Spent the last four days in amazing conditions in Utah, two days at The Canyons, one day at Park City, and one day at Snowbasin, with each day getting a fresh dumping of ten inches of snow. For all four days, I used the Zero Bindings to get a proper feel for them on different terrain, different conditions, different mountains. I own Spruce Pro Lites, Bomber Elites, Snowjam Extreme IIs, and Line FF Aluminums, so I have a good basis to compare how the Zero Bindings feel and perform vs. the other bindings.
Weight:
The Zero Bindings are heavier than both the Bomber Elites and the FF Aluminums. The Spruce Pro Lites are heavier than the Zero Bindings, but that is expected as the Spruce Pro Lites are releaseable bindings.
Construction:
The Zero Bindings are very beefy and solid. It has the ease of adjustments like the FF Aluminums and the Snowjam Extreme IIs, using adjustment teeths to fit the bindings to your boot size, with the added strength and toughness of the Bomber Elites.
The rubber padding is similar to those of the FF Aluminums and the SNowjam Extreme IIs, running the entire length of the binding plate. The material of the rubber is different, being softer and spongier than both the FF Aluminums and the Extreme IIs. It’s also slightly thicker.
The toe and heel bails are also beefy, thicker than both the FF Aluminums and Snowjam Extreme IIs, and same thickness as the Bomber Elites. The one problem I have is I noticed both the toe and heel bails can move side to side, so when one is clipping in your boots, you gotta make sure the bails are properly centered to your boot when fastened, else the heel bail can be clipped in slightly off center. Once clipped on properly, the bails are solid and don’t move.
The Zeros, similar to the Bomber Elites and the Snowjam Extreme IIs, allow for the bindings to be set back on the skiboard, which is good, especially for those riding in powder. The Zeros allow for the most setback built into a binding. The Spruce Pro Lites require the Spruce Powder Plate for one to make setback adjustments.
Performance:
The Zeros react very well on the mountain, better than the FF Aluminums and the Snowjam Extreme IIs, but the Bomber Elites perform better. The main reason for this is unlike the other three bindings, the Bomber Elites have direct metal-to-skiboard contact while the others have the binding plate connected to the rubber pad connected to the skiboard. This makes the Bombers react faster to your movements, as if they are a part of your body, but the Zeros are more forgiving with the softer rubber pad. The softer rubber pad may also be more forgiving on a skiboard, as some have reported the dampening bumpers on the Bomber Elites are not very forgiving with several snapping their skiboards. I also noticed that with the softer rubber pad, I did notice some wear on the pad, which I haven’t seen on any other binding.
On groomers, the Zeros performed very well, with good reaction to carves, performing better than the Snowjam Extreme IIs, just as good as the FF Aluminums, but not as good as the Bomber Elites nor the Spruce Pro Lites. The Spruce Pro Lites are mounted on a riser, so one can initiate a deeper carve.
On powder, the Zeros performed just as well as all the other bindings. On the first day at Park City, I dealt with powder with a crunchy bottom, while the other three days, I dealt with pure, soft powder, going through ankle to knee deep powder. Took them through open powder sections at Snowbasin to glades at Canyons. I believe the performance on powder on par with the Spruce Pro Lites, Bomber Elites, and FF Aluminums.
Overall, the Zeros are a solid binding. One won’t be disappointed with them, keeping in mind the movement of the bails when mounting them and softer rubber padding may experience more wear and tear, with only the Bomber Elites surpassing in performance overall.
Rider – Edward Ho – Expert Skiboarder
