Yesterday I read some posts online saying that the Atomic Neox bindings can be moved forward and backward to adjust the mounting point, so I wondered if my Neo XTL could do the same? If that’s true, that would be super convenient. As is well known, many women's snowboard bindings are mounted 1-2 cm forward compared to men's boards to make turning easier on the slopes, and quite a few competitive riders do this as well; whereas many powder boards have their bindings moved backward to achieve better balance.
Specifically, let the pictures do the talking:
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1 Pinch the area marked with an arrow and push upward to open this cover
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2 This is for adjusting boot length. After opening the cover
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3 Enlarged view: you can see two scales and a red marking. The red protrusion indicates the binding’s center of gravity, used to indicate the boot length scale. For example, my boot length is 275 mm, so I move the front and rear parts of the binding so that both rails’ 275 mm marks align with this position — this is the usual adjustment method
Now I want to move it forward by 10 mm, so I continue moving the front part of the binding forward until 285 aligns with this red protrusion; I also move the rear part of the binding forward until 265 aligns with this red protrusion
At this point, the binding remains in the same place, but the center of the boot has moved forward by 10 mm, to the spot marked by the orange line
Then, close the cover and put the boot back on.
Then I tried my Fischer bindings, which can also have their front and rear parts moved forward a bit to achieve the same adjustment effect
Precautions:
1 The range of adjustment this way is quite limited, not like the method where you remove the bindings and reinstall them wherever you want. For example, my boot length is 275, and the lowest value for this binding is 265, so I can only move it forward by 1 cm. There are a few more notches below 265, but no scale markings. If you really want to move it forward further, you can shift it another cm, but then there’s too little overlap between the rail and the scale, and I think for safety’s sake it’s better not to use that area. The manufacturer has marked the scale areas, which means they’ve tested those positions and they’re fine to use; if your boots are longer than mine, you can adjust more.
2 After adjusting, always put the boot in to test whether it fits properly and whether the firmness is the same as before, to avoid mistakes. Because some rail bindings aren’t like mine, where each notch represents a fixed value. Some bindings have a range written on each notch, making calculations a bit more complicated and easier to get wrong.
3
Oooh reminder: Be sure to check the forward pressure.
There’s actually a lot of debate about mounting points. A popular view nowadays is that the optimal mounting point is at the so-called BOS (Binding Over Shoe) point. If that’s the case, then the mounting points set by many manufacturers are already a bit too far back, as a compromise between piste performance and powder performance. If you’re only considering piste performance, moving the bindings slightly forward will actually feel smoother for most people, not just for female skiers whose center of gravity tends to be too far back or for slalom athletes who require greater turning agility.
Of course, that’s just one opinion. But since it’s not necessary to go through the hassle of reinstalling the bindings, and you can simply adjust them to experience the feel of moving them forward or backward, why not give it a try? There’s no cost, and it’s all about how it feels to you.
Actually, there’s another important factor regarding binding mounting points: the true location of the board’s waist. The waist of a snowboard is the narrowest part of the entire board, which is also the part most prone to bending. This position is only affected by the board’s cut, and no matter how you move the bindings after the board is made, the waist stays where it is.
So personally, I think it’s not appropriate to deviate too much from the position recommended by the manufacturer. Maybe the manufacturer’s position isn’t ideal for riding, but they did design the board’s flex around that position. Making major changes to the mounting position on your own can result in forces not being applied to the most efficient points on the board, which is even worse for performance.
Some foreigners move their bindings 7.5 cm, but I think that’s way too extreme — it’s better to just get a different snowboard.