The big deal with these bindings focuses on the way that they connect with the board. It gets a little weird, but I will try and explain it. The only parts of the binding that contact your board are the disc, and four urethane pads on the corners of the baseplate (the bright green pieces you see in the photo). This gives the binding the ability to absorb some of the natural flex and movement of the board, which cuts down on chatter and foot fatigue. When I heard about this change in binding technology my first reaction was that they would be un-responsive and a bit sloppy feeling, my fears were not justified. These bindings felt just like any other high end binding in respects to their responsiveness, where I noticed the difference was charging through the cruddy snow (that ski hills seem to have an abundance of). In the crud, these bindings seemed to offer a more controlled ride that gave you the confidence to keep your speed up and not worry about where you were going to initiate your next turn. Think about them as the difference between riding a regular skateboard wheel down a rough Cranbrook street, and the feeling of riding a softer longboard wheel down that same street. One is going to rattle your fillings out while the other can absorb some of that chatter.
The real standout to me was the quality of the straps and ratchets. Usually when a new binding company jumps on the scene, they seem to take a few years to get their straps and ratchets figured out, but not Now, they nailed it. The ankle strap was fairly minimal in comparison to some of the mega pillow straps that are out there, but was just as comfortable. The good thing about this is you aren’t wasting all that weight on needless straps. The ratchets had a really nice feel and held on tight, there isn’t much more you can ask for there. Overall these bindings rode well and are filling a very important space in the binding world. It is always nice to see a company that is owned and concepted by a snowboarder (JF Pelchat) doing something different and getting such a glowing response from the industry (they received the ISPO new product of the year award). Now bindings will be on the shelves at The Choice next fall for everyone to come check out, so keep your eyes peeled, because these guys are doing something new that could be a bit of a game changer.