Burton Step-On Splitboard Binding Review: Convenience Meets the Backcountry

Introduction

New for the 2024 season, Burton released the first Step-On splitboard binding, and it immediately raises a fair question: is this the binding that changes the splitboard game, or just a gimmick? We spent an afternoon with the Step-On split bindings on snow to see how they ride and feel, and the short answer is that they get the job done, with a few trade-offs worth understanding before you buy.

How the Step-On Split System Works

For anyone already familiar with the Step-On line, these operate the same way. You get the same heel lock, updated toe hooks, and release lever, and the bindings are only compatible with Step-On boots. That last point is the foundation of the whole idea: if you already ride Step-On on your solid board, you no longer need a separate pair of boots for your splitboard.

Mounting is puck-based, so you can use Spark or Voile pucks. Burton splitboards come with their own pucks and work fine with these bindings too. To mount them, open the toe ramp, slide the binding onto the pucks, and lock the toe ramp down. For touring, you lift the toe ramp, align the toe pegs with the uphill hardware, and lock the toe ramp back down.

Touring Performance

While touring, you can switch between two levels of heel risers on the binding depending on whether you are travelling on flats, uphill, or through steep terrain. That flexibility matters on long approaches.

To allow for proper touring mobility, the Step-On split uses a different highback than the standard Step-On binding. On the skin track you keep the highback dial in tour mode, which lets the highback flex backwards toward the tail. That gives you a more comfortable, longer stride as you climb. For the descent, you simply turn the dial to set your desired amount of forward lean, and you get a solid highback to support your ride down.

There is one quirk to know about. Because your heel is not locked down while touring, stepping out of these bindings can be a little tricky. Holding the highback down does the trick, but it can feel a bit awkward in practice.

The Highback Question

The adjustment of forward lean is intuitive, but on our test pair the furthest adjustment did not provide quite enough forward lean for the way we like to ride. It is worth noting that Burton has since updated these bindings with a taller highback, which could account for a more pronounced forward lean than what we experienced.

The bigger limitation involves touring efficiency. Because of the heel lock mechanism, you can only get so much rear angle on the highback to elongate your strides when touring. The tour mode helps, but other bindings allow considerably more reverse forward lean. That is the main reason aggressive splitboarders, the ones going deep into the backcountry and travelling through very technical terrain, may find better efficiency with alternative bindings.

Who These Bindings Are For

These bindings are primarily designed for the snowboarder who is already invested in the Step-On line. Before they existed, riding Step-On on your solid board meant carrying a different pair of boots if you also wanted to splitboard. Problem solved.

For riders just getting into splitboarding, or for anyone who simply enjoys going uphill at their local resort, these bindings work great. If you already own Step-On boots and bindings on your solid board and you are looking to get into splitboarding, diving straight into the Step-On splits is an easy call.

Conclusion

The Burton Step-On Splitboard Binding solves a genuine problem for Step-On riders and makes splitboarding far more accessible if you are already in that ecosystem. Deep backcountry travellers chasing maximum touring efficiency may still prefer other bindings, but for everyone else, this is a capable and convenient way to get into the skin track game.