Niche Story 2015-2020 Snowboard Review
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| Riding Style | All Mountain |
| Riding Level | Beginner - Expert |
| Fits Boot size (US) | 10-12 |
| Manufactured in | Austria by GST |
| Shape | Directional |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker |
| Stance | Setback -20mm |
| Approx. Weight | Feels Normal |
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| On Snow Feel |
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| Turn Initiation |
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| Edge Hold |
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Niche Story 2020 - 2015 Review by The Good Ride
The Niche Story makes for a great semi-directional kind of ride for mid/wide-ish foot riders that see hard snow but want to be ready for powder. The 2019 model was lighter but more chattery where the 2020 is more normal in weight but much more damp.
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.
How This Review Happened: We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.
Size: 162
Days: 3
Conditions: Varied Spring Conditions
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Response
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata
Similar Boards (but not the same): Never Summer West Bound, Rossignol XV, Korua Otto, Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker, Loaded Algernon, Capita Mercury, Endeavor Pioneer
Set-Up: 22” Wide. 18 front -9 back. Centered.
Approximate Weight: Pretty normalish.
Sizing: So the Niche Story is best for a 10-11 size boot but riders like myself with size 9’s can through this around pretty easy for its width.
Flex/Buttering: Even though the Niche Story has a med/stiff flex we could all butter it with a little effort. It’s not super easy but a lot easier than you would think if you flexed it in a shop. The pop is easily accessible for riders of all levels and it’s pretty easy to ollie.
On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns: The rocker between the feet with camber underfoot that doesn’t come all the way back down is semi-stable. It can feel loose and auto spinny in harder snow but tracks better in soft snow when one footing or flat basing.
Edge Hold: Strong super grippy edge hold that really shines in hard to icy days. Very recommendable for those that ride in icy places. The Niche Story has some grab in softer snow but its not too grabby for most to be a deal-breaker.
Turn Initiation: Turns pretty quick for this width. All of us felt that despite the difference in boot size.
Turning Experience/Carving: In hard snow, this will carve better than the Maelstrom but in good conditions, the Malestrom blows it away. There is much more resistance into the turn allowing you to easily lean over into it and then there is more spring/acceleration out of the turn. The Nice Story isn’t bad though and it’s far from being a boring turner.
Powder: You got a little bit of taper, 2.125″ back on board (4.25″ difference between nose/tail) with a 22″ stance width and a tip/tail that floats pretty easy. Especially the somewhat longer nose. It’s a great directional floater for an all-mountain board and a decent floater for a freeride board.
Speed: a little loose between the feet when the board is totally flat on snow. The 2020 model is damp and not as chattery as the past year.
Uneven Terrain: So much better than 2019 model. There is such a better shielding layer between the snow below and your joints.
Switch: Very doable for a board with a little taper.
Getting Air/Park: The Niche story has a nice stable approach to a kicker if the edge is set and you aren’t flat basing into it. It has enough stiffness in the tip/tail to handle going big if you are not exceptionally and hopelessly average like we are. You can play on a mellow jib or two but it’s far from ideal. The grip in the pipe is exceptional and it drives from wall to wall pretty well.
Niche Story Past Reviews
The Niche Story has a lot going on grip wise for those that see hard snow and want something a bit more on the directional side of the all mountain world. Year over year we often recommend this board to those that see a lot of hard snow.
Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.
Size: 158
Days: 1
Conditions: Mostly hard bad snow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Nitro Phantom Carver
Set Up: 22.5” Close to reference stance 15 front -15 back
The Niche Story is a very fun board with lot’s of edge hold and a pretty stable ride for a hybrid rocker profile. After 2 seasons now of riding this in all kinds of conditions we like it just the same as that first day we got stoked on it.
Size: 158
Days: 7
Conditions: Messy Powder and chewed up somewhat thick eastern Washington snow. Perfect Utah Groomers after a storm. Spring conditions going from hard to slush.
