Niseko Snow review of 2012 Rome Targa bindings

Rome SDS has been designing some sweet bindings over the years and the top end Targa for 2012 is a beauty. Targa’s are known to be tech, tuff, light, adjustable as can be and aesthetically pleasing. When a few guys from the rome crew came over to shred Niseko and Teine, I strapped my boots in and ripped around on em. Boot-in and board dangling off the lift, the binding didn’t release so no need for a leash! When fully strapped in the Targa’s are so comfy that it feels like you are just wearing boots and somehow your board is attached- Comfort King approved! Super responsive in the Niseko pow, chop, park and pipe.

Some progressive ideas that the Rome binding design guru has put into place are the V-rod baseplates that have a smaller binding footprint on your board with all four corners raised up allowing more board flex. From your toe and lateral side of your heel the V-rod baseplate delivers power and the “Yes, I cant system” gives you EVA-to-board contact for maximum cushioning, canting options and lightness. The Targa’s come with normal flat, 2 degree and 3.5 degree footbed/basepads and are the only Inbase canting system in snowboarding so far. I rode them normal-flat and Cameron rips the 3.5 degree cants. Cam likes cant as much as rice-ball triangles and it gives him leverage on rocker boards. Seen it in the 90′s… cool cant-tech comes back around.

The Targa’s Boot-size tweakable baseplates and tuff aluminum underwrap heel hoops are solid to stand on. The interchangeable and tweakable EVA inserts in the ankle straps give you 3 flex options and the new Conformist.3 toe straps fit snug. The new AntiShock highback takes the abuse and has fully tweakable rotation, toe and heel ramps. The Targa’s tool-less tweakable forward lean, toe and ankle straps come in handy when it’s time to swap boards for a run.

Tweakable to the max, the 2012 Targa’s hold your boots like you hug your best friend.