Nitro 163 Cannon Snowboard Review by Jordan

Nitro 163 Cannon Snowboard Review-A Women's Perspective Review by The Good Ride

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How It Was Tested:

I borrowed the Nitro Cannon for an extended demo and sent it back.

Size: 163

Days: 2

Conditions: Set-up groomers, icy conditions, and corn turning to slush.

Riders: Jordan (Size 8 Ws, 5’6”, 135-140lbs).

Boots: Salomon Dialogue

Bindings: Union Trilogy

Helmet: MOD1

Goggle: LineMiner Pro

Jordan’s Set Up: 20” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-9. Directional stance.

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Sizing

The new 163 Cannon replaces the previous 173 while retaining a relatively narrow 25.2 cm waist.

That narrow waist is important because it keeps the board manageable despite its length. The Cannon can accommodate riders with smaller feet without requiring excessive leverage to transition between edges.

At 135 pounds with size 8 boots, I am significantly smaller than you might expect for a 163. I also typically top out around a 154 snowboard.

Despite that size difference, the Cannon felt surprisingly accessible.

The 163 still isn’t going to work for every smaller rider. Riders significantly smaller than me may find the length and swing weight cumbersome.

However, this is a meaningful step toward making the Cannon accessible to riders with smaller frames and feet.

Durability

We only had the Cannon for a few days, so this is not a long-term durability assessment.

During that time, the TBS sidewalls and EcoGuard topsheet held up well. I didn’t notice any premature wear or damage.

The neutral-colored topsheet also showed very little visible scuffing. I’ve noticed more superficial wear on other Nitro boards with similar but brighter topsheets.

The lighter color may actually help disguise normal cosmetic wear.

Shape & Setback

The Cannon’s shape is the real showstopper.

It’s a large, tapered directional board with a swallowtail. It has approximately 11 mm of taper from tip to tail and about 25 mm of setback on board and sidecut.

That design places a large portion of the Cannon’s additional length in front of the rider.

Despite its directional appearance, the board feels surprisingly centered underfoot. That becomes an important part of its personality once you start moving your weight around on the board.

Camber / On-Snow Feel

The Cannon uses Nitro’s Cam-Out Camber profile.

Camber runs through the center and inserts before transitioning into significant rocker through the nose. The tail has a much smaller amount of early rise.

That centered camber contributes to the Cannon’s surprisingly centered, almost forward-riding feel.

When weighting evenly between both feet, it can almost feel like a twin.

The board also feels immediately stable on snow. That’s particularly impressive considering how much snowboard is underneath you.

Most of the control feels concentrated between your feet. That gives the Cannon a combination of stability and agility that I wasn’t expecting from a board this long.

I recommend it for intermediate to advanced riders with experience riding camber-dominant snowboards. It’s best suited to someone looking for something unusual that still wants to ride fast and carve.

Edge Hold

The Cannon uses a progressive sidecut without noticeable edge disruption.

It was challenged in icy conditions but performed exceptionally well on softer snow.

The 163 has a 1060 mm effective edge. That’s nearly 3.5 feet of available edge contacting the snow.

When that edge locks into a turn, it stays locked in until you’re ready to unload it and transition.

Given the right pitch and snow conditions, I found the Cannon could cross-run carve with surprisingly little effort.

Flex Personality

Nitro rates the Cannon at a 7 out of 10 flex, but it felt softer across the board than that rating suggests.

It is stiffer underfoot and toward the swallowtail, with a softer flex through the nose.

There’s also surprisingly good pop through the tail.

The flex pattern requires the rider to be adaptable with weight distribution. Where you place your weight dramatically changes how the board behaves.

That became one of the most interesting characteristics of the Cannon.

Uneven Snow

I had limited opportunities to test the Cannon in ideal uneven snow conditions.

The day I took it off-piste was solid, bumped-out nonsense. Those aren’t particularly good conditions for any snowboard, especially one that wants to move quickly.

Based on its stability and flex, I think the Cannon should perform reasonably well in hard, uneven snow.

