It’s fair to say that Flow Bindings have lived a vast portion of their life as the Marmite of snowboarding- traditionally, you’ve either loved them or hated them*. But unlike the sticky British breakfast staple, Flow has gone through a re-birth of sorts over the last few years. A complete product overhaul that’s blown away the cobwebs of old-school Flow to kickstart their latest rear-entry revolution.
(*We’ve always loved Marmite by the way.)
In the past, Flow Bindings had experienced a few teething issues which ultimately led to some of this stigma surrounding them. Since joining forces with the Nidecker Group, the companies have enjoyed a two-way relationship, sharing information, ideas and tech that has allowed both to reap huge benefits.
“Instead of trying to fine tune a ‘one size fits all’ offering, they began testing and prototyping a new strap in 2008”
Fast forward to 2022 and Flow has never been sitting in a better position. They are the undisputed market leaders of rear-entry bindings (despite actually being dual-entry), with a product line that caters to every corner of snowboarding, including strong showings for both women and youth.
One of the things that helped to revitalise this nouveau Flow narrative was their realisation that every rider is different- they like different things and have contrasting preferences. So instead of trying to fine tune a ‘one size fits all’ offering, they began testing and prototyping a new strap in 2008. Four years and a ton of R&D later they brought their Hybrid straps to market to sit alongside their traditional Fusion straps.
So, what are they? How do they differ? And which one is right for you?