Riders: James, Jimbo and Peter
Boots: Burton SLX, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD, Burton Imperial, Nike Lunarendor,
Bindings: Burton Cartel, Burton Genesis, Union Atlas, Ride Rodeo
Set Up: Set back a bit approx 23″ wide 15 front and -6 back, 23″ 15 front -15 back and 15 front -9 back
Approximate Weight: Felt normal and right in the middle.
On Snow Feel: We were in pretty soft snow but it felt mostly stable. I’d like to learn more about it in other conditions and see how it feels in hard snow. It seems like it would be semi-stable but I don’t know for sure. The camber profile is mellow all around. What I mean by that is the rocker between the feet isn’t that pronounced and it almost seems like there is a little flat between the feet before it rockers up. Then the camber isn’t to exaggerated either. All of this makes for a pretty stable ride between the feet and my guess is it would only be slightly loose between the feet in harder snow.
Turn Initiation: I was really surprised when I looked at the specs and noticed that the waist width was 26.2. It didn’t turn like a mid/wide but instead had a medium bordering on easy turn initiation. I would of guessed 25.3cm to 25.5cm instead. It’s got a nice moderate turn that’s not too easy and not too hard. It felt like there was a decent spring between the feet transitioning from edge to edge. If you are more like a size 11 rider you will be able to turn this board much easier than our smaller feet could. However it did not feel like a mid wide board for our regular feet so it could easily be ridden by regular footers like Peter (Size 8.5) and I (Size 9)
Flex: The board felt medium/stiff but still butterable with a nice snap off the tip/tail.
Edge Hold: There is a very different magnetraction thing going on than what you see at Lib Tech and Gnu. It’s much more pronounced. It’s Really grippy edge hold without being grabby. We were expecting The Story to grab in the soft snow but it wasn’t very grabby. This is a great board for those that see everything from Ice to soft powder.
Powder: We had a little bit of powder and this has very easy directional float. It’s got a set back of -20mm and combined with that hybrid rocker it makes for a really easy directional float in powder to where it’s good enough to be a one board quiver. That’s the real advantage of getting a board with a set back is it can double for a more directional powder board when set back. Is it as good as a dedicated powder board? Hell no but you have a board that will set much further back than a centered stance board.
Carving: The edge hold is here to carve even in harder conditions and the camber in the tip/tail gives it a little spring out of the turn. I’d like to carve more on it and get to know this better on perfect clean groomers but it was fun enough for sure in the uneven tracked up powder we had.
Speed: Seems pretty fast and stable at speed. It doesn’t get very chattery and it has a good glide going on in the base. It seems like you can bomb a wide open mountain for sure.
Uneven Terrain: We had no problem negotiating with bumpy snow and it worked around moguls pretty easy. It also handled chunder pretty well so it seems like a first tracks to last chair kind of board.
Switch: This felt like it was a directional twin even though it’s kind of in between a directional board and a twinish board. It felt pretty similar either way even though we were set back a little.
Jumps: The Niche Story had a lot of nice pop off the tail for ollieng over little bumps on the messy snow we were riding on and it seems like it can handle kickers of any size.
Jibbing: Not really a jib board because of it’s stiff flex but it’s fine for a wide box or bonk.
Pipe: We didn’t have a pipe at the mountain we tried the Story on but it’s edge hold and forgiving camber profile are ideal for riders of most styles and ability levels. This would climb icy mid winter to soft spring snow pipe walls without any issue and I would of loved to take it in the pipe.
So all in all we liked this board and we’d really like to get to know it better in different terrain and conditions. Usually Mid/Wides don’t really appeal to Peter and I but if it’s this good for a smaller foot it will be even better for the foot that fit’s this board.
Niche Story Specs
Niche Story Images
We try to get as many images of the Niche Story, but forgive us if they're not all there.
2020
2019
2017
2016
2015
Niche Company Information
Niche Story User Reviews
Thank You Niche!
Living in Europe, I often face the hard snow and icy conditions of the central Alps (not just on glaciers). I hereby approve that what they say about edge hold is absolutely true. This board grips as if it were an ice saw!! Send it down a steep and icy run and go as fast as you like, I bet you will first s*** your pants before this thing loses its grip.
