About this review: This review is my honest opinion of the bindings which I purchased with my own money in September of 2021.

My take

The Burton Scribes are a great all-mountain freestyle binding that offers versatility to any intermediate or advanced female rider out there. They are very comfortable and supportive for long days at the mountain and seem to handle any conditions that I’ve thrown at them with ease.

About the gear

• Model: Burton Scribe Bindings 2022
• Size: L
• Burton channel compatible: Yes
• Mini disc: Yes

About me

• Height: 5’7”
• Weight: 130lb
• Experience: 23 years

Test conditions

• When I bought these: Sept 2021
• Days tested: 15+
• Board: Burton Feelgood Camber
• Boot: Ride Sage
• Where I’ve used it: Mt. Bachelor, Oregon
• Terrain: Powder, trees, chunder, groomers, park

How they perform

What I was looking for

I was looking for a medium flex binding that leaned towards the freestyle side of things. I wanted something that would provide comfort all day, and wasn’t too soft to go fast, but wasn’t too stiff to play around in the park. I also didn’t want to break the bank!

Why I chose this gear

I bought a Burton Feelgood board that I was looking to put bindings on, and this binding seemed to be a good fit in Burton’s lineup for what I was looking for as far as an all-mountain freestyle binding. I decided I wanted to stick to all Burton for this setup. I knew that these bindings might be rated a little less stiff than the Feelgood, but I wanted to use the stiffer flex yet poppy design of the Feelgood to get good pop off of jumps and also carve fast down groomers.

I had used the Union Milan bindings and they are rated similarly to the Scribe’s, but I found them to be quite uncomfortable and chattery, so I got the Scribe’s and they were much more comfortable!

What I love about them

• Binding adjustability in boots: Burton made these highbacks specifically for a woman’s calf and I have found that they fit me very well and provide great support.
• Stance adjustability: I have about a 19” stance, and have these set to about 15 degrees in the duck stance. I have not had any problems getting the bindings set up on the board, and I have adjusted the stance a few times when some friends have wanted to try it out. These bindings also come in an EST version that will fit the Burton Channel system. If you use those, you would get even more adjustability out of the bindings, being able to slide and turn them extremely easily while setting your stance.
• Comfort: I really love the footbed of these bindings. Burton uses the fullBED cushioning system in these, and I find that they provide great comfort underfoot, without being too damp.
• Responsiveness: These bindings are surprisingly responsive given that they are made of only one material for the baseplate - it really does create a very consistent response. I’ve ridden these quite fast on groomers, and on jumps in the park and I feel like I can control the board great with these.
• Carving: I use these bindings on the Burton Feelgood, which loves to carve, and these bindings definitely keep up. I like that you can adjust the highbacks without tools so that if you’re going out to carve hard you can quickly set them more forward.
• Ease of turn initiation: I have used these down big open bowls with large turns and in tight trees with quick turns, and I have had no problems with initiating turns. They are quick to respond when I initiate a turn.
• Straps: I really like the straps used on these bindings. They conform to my boot really well and seem to disperse pressure evenly so I’ve never felt foot pain at all. The strap design is very minimalistic yet feels very grippy to lock you in. The toe strap can go over the toe or be used as a capstrap depending on what you prefer, and they use their ‘Flex Slider’ so the straps hang open easily so you can get your foot in quickly without even having to sit down.
• Buckles: I haven’t had any problems with the buckles. They slide on smoothly, and the way they are designed makes it easy to get them undone even with bulky mittens on. Some bindings I have used are hard to get my fingers under the buckle to undo with my mittens on, but not these!
• Durability: So far I have had nothing break on these bindings or had any issues with them. I have used them for pretty long days, multiple days a week, in powder and at high speeds and they are holding up great. They are also made with a lot of recycled material which is really cool.
• Weight: They feel like a solid lightweight binding. I’ve never felt weighed down by them and they are not bulky at all. I especially appreciate this when hitting jumps. They definitely lean towards a minimalistic design yet offer high-quality performance.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Shock absorption: I wouldn’t say that there is an issue with shock absorption, but they aren’t by any means the dampest, most shock-absorbent bindings I’ve ridden. I wouldn’t say they are chattery like the Milan’s were, but they still are pretty average in this department. For what they are designed for they are perfect, but if you’re looking for something really shock-absorbent these won’t be the bindings for you!
• Buttering: These bindings are more of a medium if not slightly stiff flex, so I find that I really love them in the park off jumps, but they aren’t my top pick for buttering or jibbing in the park.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with these bindings was off the backside of Mt. Bachelor’s summit. The backside has big open bowls towards the top and then filters you down into long tree runs. On this particular day, there was a fair bit of fresh snow, and for whatever reason, the bowls felt like a playground! It was probably from the wind from the night before, but all the wind lips created perfect natural kickers the whole way down the mountain. It was a day that combined my love of natural freeride terrain with a freestyle flair, and these bindings kept up! Once we got to the bottom we hit the get-back trail, and even that turned into a race with all of us going as fast as we could down the skinny, windy trail through the trees! It was such a fun day and proved to me that these bindings are very versatile as well.

Value for the money vs. other options

I think these are quality bindings at a very good price point. As I mentioned, I had read they would be similar to the Union Milan bindings, but the Scribes fall in at about $20 cheaper and in my opinion are way better. I would say they are much more similar to Union’s Juliet bindings, which are a good bit more expensive at MSRP pricing. They are also probably similar to the Ride A-6 bindings, which are much more expensive. Overall, I think they are a great bang for the buck!

Final verdict

If you are an intermediate to advanced female rider looking for an all-mountain freestyle binding then these could be a good pick! They hit a good price point, they are very comfortable, and are very lightweight. I find them to be responsive, and really solid when hitting jumps or carving groomers. They are a good middle-of-the-road binding that do everything pretty well and have no outstanding flaws. I would almost even say they could be a great binding for a newer rider if that rider planned to ride a lot and expected to progress quickly.