Nitro Santoku 2020 Snowboard Review

Nitro Santoku 2020 Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

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.  We borrowed this for a day and then returned it. We had a couple of laps at a frantic manic demo day. We liked it so much we asked to keep it (we only do this with our favorites).  After a demo, we liked it so much we bought it.  We spent our precious Good Ride dollars to buy this and review it.
Size: 156
Days: 1
Conditions: Decent CO snow with some soft on the top but if you burry the edge too hard you find a block of snowment.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Response,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Nitro Rambler

Set-Up: Approximately 22” Wide. 15 front -15 back.  Centered.

Approximate Weight: On the light side of normal.

Sizing: The 156 felt quite right for Peter and me when it came to boot size but we were a bit too heavy for this ride so the 159 would have handled our weight better though and even though it’s a little on the wide side for 8.5 and 9 boots, it’s more than doable and we would have had a better all-around match up. For Zobel, the 162 would have been the call with his size 11’s and 180-185lbs. It’s a board that gets progressively wider at each size so it can work with 8-9 ish in 156 to  9-10 in a 159 and then handle 10 to even some 11 boots at 162cm. It’s not for the heavier rider though and likes someone who is on the lighter side of the riding spectrum.

Flex/Buttering: Very poppy where the camber is and then very buttery in the long nose/tail so on snow the Nitro Santoku. Very different than many full camber boards and there is almost too much butterability if you are on the heavier side of things. When you see “Full Camber” in the description you might be more tentative if you get it on snow but it butters really easy.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns: The Nitro Santoku had a lot of stability underfoot and all that nose/tail made it feel very forgiving for a full camber board. The Nitro Santoku feels much more playful and forgiving for full camber and that is because there is soo much nose and so little effective edge for the size.

Edge Hold: Decent edge hold but it let go pretty quick and we would have liked to have the power pods (slight disruption/bumps) in the sidecut to hold the edge better when we got into that harder snow beneath the soft stuff.

Turn Initiation: Pretty quick edge to edge and easy to turn even though we were overpowering this with our weight. Still, it was fun and not too quick to be weird.

Turning Experience/Carving: In softer snow, it would be fun. The Nitro Santoku can carve pretty well for a twin but it isn’t a super carver.

Powder: Seeps pretty good for a twin and there is a lot of nose/tail.

Speed: All that nose and tail starts to feel like you are running with clown shoes on if you really point it and the vibrations can get between the feet.

Uneven Terrain: Very easy to turn through bumps but not good for powering over them unless you are a lighter rider.

Switch: Pretty much the same either way.

Getting Air/Park: The long nose and tail make the Nitro Santoku more of a mountain freestyle board than a park board but if you can get used to all that nose and tail then you can have a pretty good time there as well. It’s a great jump board for those that go small to big if you are on the lighter side but you would need to size up if you weigh a little more. You can jib with it and ride pipe if the walls aren’t too icy and it can work in the park.

So riding the Nitro Santoku took us back to the old Uperspoon days. While this isn’t for everyone, we think a rider looking for a playful buttery ride, with good turning power and still a fun centered stance ride in all conditions could have a time on it.