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NOW Bindings | 2021-22 Snowboard Gear Preview

As part of our new Envision Series, we take a first look at NOW Binding's new season product line

Welcome to our new Envision Series where we’ll be bringing you the latest gear previews, with some of the most exciting new snowboard, boot, binding, outerwear and goggle products to drop for winter 2021-22. In this Envision episode, we’re taking a look at next year’s lineup from NOW Bindings. 

The first few months of each year are normally spent deep in conference halls and in the mountains, rubbing up on new products and swotting up on the latest innovation in the snowboard world. Unfortunately, with widespread resort closures and travel bans across Europe the usual buzz of ‘Trade Show Season’ has fallen flat, so we decided instead to cut out the middleman and bring the new product directly to you. Our new Envision Series takes a look at what some of our favourite brands are bringing to the table come winter 2021/22.

“After years of riding at pro level, JF had ideas of revolutionising the stagnant binding industry”

The brainchild of infamous Wildcat JF Pelchat, NOW Bindings have gone from strength to strength over the course of a decade. After years of riding at pro level, JF had ideas of revolutionising the stagnant binding industry. He approached the task with the same flair and panache you see clearly in his riding, paying homage to the glory days while keeping a foot firmly rooted in the modern world.

Drawing inspiration from the mechanics of skateboard trucks, NOW Bindings generate leverage by pivoting through the central hanger and directing power to the four contact bushings. For the coming season NOW have trimmed the fat on their line-up, refining the products on offer and upgrading materials throughout their line.

Check out our product preview on the new NOW Bindings for 2021/22 below, as well as our interview with owner and inventor, JF Pelchat.

NOW Brigade 2021-2022

What’s your hero story going forward into the 2021/22 season?
Next year will mark ten years of NOW bindings so this is huge one for us. I am very thankful and feel very privileged to be working in this industry and alongside such great people. I am also very excited in moving forward because we have a lot of incredible new things in the works.

What products are you personally most stoked on? 
For 2022 we are very excited to introduce a new H3 Hanger on three models; the O-Drive, the Drive and the fully revamped Select Pro. We’ve moved the front and back bushings out 3mm towards the board edges to deliver more power with less effort.

“This new Select Pro X UnInc embodies the anything goes, fuck-you attitude of the glory days of snowboarding “

The H3 is also more aired out than its predecessor and has a dropdown medial and lateral wall at the ankle level which gives added ankle mobility – perfect for those harder tweaks. This is a big step up. Freshness excites retail buyers and consumers and shows that snowboarding is alive and kicking ass. NOW’s Hanger 3.0 is a perfect blend of form and function and will set the binding wall on fire.

I am really stoked on the YES. Binding collab, it is our wildest binding in the line and it is based on the revamped Select Pro so it has all the bells and whistles. The YES. binding was developed with the YES. team and designed to be paired with their new UnInc series of boards. This new Select Pro X UnInc embodies the anything goes, fuck-you attitude of the glory days of snowboarding and it will for sure turn heads in the lifeline.

NOW x YES. Select Pro 2021-2022
The 2021/22 NOW x YES. Select Pro Snowboard Binding

Any cool artist collabs in the pipeline?
We’ve once again partnered with YES Snowboards to design a new Select Pro X UnInc. Binding, this binding is radical and the perfect collab for all the die hard UnInc and YES. fans wanting a binding they can pair with one of their YES. boards.

We’ve tightened up the line and made some changes by cancelling the Recon…my inspiration for this collection was refinement and shelf appeal and I think we successfully achieved it.

“This binding is radical and the perfect collab for all the die hard UnInc and YES. fans”

Have any team riders been involved in the R&D process?

Our team riders always help by giving their insights and feedbacks on all bindings and parts, they spend a ridiculous amount of time on their bindings and in the hardest conditions – so if it’s good enough for them then it is good enough for everyone.

NOW Pro Line 2021-2022

Covid has shaken up everything this year. Are there any big changes taking place with you guys ahead of next season?
On the development sides of things, Covid didn’t stop us from doing one of the biggest development years we’ve ever done, this was already in the works pre-Covid so we decided to keep pushing.

“Covid and lockdown gave us the breathing space to develop the best line of bindings we’ve ever made”

On the sales side, we provided help and support to our retailers by providing more carry-forward models. On the production side we limited all our overstock orders to these carry-forward models and kept it super lean for 2021. Covid and lockdown gave us the breathing space to develop the best line of bindings we’ve ever made.

We’ve just signed a talented young rider by the name of Liam Brearley, Liam is Canada’s next big thing and he can hang with the rest of the big boys. Liam joins Mons Roisland, Fridge, Frank Bourgeois, Sammy Luebke, Devun Walsh, Derek Livingston, RDM, Manuel Diaz, DCP, Robin Van Gyn, JP Solberg, Ilias Van Hoof, Juliette Pelchat and Campbell Melville Ives on the NOW global team.

 

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A post shared by Liam Brearley (@liam_brearley)

Do you have any new sustainability stories for next season? Has any of your production moved to become more sustainable?
We are always looking for sustainable product to complement our binding line, we are working with a few companies but this takes time on the R&D front, plus it has to makes sense on the economic side of things plus it needs to pass our stringent ISO test so it’s in the works but not quite there yet.

“We also designed a disc that is compatible with 4X4 and Channel boards”

On a sustainable activation though, we’ve made all our buckles serviceable so if you have a spring or lever failure these can be changed without replacing the whole buckle which would otherwise end up in the landfill, we also designed a disc that is compatible with 4X4 and Channel boards thereby eliminating a disc that would possibly also find itself in the trash.

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