Keeping with the recent trend of skate shoe companies turning their favourite vulcanised shoes into a cupsole counterpart, New Balance has thrown their hat into the ring with the introduction of the Foy NM306C. The newest of the New Balance range, the 306C spins Jamie Foy’s original vulcanised pro model into a more rugged, technical beast - now more suited to hucking yourself down a 14 stair. So what's it all about?

The most obvious visual change to the 306 is the added beef. Big Boy Foy needed a bigger shoe that didn’t compromise on the boardfeel he'd come to love in the original 306. The outsole, despite the complete change in construction and intention, doesn’t look too different from the original 306, keeping many of the same visual cues and construction. But upon closer inspection, the forefoot of the shoe has departed from the original in a few areas - there are now fewer cutaways, keeping the construction a little stiffer than the OG model and reducing the primary wear zones, beefing up said zones with additional material, and most obviously adding a heel counter on the rear of the shoe. To counter the addition of material, NB has shed some weight in other areas and added breathability, with the low-risk areas clad in a breathable mesh. 

But as always, it's the inside that really counts. What New Balance describes as a “vulcanised-like forefoot for boardfeel” keeps the original model’s ethos intact with this new iteration. Despite the boardfeel heavy forefoot, you might expect a bit of extra heel lift. And while that might be the case, the heel sits lower in the shoe than the previous model in an effort to negate any of that excess heel lift, and keeping you closer to that cushioned closed-cell insole.

On the top side, as with the original 306, underneath the flick zone sits a layer of rubber to improve the life of the shoe while adding some rigidity to the suede itself. Taking a trip to the back, the heel cuff has about double the amount of padding compared the original 306, as well as a beefier tongue for added comfort. In short, the 306C should offer a longer-lasting, more cushioned alternative to the original 306, while striving not to compromise too much on boardfeel.

We had a chat with our team guy Sam Saddleton, who has been skating the 306C for three weeks and assured us that they are the real deal: “Man, they are so f***ing good, seriously my new favourite skate shoe. Immediately comfy straight out of the box with no break in period. These won’t be my last pair."

Overall, it’s all looking up for the NM306C. The most technologically advanced skate shoe manufacturer in the world upgrading the debut model for a two-time SOTY to better suit his needs? It was always going to be really good. And fear not, OG 306 fans – the vulcanised option isn't going anywhere. Both the 306 and 306C will continue to co-exist in the New Balance range for the foreseeable future.

The Foy 306C is available in two debut colourways at Boardworld, priced at $159.95 AUD with free Australia-wide shipping.