Nidecker Escape Snowboard Review

Nidecker Escape 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 The Nidecker Escape Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 159
Days: 3
Conditions: Some varied spring conditions and some decent early morning pow with the help of my Drift Boards
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Nidecker Kaon Plus
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket. Burton AK Helitak Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, 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 for pow.

How It Was Tested

Every day I rode the Nidecker Escape I also compared it to the Escape Plus and Thruster.

Approximate Weight

The Nidecker Escape felt pretty normal in weight for its length and width. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The 159 Nidecker Escape felt good for me but I would have preferred the 156 for my specs you see above. I would have been able to handle it better with my size 9 boots.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. 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.
152: 7.5-8.5
156: 8.5-9.5
159: 9.5-10.5
159w- 11-12
162w: 11.5-12.5
165w: 12-13
162xw: 13-14
169xw: 13.5-14.5

For weight I would stay close to Nidecker’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to getting the ideal boot size or weight, I suggest you make sure the Nidecker Escape fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

With the Nidecker Escape you have an only slightly tapered shape (2mm) so this feels almost like a non-tapered directional ride that you can weight any way you like on a turn.

The camber profile of the Nidecker Escape seems to be full camber. It says directional camrock on the site but as you can see from the pick there isn’t any noticeable early rise. You can feel all that camber on the snow as well. It is pretty locked in.

Flex Personality

There is a medium bordering on medium soft flex on snow but between the feet the Nidecker Escape has a medium/stiff flex. Not super easy to butter but there is very good pop on an ollie for a board of this price.

Uneven Terrain

The Nidecker Escape did very well in all conditions I rode it. The construction isn’t ultra damp but seems to handle just about any kind of terrain without it getting cranky. Of course it can buck a bit in uneven messy thick snow but it’s never un-manageable.

Edge Hold

Pretty solid grip. The Nidecker Escape isn’t a hard snow specialist but it can for sure keep an edge in suprice if it isn’t full on bricked out.

Base Glide & Speed

There is good base glide with the Nidecker Escape. It is pretty damp too for an all mountain board. Not a bomber but fine on a straight line or 2.

Turning Experience/Carving

So this pretty much full camber Nidecker Escape can rail a turn. It might be a more on the technical/catchy side but this is such a pleasure to carve. I did most of my turns center to back foot weighted but I did dabble with front foot weighted turns and it did all very well. The overall turning experience was pretty balanced as well.

Powder

So with only 5×2 inserts you don’t have as much set back on board. Then you throw in a pretty much unapologetically full camber profile into the mix it really makes that 2mm of taper work extra hard. So as you can see the Nidecker Escape wasn’t the best in pow but I’ve had a lot worse. You can get 2.5” back from center of board with a 21.6” stance width so I could get it all the way back. It didn’t have the easy float of other all mountain boards I tested at a similar time with a 2.5” set back like the Yes Standard Uninc, Basic Uninc, Ride Shadowban or Ride Algorhythm. I also preferred the Escape Plus and even more so the Thruster but I will say this. If you are used to full camber then you will like this.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

Very doable switch. Didn’t really feel that 2mm of taper when I threw it around the other way.

Conclusion

So while powder float wasn’t ideal for me, I really enjoyed all that springy camber when turning. Especially for this this price point. Most boards in this price point are for beginner/intermediates so it is nice to see a low cost ride that will have strong appeal to advanced to expert riders on a budget.

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