 Poster: A snowHead
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I used them for a few years (Flow Elevens) and loved them, although I'll agree with the opinion that if not set correctly they can cause foot pain - one you have them dialled in correctly though they are a worthy alternative for general riding where you're not going to be getting stuck in deep snow.
These days I use a pair of old (2007) Ride Beta MVMTs, which really are a joy, but since they're falling apart and I can't get spares for them, I'm tempted to give the Flows another crack, especially the newer models that have more of a 'hybrid' look to the top casing.
The thing I loved about them was on many chairlifts you could have the back foot in the rear binding on exit from the lift and just clip the highback up as I board off.
RE: K2 Cinch - the missus has some Vettes, one of the top-end lady's Cinch models from a few season back. She loves them but she does find the highback a little tricky to flip up at times because they really are quite stiff, even after four weeks of use.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Specialman, Ya get that problem with snow buildup on your boots and I managed to dislocate a finger with that  But I found that if you get your highback setting nice and close to the boot you can back off the tension in the straps and the problem pretty much goes away without feeling sloppy.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Specialman,
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The thing I loved about them was on many chairlifts you could have the back foot in the rear binding on exit from the lift and just clip the highback up as I board off.
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Do you have your rear foot binding in when loading into the chair or put foot in when ascending?
Mitch
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Mitchell, Slide your foot in on the way up near the dismount then just pull the lever as you slide away.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Mitchell - as Masque says, while it's propped on the footrest you can fiddle around putting your foot in the back and then just board off the lift.
The only issue is with the really low chairlifts where you getting to know your knee intimately as you get to the exit ramp 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Masque,
OMG, how embarrassing ...........rode a few chairs in Tignes with bindings all done up before the chair picked me up .............worked well but nearly got the board caught on one occasion which would have resulted in me being dragged under the chair I presume .........very worrying for a second or two
Mitch
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Mitchell, I have a worse one from a Xmas first lift bet for Xmas Day . . . Still very drunk from us not finishing the party till 3am 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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been snowboarding nearly 20 years and getting old and creaky. i usually board with my partner who skis and i'm getting to hate sitting down fiddling with my old missions, so at the end of last season i bought some flow NTX-AT bindings in the sale.
first time out on them this month and i was a bit apprehensive with what i'd read about flows on this site and others. i would have packed the missions if i'd had room and spare weight allowance.
i'd set them up to my boots at home and they needed little adjustment thereafter. i found them as snug as the missions, but certainly no pressure points or pain, and no heel lift either. getting into and out of them was the hardest thing to adapt to as it's mostly back bottom about face from conventional strap bindings. even choosing a spot to put them on is mostly different.
best thing about them is the fact that it only takes one hand to do them up. no more reaching down, bent double and then fiddling to get the ladders lined up with the buckles
took a few days to get used to them, and i'm sure i'll get slicker as time goes on, but i was only a bit slower than the skiers i was with and way faster than the other boarder. after a short while i found it odd how long he took to get ready to ride.
downsides: they do suffer more from snow buildup inside the bindings, and they have to be pretty clean to get your boot in right. with straps you can just ignore most of that as you effectively reset your bindings every time. so there is bit of snow clearance to do if there's any loose stuff about. even taking that into account, it was still less faff than straps.
another thing is the crab like position that you need to assume to get into flows on any kind of slope. toe edge into the slope and supported on your hands, then reach back and flip up the highjacks. it's a bit ungainly and if you have any toe overhang it prevents your boot going all the way in without a fair bit of wiggling.
anyway, i liked them and can't see me going back to conventional straps. when i heard about the new dual entry flows, i thought i might get some as they have the best of both worlds, but after a few days use, i reckoned i'd very rarely use the conventional front loading option, so i'm not too bothered.
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RedLemon,
How do you find the 'quality' of manufacture of the flows? I have some APO step in's and although very easy to use etc the main strap covering has started to 'flake' away.......APO have sent me 2 new straps foc but guess its just going to keep happing; A brief look at the flows & they appear to be better made from what I can see.
Regards your comment on assuming a crab like position when strapping in on slope ; try this ...if you face uphill & just kick the boards toe edge into the slope a few times to form what is effectively a 'little ledge', allows you to keep standing upright & just step in as usual.
Cheer
Mitch
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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quality seems first class, but i can't really comment on durability. i've only used them for 6 days.
one thing that did bug me, was that when ratcheting down the straps for initial adjustment, i'd get it right, but then they would ratchet down another couple of clicks as i folded the buckles down making them too tight. what i did was set them a bit loose, then they would be right when i pushed the handles down. thought that was a dumb idea.
it was only when i got back that i read somewhere about pulling the buckles out when clipping down so you don't get unwanted tightening. i checked back with the official flow setup vid i used, and it is done that way in the film if you look really close and know what to look for, but it's not mentioned. maybe i'm just a bit thick? maybe all bindings work like that i never noticed in 20 years?
i'll try your tip next time i'm on the slopes. it'll be a while though, as i only go once a year these days 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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RedLemon,
Not sure what you mean by 'pulling the buckles out'; will see if i can spot it on their set up vid. would that mean you cant use the buckles to unstrap if you needed to in (deep) powder?
Did try getting the foot into the binding whilst on chair lift whilst on a trip recently........not too bad but need room to move so doubt I could do it if chair was full up; pretty handy when you can though as you can click high back up as you slide away , so really fast .
Cheers
Mitch
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How quick is it to step *out* of the binding? I'm thinking say for example on a fridge setup where the amount of undoing and redoing time is longer than the actual slope time...
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You know it makes sense.
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call me dave,
1 click down on the highback lever & your out, so 'super quick'; although not with k2 Cinch ........doesnt open enough + quite stiff mechanism so no time advantage with them.
Well well worth it in a fridge...
Mitch
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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when you have the strap adjusted in the right position, the ratchet buckle things can be pulled out slightly which disengages the ratchet as they are clipped down into the closed position, so they don't tighten the binding again, spoiling the previous adjustment.
they are clearly designed to do this, but no mention is made of it in the video i watched, although you can spot the demonstrator doing it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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RedLemon,
Ah, that makes sense..........will have a look at some & see whats on sale .
Cheers
Mitch
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I had a pair of K2 cinch cts bindings, but found that after using the for a bit I didn't tend to use the rear entry option and just used to do them up like normal bindings as I found that my foot didn't used to slide straight back into the binding in the same way each time.
Also found that the k2 cinch bindings were not very hard wearing
I know that you get what you pay for and I'm sure top end flows are great, but I used a mates flow bindings once and didn't like them at all.
Personally I think a Burton capstrap (is that what its called) that fits right over the end of your toes tends to give the best control.
Just my opinion mind.
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