If you are boarding long enough to remember GNU's Altered Genetics series, well this is basically a modernized wide version of it, ever so slighty tapered, with an even more expressive 7. magne traction, plus slightly more setback. Perfect for riders with 10+ boots.
You can definitely take this thing to the park, but it's not really made for boxes, rails, etc. and buttering really requires some muscle, more so on the tail than on the nose. However, big airs, corner jumps, etc. are very doable thanks to the stability and the moderate torsional flex.
I had absolutely no problems with stability at high speeds by the way. That's probably also due to the somewhat stiffer flex I guess. Niche rates it 7/10, but I'd say it definitely flirts with an 8.
What's more, I am currently riding this board with my 2019 Union Atlas bindings, +18, -9, but I am doubting to combine the board with a pair of Falcors insteads, because the stiff base plate of the Atlas and it's comparably high weight don't seem the perfect match for the Story. The lighter Falcor's and their mini disk might allow to unleash the full potential of the board's responsiveness, while maybe even making butters a bit more effortless and fun.
Happy
Take my review with a grain of salt. I purchased a 14/15 162MW Story (after some correspondence with James on this site). I'm a beginner, in Minnesota. Comparing this with the rentals I had the first three times out... well, there's no comparison. The board made everything easier. This is probably a useless review for the most part--as I have little expertise or ability to compare. I put a set of Union Force bindings on it. My fourth time out was a joy (though still a few falls due to use error). The board seemed to help greatly with turns as compared to the rentals.
Fun All Around Board
Been riding for 3 years on a Templar mag-tek Rossi through East Coast ice and crud. Board was great at first, but I outgrew it as it was not stiff enough to carve with any speed. Not the boards fault, it was a great beginner board. Did quite a bit of research on what to step up to. Came down to Lib TRS, Rossi One Mag-Tek, and the Story. Talked to TGR and decided on the Story. Bought the 13/14 model via the Niche website for half price. Liked the graphics on the 13/14 better than the 14/15 also. What a smart decision! Forget being drawn in by the earth friendly pitch, this is a fun, solid built ride. Got lucky with the snow this season and got 12" of fresh powder. The Story delivered. Had the best East Coast day ever. Followed up 5 days later with groomers and had another exceptional day. This board is a rocker, but feels almost like a camber. I can hardly tell its a rocker unless I'm moving very slow. The flex is very smooth. The arc is nice, uniform, and gradual and goes from tail to center of the board. I can press on this board easily and even at speed. The edge hold is exactly what you would expect from the magna-traction. It's a smooth ride and loves to turn. The base is great, my last run in February (on a blue) I pushed this ride hard carving in decent groomed hard pack and got up to 53 mph. . .on a Blue Run. What a blast. This is a great ride for anyone that wants super build quality and good tech. It rides switch fine and kills powder. Great board and good company.
2013/2014 Story
I found a great deal online on the 2013/2014 Niche Story, and as per TheGoodRide's (Jame's) recommendation, I decided to buy it. I live on the East Coast and it is constantly icy, and when it isn't icy, the conditions range from hard snow to slushy snow. So less than ideal riding conditions. And honestly, I've never felt more comfortable riding on ice than I have with the Story. The magnetraction is great for icy conditions. My previous board was a 153 Ride Dose, and I got a 158 Story, so I'm still getting used to the size (and flex, edge, and overall feel haha) difference, but I love the board regardless. It is pretty stiff, but the pop it brings is worth it. I haven't really taken it through any runs in the park, but with jibbing around a little (I'm not the best at jibbing) on the sides of runs or whatever, I still have a great time on it.
So I'd say if you're looking into a board for icy and hard conditions that you wanna be able to carve, cruise, and bomb hills with, but still hit some jumps, this may be your board. I'm sure any board with magnetraction would be good for the ice, but I've only ridden the Story, and I would definitely recommend it over any others. Additionally, it's super light and I think it's a beautiful deck. Another note, I ordered the board online and had some issues with shipping (ordered it during the holiday season) and Niche's customer service was super nice, helpful, and quick to respond. Seems like an all-around great company.
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