Binding Model: Now IPO
Binding Size: Medium
Stance and Angles: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boot Used: K2 Thraxis
Boot Size: 10
Board Used: Telos Mike Ranquet
Rider Weight: 200lbs
Location: Copper Mountain
Conditions: Grey skies, low to moderate winds, ice, crust, firm fast snow, and kind of crap conditions.
Binding Adjustability: You have flip cams on the straps to lengthen or shorten them. On the heel strap there’s so much foam that you have to pinch it down when screwing the cam back in, just be aware of that. There’s your standard forward lean adjustment as well. Finally the big customization comes in the form of the bushings which you can swap out for soft, medium, or hard.
Straps: The heel strap is that ultra lightweight foam that reduces material bunch up and pressure points. It contours well to the instep and holds you in. The toe strap is rubber and has a huge cut out that fits most boot shapes. It stretches well and you can feel it fit snuggly over the toe box.
Ratchets: These worked effortlessly. They climbed well, released even easier. Although the toe ratchet lacks a one finger quick release tab, grabbing from the front on both the toe and heel gets the job done. I never had them slip on me and they just felt super secure.
Highbacks: The highback is soft and flexible where it matters so you don’t feel like you’re driving back into a brick wall, but it still gives you the response you need on your heel edge.
Binding Flex: The overall flex is playful but with precision due to the Skatetech. You notice that power driving down into the edges when you engage a turn or just stay on your edge finding your line. Laterally there’s a little bit of play which makes it easy to get your weight outside the binding to control the board. Overall the flex is just around a middle of the road.
Ride: The overall ride is lively. This is probably the least damp binding from Now that I’ve been on. I felt all the ruts, chunder, and death cookies with this binding. It didn’t dampen out any of the kinetic energy.
Rider in Mind: Price conscious all mountain rider that needs a binding to do it all.
Personal Thoughts: I’m not a fan of the canting on this binding, that was a bit overkill. I also was slightly infuriated with the foam on the heel strap being so aggressively thick right where the flip cam was to adjust it and having to muscle the thread back in so I could tighten it down. Otherwise it’s a binding that does its job and has its place in their lineup. It became really predictable to ride after the second lap and you could feel the power of the Skatetech in the edge to edge performance of the board.
Comparable Bindings: Rome Vice, K2 Lineup, Burton Mission
