Bindings is that they keep going from strength to strength with only a few minor tweaks, nips and tucks here and there. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right!? There’s no wonder that right now, year seven, the Pro Team consists of some of the sickest riders in the world and they all have a hand in the design, fit and performance that us mere humans get to ride….just like them (unfortunately will not automatically turn on Scott Stevens steeze….boooo)

 The toe strap from the DLX (rocked by Joe Sexton) has been rolled out across the entire range this year,  giving you the best fit and the best tweakability to date and the comfort factor is second to none as per across the board. It’s actually Scott Stevens’ fault, rumour has it (thanks for the inside info!) that he used to cut the middle out of his toe strap for better lock in, Thank-You Sleepy Stevens! So if you’re in the market for new gear then hit Union Bindings UP, you’ll be hooked. From the carbon infused Union MC to the minimalist rail rat favourite Union DLX, there’s a Union for everyone and make sure you check out the sweetest, far out colab range you’ll ever see! Not forgetting the hard charging chicks, oh no…Union have the ladies on LOCK with the Trilogy, Milan, Flite Lady and Cadet so you can show the bro’s how it’s goin’ down a personal favourite of mine being the Trilogy which is s a super hybrid of the Men’s counterpart Asadachi and the Force, uniquely tweaked for a Women specific design, the Trilogy will excel.

Yeah, yeah, so we like them, some of the best riders in the world like them, why are you still here? Want to know the reason Danny Kass, Scott Stevens, Gigi Ruf, TJ Schneider, Dustin Craven, Dan Brisse, Joe Sexton and Jess Kimura ride Union Bindings? Get out and ride Union….now!

One thing is for sure, they’ll probably last longer than your current…..Click Here to view Union for yourself!

*a clever Nylon Resin that can take a serious beasting & ST is short for Super Tough…. :O

In the early days Ride Snowboards consisted of a couple of guys, a fair amount of pizza and hand counting screws to package for the Preston Bindings range, pretty small fry if you think about it….well that was in the winter of 1992/1993, nineteen whole glorious seasons ago. From the beginning (and countless stories of mischief and mayhem in between) Ride Snowboards are still repping as hard as ever.

Everyone is welcomed into the Ride Snowboards family with a big snowboardery hug and a slap in the direction of the nearest snow. Whether you had your first Ride set-up as a grom or your a week away from your hundredth birthday still charging the mountain on your Slackcountry UL . Their passion for snowboarding, family, friends  and the ability to turn the most mundane of tasks into something truly spectacular and fun beyond ridiculousness is what keeps them at the forefront, no question.

Charging into the 2011/2012 season is the Hybrid Twin technology seen in the Ride Arcade UL, DH 2 and the DH 2.6 (not forgetting the wides!) Predominantly park and pipe boards, the new Hybrid Twin shape features a micro rocker in the tip and tail and a level micro-camber zone between the feet allowing for all-mountain versatility. This offers elite response, banging pop and an undertow of stability like no other! Keeping the pow junkies happy is the new Hybrid All Mountain Rocker. By placing the rocker in the nose and extending the micro-camber zone under the feet and through to the tail, it allows for a floatier more surfy feel yet remaining grippy, responsive and ultra stable for all riding conditions.

One of the favourites among many is the Lowrize Rocker which lifts the contact points out of the snow and has an almost flat zone under foot making it one of the raddest all mountain freestyle rockers around! Featured in Ride Snowboards 2012 Machete, Compact, Crush, Rapture, Agenda, Lowride and Blush. Get Some!

Flying the HighRize flag solo this year is the Slackcountry UL, killing it as a powder board with a slightly higher nose rocker. The HighRize Rocker dominates powder and is at home slashing groomers too, oh and you can ride it switch, if you can that is

Sliding us nicely into the ProRize rocker that nestles smugly into the Buckwild and the DHK, the ProRize is twin in shape with a minimal rocker and a longer flat stable zone that extends beyond into tip and tail. Finishing our little rocker rendition is last but not least the LowPro which has a directional profile rocker up front and a stable flat pro rise out back, like a backwards mullet! A nice forgiving entry into the mind-boggling world of the rocker!

There really is no wonder that Ride Snowboards are winners of two Transworld Good Wood Awards 2012 for the Ride Manic and Ride Compact. The Manic winning Men’s best all mountain under $399 and the Compact winning best Women’s park board under $399.

To check out the very latest boards from Ride for 2012 in all their graphically awesome amazingness! Click here y’all Ride Snowboards