Union Contact Pro Snowboard Binding Review

$219
A Good Ride Intermediate to Expert Freestyle Favorite
The Contact Pro was new in 2011. It' basically the Union Contact with a very light/newly designed high back and an ankle strap similar to the Force line. For 2012 Union added a new larger asymmetrical ankle strap that makes this a much better freestyle binding than before. There is more support and easier lateral movement. The Toe Strap is new as well and well liked. It fits over the toe better than the previous toe strap. Union removed almost every un-necessary part of the base plate to eliminate full contact with the board. This allows for a more natural flex underfoot and Union has been doing this for years. It's surprising to see that the high backs are not noodley like the Union Flite. They are still soft but far from Urethane. Some of our riders really crank their straps down to the point of pain and they seem to have issues with all Union Bindings they try. The straps seem to get stuck or loosen up a few notches. If you don't crank down your bindings then don't worry about this. One thing to mention about all Union Bindings is they have really only one angle to have the ankle strap where most bindings have 2 or 3 places to put them. You can adjust the ankle strap higher and lower but then you change the place your boot fits in the binding. If you can deal with the adjustability issues the Contact Pro is a solid balance of flex and response that is very difficult to pull off. The 2012 is definitely the call over the 2011.

How It Rides
Flex	Soft	Response	Good	Dampening	Good
Adjustability	Average	Weight	Light	Shock Absorption	Excellent
Comfort	Good	Lateral Movement	Excellent	Board/Boot Integration	Excellent

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The Good Ride Take

A Quick Look at the 2012 Union Contact Pro

The Good Ride Take on Capita and Union (same parent company)

Union- Union really lead the charge with the concept of eliminating the dead spot bindings create on snowboards. Because of that they have some of if not the easiest turn initiation out of any binding we have tried. The bindings with the Force style base plate really shows this and can make a stiff snowboard turn easier than most bindings out there. The bindings with the Contact style base plate have a more mellow turn initiation. The last few years many companies have picked up on this design style and Union isn't alone any more in this category. Still Union makes some of the best bindings in the industry. One of the only complaints we have is the buckle on the toe strap is very difficult to undo when it’s cranked down. We would like to see something like the ankle strap buckle that releases with little effort. Another complaint is the adjust-ability of their bindings. You can make some minor tweaks to make the bindings work for you but Union pales in comparison to Burton when it comes to adjust-ability. If you aren't that into adjusting and want possibly the best turn initiation in the industry the Union's are your choice.

Capita- Capita knows how to make a good sturdy park and all mountain board. They even have a good Pow board that’s priced appropriately for the amount of times you’ll use it a year. As you start to look closer in the tech of Capita you can see little issues like some of their boards still have an extruded base instead of a sintered base. You won't really see this on their high end boards like the Black Death but you will see it on their mid to entry level boards. Because of this style of production you can sometimes find a Capita snowboard for $100-$200 less than some of their competitors in that class range. If you are willing to put up with low tech in some places but still receive good performance Capita might be a good choice for you.

A Good Ride Take on Binding Tech
Metal vs Plastic Bindings

This is a Goodride breakdown for all you that are having a tough time choosing your bindings and what to make of the material you are looking at. Most bindings are Metal, Plastic or some combo of the 2.

Metal Bindings have a lot of great aspects. Almost all-metal bindings are made from aluminum. Aluminum is great when it come to weight to stiffness ratio and also pretty durable. There is one key issue with metal/aluminum bindings; they transfer all the vibrations from the board right into your feet. This is the same principle that pelage “bass-less” bindings, your feet got totally tired or fatigued. The newer generations have much better/damp bases so this problem has been minimized and in some cases eliminated. There are some companies that make great bindings despite the vibration issue with Aluminum. Some that come to mind are Ride and Rome.

Plastic Bindings also have many great features but let’s address some technical stuff first. Most plastic bindings are really hardened glass plastic mix. The high-end stuff tends to have a more carbon, and carbon fiber added for extra stiffness and weight savings. Plastic bindings really dominate the market right now and most top bindings these days are mostly or all plastic. They can be really stiff and react well to your commands. The new bindings finally dialed in the carbon/ fiber integration to the point that the bindings will perform with the stiffness of metal and absorb more chatter. Most industry leaders have limited or completely eliminated metal from their bindings and we feel that with the materials used right now this is the future. Some mostly plastic companies that we feel rock are Burton, Flux and Union.

What kind of binding should you buy? It’s a tough call. Both Plastic and Metal bindings offer freestyle, freeride and all mountain styles. At this point we feel that plastic bindings are edging out metal bindings when it comes to the very high end $300+ category. However it is a tough call in the below $300 category as to which material has the advantage.

Company Info & Specs

2012 Union Contact Pro

Contact Pro

Gigi-Tested, Rüf-Approved

Product Video

01 Designed by Gigi Rüf

02 Carbon Injected Contact Base -
Dupont™ Zytel® ST
03 Contact Pro Dupont™ Zytel® ST Highback
04 Triple Zone Injected EVA Bushings
05 Shift on the Fly Forward Lean
06 CNC Machined Heelcups

07 All New Injected Magnesium Buckles
08 All New Direct-Connect Strap System
09 3D Multi-Layer Tapered Strap Core
10 Universal Disks
11 Grade 8.8 Hardware
12 Lifetime Warranty Base

Triple Zone
Bushing System

Three separate zones provide supreme dampening and true board flex.

Contact Pro
Highbacks

Incredibly light and comfortable—
Gigi Rüf approved.

CNC Machined
Heelcup

Process removes material to reduce weight and maintain strength.

All New Direct
Connect System

3D Multi-Layer Tapered Strap Core evenly distributes pressure.

2011 Union Contact Pro

All new for 2009, the Contact features a crucial, ultra-minimal binding-to-board contact point for the least possible interference with your board's true flexing pattern. Packed with freestyle firepower, this binding is extremely lightweight and a perfect compliment to any reverse camber snowboard on the market.