• Price: £200, $220
• Sizes: S, M, L
• Flex: 5/10
• Entry System: Classic

Cheap and cheerful are two words that come to mind when thinking of the IPO, but despite the relatively low price tag they still manage to cram in a whole buttload of NOW’s innovative tech. With Toolless adjustment, channel compatibility and coming in three fresh colourways, the IPO would find itself at home in most riders stash.

The IPO is a softer flexing all-mountain binding, sitting at the more playful end of the spectrum they’ve got everything they need and absolutely nothing they don’t. Up against other bindings in their price range they’ve got the edge (literally) with NOW’s SkateTech. Rather than a traditional baseplate, the IPO uses a preformed one-piece Hanger with a central kingpin to seesaw rider input directly to the edges. By taking out the middle man you get increased response and control with less effort.

“By taking out the middle man you get increased response and control with less effort”

The IPO is a well thought out bit of kit, and NOW have designed it to work with your feet and legs, rather than against them. The shorter highback is ergonomically designed to sit higher on the inside of your leg, mirroring where your calf would be to avoid painful hotspots. Rather than crank down your straps and spend all day with tingling half numb feet, the straps mould around your boot to lock it in securely with no faff.

When you’ve progressed your skills and are ready for something with a bit more oomph, rather than buying a whole new binding, simply swap out the bushings with a stiffer set. These will increase the energy transfer and leave you with a more responsive and powerful ride.

“This is the ultimate bang for your buck binding, you get entry level price, with seasoned vet performance”

This is the ultimate bang for your buck binding, you get entry level price, with seasoned vet performance. These are ideal for a seasonaire who’s ballin’ on a budget or a novice rider who doesn’t want to drop tons of cash before they figure out what style of riding they’re into.