Binding Review: 11-12 Malavita Restricted

Location: Mammoth Mountain, CA

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy groomers.

Setup: I rode the Burton Malavita Restricted bindings on the Burton Aftermath with my Vans Ferra Boots size 8.

Time to set up the binding: This setup was average time to set up for the demo. Once we knew the size, it was easy to get it dialed and mounted to the aftermath with the EST/ICS system.

Fit: I rode the Malavita Restricted bindings in the size small for my women’s size 8 boots. I could have ridden the mediums as well but the smalls fit my boot width better and the straps worked.

First Impression: I can see why the Restricted Malavita’s are popular, wings with a solid binding.

Appearance: The Restricted Malavita’s come in the blackness colorway. The normal malavita bindings has more color choices but the Restricted kept it simple with the blackness this year. It’s a plain black binding with only the Malavita wording on the binding.

Comfort: The Malavita’s offer up good cushioning on the baseplate, highback and ankle strap. It’s a pretty padded binding overall. The padding helps for sure on the bumpy conditions and landings off jumps.

Functionality: The Burton Restricted Malavita are similar to the Malavita binding but feature the Winged highback. The baseplate is a park blend short glass with nylon composite EST. The highback is the single component winged highback with microflad and new air pad. The straps are asym superstrap for the ankle strap and the gettagrip capstrap. The buckes are dual-component smooth glide for quick and easy buckling up. The cushioning on the binding is a new removable sensorybedII cushioning system with dual zone B3 gel and Dual Zone EVA cushioning. The bindings are EST built for the Channel system.

Flex: Stiffer highback flex that helped give support and response out of the bindings. The straps are a bit softer on the binding for cushioning.  Good lateral flex with the larger ankle strap to support turns and the winged highback really lets you ride out heelside turns with better edge control.

Response: Good response out of the Malavita’s with the winged highback. I really like that the wings give you support into heelside turns. Overall the bindings aren’t overly responsive but just enough response for mountain riding and park riding.

Toe Strap: The gettagrip capstrap is a favorite regardless of men’s or women’s bindings it’s on. It fits snugly to the toe of my boot and really grips the boot to stay secure while riding. It’s not bad for comfort and I haven’t had any pressure points with it.

Overall Impression: The Malavita Restricted and Aftermath were a good match on the mountain. The Malavita Restricted bindings kept with the response and cushioning of the Malavita’s but with the support of the winged highback. It’s a good all mountain binding.

Shay’s Honesty Box: It’s a good feeling when you ride a binding that perfectly aligns with the board underneath it. Last time I tried the Malavita’s I liked them but wanted to try them with a different board. This time I got the right combo and it made for a lot of fun laps riding the setup together. It was a setup I’d continue to ride and could spend days riding without any concerns.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the Burton Malavita or shop their full line of Burton snowboard bindings

On Snow Photos

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Burton Malavita Restricted Description

Review Disclosure: I demoed this binding at a Burton demo day.