Baseplate

NOW’s unique offering has always been its ‘Skate Tech’-infused baseplates. If you’re not familiar with the system, this endearingly lo-fi clip of founder JF Pelchat running through the details in his garage will bring you up to speed. The tech has won the most fans in the freeride world, but it can work for riders of any stripe.

Until this year, the NOW Conda has featured an earlier iteration of the system, but for 2024 it’s leapfrogged to the top-line ‘Hanger 3.0’. With bushings that sit even closer to the edges of your board, it promises even more response, and the spiderweb-like design of the chassis looks great.

For the avoidance of doubt, the system works with any board. You can even buy an extra central post to mount on your spare deck, then easily switch the NOW Conda between the two depending on the conditions.

“NOW’s unique offering has always been its ‘Skate Tech’-infused baseplates”

Straps and Highbacks

It’s all change here, too. The new highback is slightly stiffer than its predecessor, but is still far from a vice. The ‘Asym FR’ model is more curved on the lateral side (that’s the side of your leg closest to the end of the board) to give you more support when cranking your turns.

The ankle straps carry the same name, so you can expect them to pair well with the highback. The addition of a central spine gives it a bit more response when you’re really pushing it, but by swapping them between the two chassis, you can change where the support is targeted and give yourself a more ‘surfy’ ride when the conditions call for it. The process is completely tool-free, too.

Finally, while we’d never encourage anyone to get too excited about a toe strap, NOW’s offerings have long been amongst our favourites for comfort and durability – plus the one on the Conda has been designed specifically with women’s boot sizes in mind.

“The new highback is slightly stiffer than its predecessor, but is still far from a vice”

Roundup

If you loved it before, we reckon you’ll love it still – and if you’ve never had the pleasure, then (for the right rider, of course) this winter is definitely the one for getting hold of the NOW Conda.

Powerful without being rigid, it is definitely one for the confident freerider who wants something that’s still suited to a cruise. Plus with the option to switch the ankle straps and change up the bushings on the Skate-Tech system, it’s easy to fine-tune your ride.

Pros:

• Lots of lovely new tech, much of it female-specific
• Zero compromise on quality – the Conda is now as high-end as they come, and comparable to anything in the men’s range

Cons:

• That is a lot to pay for bindings, so best be sure they’re the right ones for you

“I’d ridden the NOW Conda’s in previous seasons but after hearing they’d been upgraded I decided I needed to check them out again. Sometimes ‘upgrades’ fall super flat and if anything they take away what you oringally liked about something in an attempt to stay relevant. I’m happy to report this isn’t the case here. Overall they still feel very similar to previous seasons, and the word I’d use is smooth. They pack a bit of a punch when you’re going mach 10, and the ‘rolling’ sensation caused by Skate Tech is great for nippy turns and agile riding. They felt very surfy in deeper and softer snow, you can really put some greats turns in without too much effort. They made everything just a tad easier, and I’m nothing if not lazy.”