Brendan Walker got tired of fumbling with frozen fingers to strap into his board. So he engineered a different approach: magnets that guide your boot into place, then lock with a quarter-turn of your foot. No more wrestling with bindings in the cold.
The Machina MagIC Ride System (Magnetic Interlocking Connection) uses neodymium magnets embedded in the boot sole and board baseplates. As you step down, the magnets pull everything into alignment automatically. Then a simple twist engages helical cams that lock you in. Walker claims it's the lightest and narrowest binding system ever made.
Release is equally streamlined. The rear boot disconnects via a leash that runs under your snowboarding pants to your belt — you just pull it and twist. The front boot releases by hand. It's a trade-off: you lose the one-handed convenience of traditional bindings, but you gain the speed and simplicity of magnetic connection.
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Start Your News DetoxThe stiffness you'd normally dial in with traditional binding adjustments comes instead from a carbon fiber shell inside each boot. Dual-zone wire lacing lets you customize how rigid or flexible the boot feels, so different riders can dial in their own preference.
Walker is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for the system. An early pledge costs $499, with a planned retail price of $699 once production starts. It's a meaningful shift in how snowboarders interact with their gear — one less thing to think about when you're cold, tired, and just want to get down the mountain.
