Bindings

NOW Drive Snowboard Bindings 2022-2023

PRICE: £366 / €400 / $400

Speak to a NOW convert (there’s many knocking around these days) and they’ll tell you that the classic baseplate should have gone the way of the dodo by now – the future, they’ll insist, is ‘Skate-Tech’. Now entering its second decade, JF Pelchat’s signature system has the firmest of footholds in the market, winning over grizzled pow-hounds and upstart park rats alike.

It may not have killed off its rivals yet, but it’s certainly not going anywhere. Nor are the NOW Drive bindings, arguably the jewel in the brand’s crown.

Who are The NOW Drive For?

These are definitely for keen freeriders, albeit those that stop short of requiring the carbon-fetishist’s dream that is the NOW O-Drive. One clue to this is the bushings (those swappable pads at the corners of the baseplate) that come with it – there’s no soft option, just medium and hard.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 NOW Drive here

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NOW Select Pro Snowboard Bindings 2022-2023

PRICE: £360 / €370 / $380

When NOW first came along over a decade ago, a lot of the early adopters appeared to be BC-based pow-chasing contemporaries of founder and 90s hellman JF Pelchat. While it was nice to see a whole pro team essentially composed of riders no longer in the first flush of youth, most of them would be more likely to throw their back out than throw a double backflip.

That’s all changed now, though; as well as picking up additional flavours of freerider, the Skate-Tech system has been embraced by the next generation of contest-slaying stunters, including Fridtjof Tischendorf and Mons Roisland. In many cases, the Now Select Pro is what they’re running.

Who are The NOW Select Pro For?

These are mellower than the NOW Drive, so will be better suited to all-mountain riding and long days in the park. They’re also ideal for anyone not yet 100% sold on the Skate-Tech concept, as the amount of customisation available means that there’s no chance you won’t be able to give these a fair shake.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 NOW Select Pro here

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NOW Brigada Women’s Snowboard Bindings 2022-2023

PRICE: £266 / €290 / $300

A true freestyle juggernaut, the NOW Brigada should shoot up your Christmas list if you’re at your happiest when you’re lapping the park. A carryover model for 22/23, NOW has gone with the old adage, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

Sitting at a true middle of the road 5/10 flex, the Brigada is more playful than the Conda, yet still manages to garner premium responsiveness via NOW’s signature SkateTech. The central Kingpin acts like a fulcrum, transferring energy out to the four corner bushings, directly where you want to channel rider input. The shorter highback is great for tweaking grabs and poking out stylish airs, and is designed to contour well to the back of a womwn’s boot. For added versatility, the bushings can be swapped for harder or softer versions to make the binding more reactive or mellow accordingly, plus the Asym Sieva Straps can be flipped and swapped to add more support on the lateral side.

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