Big Advantages of the Toe Mounted Brakes on Hagan Boost 12 Bindings

Toe-mounted ski brakes are unusual. They look a little strange. Weird even. Heel-mounted brakes being the standard, you know. So why depart from standard? Wouldn't you rather just go with the flow and blend in with the crowd. You wouldn't want to be unusual and stick out, would you? That would take a bit of open-mindedness and courage. Who has that? Even if there are advantages, big advantages, to going your own way.

Here are four reasons the Hagan Boost 12 bindings have front mounted brakes - and the big advantages of the Boost 12 brake system. Astute ski tourers will figure it out. You don't need to let the clueless in on the secret:

• The HAGAN Boost 12 brakes are always active (in both descend AND climb modes.) Always Active means if the toe of your boot isn't in the toe piece, the brake WILL be deployed. They can't be locked away if the boot isn't in the toe piece. This means you also can't FORGET to release your brake - and realize it when you see your ski heading down a couloir.
• The brake retraction is done with the same lever, and same motion, as locking the toe for uphill climbing mode. It saves steps, and time, over separately retracting the brake at the heel, then locking the toe piece. The locking and retracting motion is smooth and easy.
• Toe-mounted brakes don’t interfere with heel release. No worries about friction with the brake pad interfering with smooth and reliable heel release. (The front brakes don't interfere with toe release, either, for that matter.)
• The Boost 12 bindings are light, because the heel tower doesn't have to beefed up to perform the additional duty of holding the brakes in a retracted position - with an awkward twisting to hold down the brake.  The brakes also don’t need to be beefed up to withstand repetitive “stomping” during heel click in.