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Bindings

NOW Pilot 2020-2021 Snowboard Bindings Review

  • Price: £269 / €300 / $300
  • Sizes: S, M, L
  • Flex: 6-7/10
  • Entry System: Classic

Why we chose the NOW Pilot Snowboard Bindings: No more turbulence or bumpy landings, this is VIP cruising at the price of economy.

If you’re new to NOW bindings and looking for their most versatile potion, here’s your answer. The Pilots can step up to the plate for confident and aggressive all-mountain riders, but they don’t need to be all about gunning it down the mountain to get the most out of them. Sitting right in the middle of NOW’s binding range the Pilot’s are primed for takeoffs, landings, and cruising at altitude.

Surely nobody’s a stranger to NOW’s SkateTech at this stage, as JF Pelchat’s revolutionary binding approaches its tenth birthday. Instead of cranking the straps as tight as possible and generating leverage on the highback to make turns, NOW rely on a central hanger where the binding can very subtly pivot through a central kingpin and apply pressure directly down and out to the edges via four contact bushings.

“Sitting right in the middle of NOW’s binding range the Pilot’s are primed for takeoffs, landings, and cruising at altitude.”

The result is increased feel, power and efficiency, all bundled up in a responsive, surfy ride. Additionally, the rubber bushings help to dissipate much of the vibrations and chatter that occur at higher speeds or firmer snowpacks.

The bushing comes in three variations of stiffness, rated Surf Style Response, Universal Response, and Firm and Snappy Response (although it must be said, we still go by NOW’s original scale of Softy, Mid-Chub and Morning Missile). These can be easily swapped out to fine-tune the levels of response you want in your ride, although with the Pilot being a relatively stiff binging it makes sense they come available in both the medium and stiffer shores.

The Flexhinge 2.0 Highback delivers enough response for fairly demanding rider’s needs and contours the back of your boot to maintain high connection levels, giving you more immediate response on your heelside turns. The hinge towards the top offers just a little bit of give to make more creative riding, and funky body positions pretty accessible.

There’s also scope to tweak the mobility and response rates through the stroke of genius that is the FlipIt ankle straps. The design allows for them to be to interchanged between each binding, so you can swap between a stiffer, more responsive ride, or upturn them for a lower fitting, looser feel – hence the Pilot’s variable flex rating.

“It’s versatility, both in terms of its construction and adjustable features make it an all-round contender that sits right up there with the best of them”

Last year saw the Pilots upgrading to the far superior 3D Contour toe straps which totally eliminated the regular occurrence of straps working their way loose by the bottom of the run. For this season, NOW have updated the buckles, constructing them from the same tough glass/nylon composite that’s used in the binding’s post which keeps them super light and tough.

NOW bindings really do cater to the masses, especially with the price-point focussed addition of the Pro-Line this year, but the Pilot remains the flagship binder. It’s versatility, both in terms of its construction and adjustable features make it an all-round contender that sits right up there with the best of them.

“We all agree that the best bindings are the ones you’re never really aware of when you’re riding. I think the Pilot is one of the best in the game for exactly this reason. It has just the right amount of flex for all-mountain riding; just the right amount of cushioning and dampening to not feel every buzz and rumble underfoot, but stay still feel connected and immediate to what the board is riding on; and a really smooth and consistent feel throughout turns.

I prefer to ride the straps in the looser, surfy mode. It just feels more in keeping with the kind of riding I think NOW bindings excel at. Having said that, changing into the stiffer, freeride positions of the ankle straps gives you a pretty responsive ride without the need to have to step up and invest in a much stiffer model.

If you haven’t ridden NOW bindings before, don’t buy into all the hype/scaremongering that you’ll feel yourself rocking from side to side and have to re-learn how to turn a snowboard. It’s not even close to the truth. Personally, I don’t notice any kind of rocking motion, but I’m always aware of how smooth and effective the response from edge to edge feels on a set of NOWs. And that’s gotta be something we all want from our setup, right?”

Tester’s Verdict 2019/20

Neil McNairMcNair Snowsports

“Finally, the toe straps stay on! Thank you NOW for introducing a new toe strap that expands and stretches over the ends of your boots. For me, this is a game-changer.

“Finally, the toe straps stay on!”

I love the feel of the skate tech and how your edge to edge transfer is seamless, but my toe straps were constantly slipping off on the old model. No more, no more. They are suckered on and not going anywhere. Double thumbs up.”

Tester’s Verdict 2019/20

Stella PenttiWhitelines

“I rode the Pilots together with a powder board on a powder day, and even though these things might not be built for that specific purpose, they worked really well for it.

“They were very responsive and gave my turns a lot of power on the pistes”

Even if they rate a bit higher on the stiffness rate, I don’t remember finding these bindings to be awkwardly stiff for turning. They were very responsive and gave my turns a lot of power on the pistes.

You can really tell the difference when you’re riding a Skate-tech binding – they allow a bit more freedom to your movement in general… which makes you feel a bit more free.”

Tester’s Verdict 2018/19

Andrew Duthiewhitelines.com

“I test at least one pair of NOW bindings every year, in the hope that I’ll have a Road To Damascus moment and fall in line with the “these are so good I’d never go back to regular bindings” crowd. No such luck so far.

“On Endor-style tight tree runs, where the margin for error was non-existent, the response these offered saw me safely through each time”

Having said that, the Pilot bindings – like all NOW models I’ve had a go on – are comfortable, responsive and have great cushioning – so what’s the problem? Whether it’s all down to the Skate-Tech, or it’s got more to do with the materials used, these work really well.

I rode them pretty much exclusively in powder, so won’t speak to their ability in the park, but they felt very comfy and secure all day. The stiffness was great for higher speeds too; we did a fair bit of Endor-style tight tree runs, where the margin for error was almost non-existent, and the response these offered saw me safely through each time.

So while I’m not yet ready to be a ‘NOW or Never’ rider, I’d happily ride a pair of these all winter long.”

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