The NOW Select feels like the evolution of the NOW IPO and feels like the IPO with flavors of the Now Pilot in it.  It feels like it offers a little more no-back friendliness and also provides a little bit of extra lateral support with the slightly larger high back.  We found the Drive to be unique to the NOW line but the Select to be more of a variation of the IPO. Is that bad? No not at all. It offers a little more support on the back and front end without a high back and makes for a slightly more supportive IPO with the high back.

Flex- The high back is a smallish medium of flex.

Adjustability– You can dial out the Select rather well so there isn’t much of a problem here.  We like the tooless adjustability.

Comfort– So the larger ankle straps and soft foot bed are super comfortable. The only problem is at the end of the heel loop can be a bit tight on the sides of your boot and cause a little pressure.  In order to have the bindings work without a high back the heel loops has to be tight.  It fit most of our boots but there is a little pressure where the heel loop merges in the middle with the binding next to the king pin tech.

Heel-Toe Response– So some of us felt that the edge to edge response had a bit of a delay and they didn’t really like that feel.  I personally liked the mellow edge to edge response and thought of it as smoothly responsive.  It handled more aggressive boards than you would think.

Tip-Tail Response– So there is a reduced dead spot going on here but it doesn’t feel as easy to butter and press as other bindings with reduced dead spots.  With the softer bushings it’s a little easier to butter but with the stiffer bushings it’s more work. It’s more about reducing chatter than easier flex under foot. Still it’s better than most bindings without a reduced dead spot.

Boot Support– There is a very locked in feel here and it feels like even with the smaller ankle strap there isn’t much room to move which some love and some don’t. I think it’s all in the heel loop here that offers a lot of lateral as well as longitudinal support.

Ratchet System- The toe and ankle straps are well thought out and pretty smooth.  Almost as smooth as Burton here and they are soo good you never think about them because they hardly ever stick. NOW thought this out well.

The select has a very old school feel but keeps up with the new school tech and this could be a good binding for the right rider.  Our favorite part about this binding is the ability to reduce fatigue and eliminate shock from even boards that can’t handle uneven terrain very well.