Jones Mercury FASE Review: The Best Fast Entry Bindings?

Jones Mercury FASE Snowboard Bindings Review: The Best Fast Entry System

For years, the snowboard community has been locked in a quiet, frosty battle. While skiers zip around with practiced ease, snowboarders often find themselves fumbling with straps, laces, and a general reluctance to sit down in the snow. It is a scene familiar to anyone who has ever ridden a chairlift: the quick dismount, the frantic gearing up, and the inevitable lag as you wait for your slower-strapping brethren.

But what if there was a way to enter the fray as quickly as the skiers? Jones Snowboards seems to think so with their Mercury FASE (Fast Activation Strap) bindings. After a serious session on the slopes, I can tell you this: the FASE system isn't just a gimmick. It is a genuine game-changer for anyone who values time on the mountain over time spent fiddling with gear.

THE NEED FOR SPEED ON THE SLOPES

Let's be honest, strapping into a snowboard can be a chore. Traditional bindings, while reliable, require you to sit down, align your boots, and cinch straps until your toes go numb. This is especially frustrating when you are trying to keep up with friends who ski, or when you are in a rush to catch the last lift. The in-and-out struggle is real, particularly on powder days when sitting down means getting a wet backside before you’ve even made your first turn.

Jones’ FASE system aims to solve this without sacrificing the high-performance feel that the Mercury binding is known for. The core idea is a strap that, once initially set, can be quickly flipped into place. It’s designed to minimize the fiddling, reduce the need to sit down (a godsend on icy or deep-snow days), and get you riding faster.

TECH SPECS AT A GLANCE Model: Jones Mercury FASE Flex Rating: 6/10 (All-Mountain Versatility) System Type: Fast Activation Strap (Stow Strap) Technology: NOW Skate Tech (for better edge control) Weight: Mid-range (comparable to standard Mercury bindings) Compatibility: Standard 4x4, 4x2, and Channel systems

HOW FASE ACTUALLY WORKS

The Mercury FASE bindings incorporate Jones' Stow Strap technology. The magic happens in the ankle strap. Instead of a traditional ratcheting system where you have to feed the ladder into the buckle every single time, it uses a lever mechanism. You set the tightness once during your first run, and from then on, you simply flip the lever up to release and down to secure. It is remarkably intuitive.