Its large surface area should help distribute impacts along more of the board. The mid-stiff flex should also help it continue driving forward through inconsistent terrain.

My concern would be the oversized nose.

Repeated impacts through that much nose could potentially create chatter. Without better testing conditions, however, I can’t say definitively how significant that would be.

I expect the Cannon to perform best in softer, smoother conditions. That’s where its long effective edge and tendency to drive down the fall line can be used most effectively.

Switch / Park

This obviously isn’t a conventional park board.

However, the Zeb Powells out there might appreciate that the Cannon rides surprisingly centered and almost forward.

That positioning gives the rider considerably more control than you might expect from a snowboard extending to head height or beyond.

It also rides reasonably well switch.

You just need enough confidence to swing that much snowboard around.

Turning / Carving

I’ve seen the Cannon for years and talked to plenty of male riders who have ridden it. I always thought it was a little gimmicky.

It looked like something designed to show off more than something the average rider would actually want to ride.

I certainly didn’t think the average female rider could jump on one and comfortably control it.

I was wrong.

The Cannon shocked me with its comfortable on-snow feel, quick turning, and locked-in sensation while carving.

Despite its mid-stiff longitudinal flex, the softer torsional flex allowed me to transition quickly from heel to toe.

The progressive 7.1 to 6.3 meter sidecut also gives the board multiple turning personalities.

Where you put your weight completely changes how it turns.

Ride back-foot heavy and the Cannon develops a slashy, almost powsurf-like personality. That position recruits the tighter portion of the sidecut and allows surprisingly quick, reactive turns.

Weight the board more evenly, and it almost feels like a twin.

Move your weight farther forward, and you recruit more of the effective edge and longer sidecut. Suddenly, the Cannon turns into a very capable carver.

That versatility was probably the biggest surprise.

The length adds swing weight and a heavier feel on the lift. Once you’re moving, however, there’s control within that length.

Speed

The Cannon likes to go fast down the fall line.

Luckily for it, so do I.

The extended nose and overall length naturally encourage the board to continue pointing downhill. Meanwhile, the camber underfoot provides stability and control.

Most importantly, it didn’t feel like a rocket that only wanted to travel in one direction.

I never felt like I was simply holding on for dear life.

The Cannon remained controllable and surprisingly easy to turn, even as the speed increased.

Base Glide

We received the Cannon with its factory wax.

As-is, the board glided well with little to no chalky feeling or sticking.

It’s equipped with Nitro’s Sintered EcoSpeed HD Base. Like any sintered base, proper maintenance matters.

Take care of it, and it’ll take care of you.

Frequent, weather-specific waxing should only improve its glide.

Powder

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test the Cannon in true powder conditions.

However, riding it back-foot dominant reminded me of Nitro’s new 2027 women’s powsurf-inspired snowboard, the Ika.

The Cannon combines moderate taper with a narrow waist and a significant amount of surface area. Mechanically, those characteristics should lend themselves well to deeper snow.

My bigger concern would be tight terrain.

The additional length and heavier swing weight could make rapid direction changes more difficult in trees or consequential terrain.

That’s particularly relevant in powder because you aren’t relying on the Cannon’s massive effective edge the same way you would on firmer snow.

Until I ride it in legitimate powder, though, that remains an educated assumption rather than a tested conclusion.

Final Thoughts

A 163 is the biggest snowboard I have ever ridden.

To say I was intimidated is an understatement.

I’ve heard stories about riders getting taken for a ride on oversized boards. I wasn’t interested in becoming a passenger on a rocket headed straight downhill.

I like speed, but only when I can control it.

And let’s be honest, nobody likes an out-of-control rider plowing their way downhill.

That’s why I was shocked when the Cannon felt immediately stable. I was even more surprised when it responded quickly and effortlessly to my input.

The 163 Cannon was agile and comfortable underfoot. It also has an adventurous personality that changes depending on how the rider weights the board.

It struggles more in icy conditions, and the swing weight takes some adjustment.

Keep the Cannon in open terrain where it can point that massive nose downhill, and it’s going to give you one hell of a ride.