Bindings Tight or Loose?

[Wakeman22]

Here is something I would like to have some input about. My wakeboarding partner took a fall and came out of the bindings violently. He broke up one foot and hurt the other badly. So I would like to hear some discusion with the pros and cons of a tight fit or loose fit. What do you do and why?

[gcalkins]

A couple of years ago, one foot came half way out and somehow sprained my ankle. Since then, I do not tighten them too much and I do pop out. One hazard of that is a flying board hitting me in the face but that has not happened, yet. I do cover with my hand and arms when I crash but who knows if I am always fast enough. Also, I do not inverts, etc. There, I suspect one would need tighter bindings.

[WABoating]

I prefer rock solid tight bindings on the ankle and calf areas, but loose around the wide part of my foot. When the upper parts are loose, I feel like the board moves around way too much and in particular I'm uncomfortable during landings, terrified that I'll catch that leading edge because I don't have fine control over the board angle.

On my current Liquid Force bindings, I added an extra lace and lacelocker so that I have independent control over more sections of the laceup area. That way I can tighten the upper areas separately from the lower ones. More expensive bindings come this way but I'm cheap, and there was nothing wrong with my bindings that a little creativity couldn't fix.

[kx250frider617]

A little heads up, I broke my femur last august. It fractured all the way through and I know have a rod from my hip to my knee with screws. However, I had the best of luck because my bindings were tight and it didn't allow my legs to come out which would have made is a definite compound fracture. Just think of what would happen if my broken leg stayed in the board while the other fell out.

I would run them tight so you stay in on most falls, of course the the board will still rip off when it needs too.

Btw, The company vandall boots are the best during an injury, those sucker opened up so big, by biddies pulled my foot out with minimal pain.

[travis5550]

I'm really curious about this too, because the last time I went on a slalom run (July of last year), I had cranked down pretty tight on my bindings after flying out of them on the previous run. I had heard horror stories of someone coming out of one and not the other and snapping their ankle, so I figured tighter had to be better.

Long story short, when I fell this time around (not sure why I was falling so much that day), my front foot came half way out of the binding and the ski caught in the water as I went down. I ended up spraining the left side of my ankle and fracturing part of my ankle. Really sucked having to walk around in an air cast the rest of the summer.

I'm nervous to get on my ski again, and I'm wondering if I should get some new bindings (currently HO Venoms) before I try again...

[jmhatchett]

I think the safest place to have to board is on your feet... so lace em tight, dont kill your feet but keep the board to your feet at all times.

[lancehon]

i like mine good and tight, but not too tight where it cuts off circulation. also if you use lube try to swish most of it out before your run.

[Wakeman22]

I personally feel that tighter is better. Don't want to come out espesialy one foot. However this guy had them on tight and still came out with both feet. He did get hurt rather bad. the fall did not look too bad bett evidently was. I also heard from a shop owner that his prefference was loose so as to come out in a bad fall.