Is this Kickstarter product a gimmick or a miracle? Photo: QuickSett V2
Kick, push. If you want to get around on the flats on a skateboard, it’s the well-worn recipe for forward progress.
It’s the same deal on a snowboard — but every rider is familiar with the awkward feeling of pushing against a sideways-cocked front foot. (Unless you’re one of the cool kids who goes both feet unbound to push.) Long traverses on a snowboard are always challenging, regardless.
But in the event you’re like the rest of us mere mortals and still prefer your front foot secured, there’s a Kickstarter campaign that’s as simple to understand as one photo.
The QuickSett V2 is “the first rotating disc snowboard binding.” That claim rides somewhere on the wavelength of truth. However, it’s actually a disc you can use with most bindings that pivots without a screwdriver, to let you push a snowboard just like a skateboard.
The QuickSett V2, front and back. Photo: Quicksett V2
Overall, this update is welcome, because let’s face it, who wants to push around novice riders floundering or worse, stuck in the flats? (Much less be one — and I assure you, I’ve been there.)
But there are also idiosyncrasies of the design and functionality I balk at.
First of all, you can apparently only use the special rotating function by pressing buttons on a specific watch the company sells with it. Obviously, you can go old-school and just use a screwdriver. But if the watch or binding goes dead, it looks like you’re left with an ordinary, manual binding. (The Inertia contacted the company to confirm but has not received a response as of this writing.)
The QuickSett V2 with remote control watch. Photo: QuickSett V2
Is the onus of charging your snowboard bindings and secret agent-y decoder watch the night before a powder day worth it? I don’t know.
On the other hand, one pain point the QuickSett V2’s creators identify correctly is knee comfort. After a long day letting your board sag off one foot in the chair, and pushing around against that same crooked ankle and twisted knee, the Advil (and other pain relievers) can flow freely.
Hanging a board off a straightened ankle would be a welcome improvement in the chair, and an obvious boon to pushing ergonomics. However, QuickSett also says keeping a straight front foot can help snowboarders make it off the chair and down the ramp easier, and that’s patently false. Control over a board comes from both heels and both toes, and I can’t imagine anyone who’s already uncomfortable getting out of the chair would benefit from having only one foot to steer.
Looks cozy, no? Photo: QuickSett V2
All in all, the QuickSett V2 looks like a good enough idea to draw some interest. It’s helpful that you can lock it out at the angle you want, it’s nice that it’s mostly universal, and the watch idea holds its appeal. (Ahem, App Store.)
If you’re considering the setup for your existing bindings, check the compatibility on Kickstarter. But caution and research is needed here: Compatibility is less than straightforward, and the company offers varyingly complete snowboard kits that come with parts lists we could not verify despite contacting the company.
Right now, you can pledge €158 ($172) for one QuickSett V2 or €233 ($254) for two. If you also need bindings, you can do a one-stop shop that includes the disc and two Union STR bindings for €280 ($305).
