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Bindings

NOW x YES 2020-2021 Snowboard Bindings Review

  • Price: £230 / $250
  • Sizes: S, M, L
  • Flex: 5/10
  • Entry System: Classic

The YES. crew are some of the best snowboarders in the world, their passion for riding is only matched by their passion for progression. They’re known for their backcountry freestyle prowess and their ability to ride some of the gnarliest terrain in the world. Longtime friends of NOW, the two powerhouse brands have continued their collaboration for 2020/21, with the latest NOW x YES binding.

The YES sits in the line as a playful all-mountain freestyle option, similar flexwise to the Brigade, but with a little more versatility across a multitude of terrain. The Flex Hinge 2.0 highback is able to rotate with your leg when you’re tweaking out grabs and offers more support on the lateral side to really drive the responsiveness home.

“Longtime friends of NOW, the two powerhouse brands have continued their collaboration for 2020/21”

Strap wise, you’ve got NOW’s Sieva ankle strap, with malleable foam to mould round your boot. Up front they use 3D Contour toe straps, which can be used either over the top, or round the front of your boot. Thanks to the snug fit, your boots stay secure inside the Hanger without having to crank down super tight on the straps.

OG Wildcat JF Pelchat revolutionised the game when he brought his innovative SkateTech to market. Drawing inspiration from the way skateboard trucks efficiently transfer rider input, the system cuts out the middleman and scraps a traditional baseplate in favour of a Hanger and bushings. The board is allowed to properly flex underfoot with the Hanger amplifying energy using a kingpin to gain leverage. The result is more power through your edge, reduced foot fatigue and less board chatter.

“The result is more power through your edge, reduced foot fatigue and less board chatter”

Swapping out the bushings depending your riding style gives unparalleled versatility and add this to the fact you’re able to switch your Highbacks for far shorter highcups and you’ve got a real jack of all trades. Responsive when you want to push it, loose and surfy when you want to take it easy. The NOW x YES will be aiding and abetting some serious mountain exploration.

Tester’s Verdict 2019/20

Al NasmythFreedom Snowboarding

“A decent, comfy, medium flex binding. Right down the middle in every which way. I normally ride Burton Malavitas and these bindings felt fairly similar in response and flex. Maybe a slightly stiffer ankle strap for getting over onto the toe edge, but altogether a really versatile feeling step of fixers from NOW!

They’re great for doing a bit of everything. If you’re a snowboarding hipster you can take the highbacks off without it changing how your boot fits in the heel cup, which is pretty clever. That’s definitely the vibe of these bindings too – mellow, surfy, but with enough response between the edges when you need it. I’m not sure I noticed the skate tech working, though, but I didn’t have any of the different stiffness bushings to compare. I know a lot of people love NOW bindings and put it down to that pivoting design, so it clearly works for some. Just don’t expect it to change the way you ride overnight, but then that might not be such a bad thing for a lot of people.

“They’re great for doing a bit of everything. If you’re a snowboarding hipster you can take the highbacks off without it changing how your boot fits in the heel cup, which is pretty clever”

The baseplates are made so that you have lots of options when it comes to placement and getting the perfect set up. Ideal for anyone who’s super fussy about their stance angles… maybe not so good for said person’s mates waiting in the lift line for him!”

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