1. looks like the Clash was continuous rocker while your NS will have the camber zones outside of your feet. Just make sure those camber zones dont catch, as they will be slightly more prone to do than the continuous rocker.

2. NS's sidecut is a patented tech that does very well on ice called Vario Grip.

 

will the stiffer bindings initiate turns easier and can I expect the sintered base to be a little quicker down the hill than the extruded base?

 

Frankly, the difference will probably be barely noticeable. Specifically:

• Stiffer binding (and board) will be a bit more responsive, but things like your boots, stance, binding adjustments, etc. will have a much bigger effect.
• Sintered base will accelerate slightly quicker but an extruded base is rarely a 'speed limiter' unless you are in very flat conditions and realy struggling to move at all. Again, other factors like riding technique matter a lot more - and if you don't wax a sintered base frequently it might actually be slower.

 

My sintered Proto is WAY faster than my extruded Evil Twin. You can expect this if you keep your sintered base nice and saturated with wax.

Of course stiffer bindings will initiate turns faster.