Nidecker Escape Plus Snowboard Review

Nidecker Escape Plus Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. 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.

A Breakdown Of How It Rides And Who Its For

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 159
Days: 3
Conditions: Some pow and some variable spring conditions and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo and Nidecker Rift APX
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket.
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Korua Otto, Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker, Capita Mercury,YES NSB, Endeavor Pioneer, Jones Mountain Twin, Endeavor Ranger, K2 Manifest, Yes Typo, Jones Frontier, Ride Algorythm, Ride Wild Life, Borealis Tundra, Tahoe Labs Directional Twin, Yes Basic Uninc, Cardiff Lynx
James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-9, +15/-15. Close to Reference on groomers and Set as far back as I could in pow .

How It Was Tested

Rode the Nidecker Escape Plus several days in a lot of different conditions. Each day I compared it to the Thruster and Escape. I also compared it to the YES Basic Uninc and Standard Uninc.

Approximate Weight

The Nidecker Escape Plus did not feel ultra light but for sure felt on the light side of normal.

(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The Nidecker Escape Plus felt right for my weight but just a touch small for my boot size. I’d like to see how well the 156 would handle my 185-190lbs because that waist width would work better for my size 9 boots.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these Nidecker Escape Plus sizes. You can of course go bigger or smaller depending on your riding style and boot’s footprint, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
156: 8.5-9.5
159: 9.5-10.5
159w: 11-12
162w: 11.5-12.5

Nidecker seems to be pretty conservative with the recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure it fits your boot first and then your weight second.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Nidecker Escape Plus has a directional shape with only a few mm of taper so it’s more like a non tapered board than a tapered board. You no matter where you lean into a turn (front foot, centered or back foot) it doesn’t feel washy.

The camber profile of the Nidecker Escape Plus is pretty much full on camber. It felt a good bit more technical than most hybrid camber snowboards I tested it against. It even felt a touch more than the Yes Standard Uninc which has a lot of camber with a mellow early rise before the tip/tail. Not easy to skid a turn and not ideal for intermediates.

Flex Personality

The Nidecker Escape Plus has a pretty mediumish flex but you can feel the extra pop on the ollie and spring out of a turn vs. the Regular Escape. It takes a little extra effort to access the pop vs. the Escape but not by enough for it to be an issue.

Uneven Terrain

Most “Plus”/”Ultra”/”APX” kind of models often have a poppier lighter ride with the Nidecker Escape Plus but also a lot more chatter. I was stoked to see Nidecker to add more pop than the escape but also give minimal extra chatter. It’s a great all day ride.

Edge Hold

The Nidecker Escape Plus has very competent grip without any visible disruption in the sidecut. It’s no ice specialist but holds well with surprice you often get on variable terrain days.

Speed

You get a faster base but only a shade less dampness with the Nidecker Escape Plus so overall I like the Nidecker Escape Plus vs. the Escape.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Nidecker Escape Plus carves like a champ and has such a lively spring out of the turn. There is no bs behind their carving claim. I could really lay into a carve any way I wanted. It drove almost equally well putting more weight into the front foot as it did riding center weighted or back foot weighted. I was a little small in the boot to turn this board properly but it still initiated a turn quickly.

Powder

So the Nidecker Escape Plus wasn’t bad for full camber but still wasn’t the best all mountain pow experience I had. It’s better than the Escape because it has more inserts so more set back on board but still had less float than the Thruster. The minute I got off the Escape Plus and onto the YES Basic Uninc or Standard Uninc I felt a lot more directional float when set almost all the way back. With a 22.75″ stance width you can get -3″ back from center of board but the full camber doesn’t give it as much float as you would think for the set back on board. The Escape is less at -2.5″ and it’s the same as the Thruster but the Thruster has lifted sides in what seems like a bigger nose.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

Very doable switch. The Nidecker Escape Plus can also hit jumps like a champ and I would love to lap the pipe with the 156.

Conclusion

So the Nidecker Escape Plus’ full camber is going to hamstring it’s recommendability for beginner-intermediate riders or those that want easy directional float or a more forgiving ride. That being said it will excell for those that want a poppy hard carving full camber all mountain ride.

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