The Nidecker Escape is finest suited to somebody who’s on a tighter finances however does not need to must go for a mushy flexing or newbie kind board. They nonetheless need a board they will push pretty arduous, however do not need to must pay an excessive amount of to get it. 

Even higher suited to the rider who matches the outline above and likewise desires to benefit from something a resort or side-country can supply, from park, to cruising groomers, to carving groomers, to profiting from powder days, timber, and many others. 

Not for freshmen – it is barely catchy feeling at gradual speeds and common general flex really feel make it a fairly difficult prospect for freshmen, IMO, and a possible confidence buster/development halter. However for intermediate riders who’ve progressed to a sure stage in approach and confidence it needs to be effective. 

GodBindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 550mm (21.7″)

Stance Setback: 10mm (0.4″)

Width at Entrance Insert: 267mm (10.5″)

Width at Again Insert:  269mm (10.6″)

Tester: Nate

Rider Top: 6’0″

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Dimension: US9.5 Adidas Response ADV

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M 

Weight: 3060grams (6lbs 12oz)

Weight per cm: 19.25 grams/cm

Common Weight per cm: 18.71 grams/cm*

*primarily based on a pattern dimension of round 250 fashions that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 fashions. So, the Escape was somewhat heavier than common on the scales, however felt regular on snow. 

Powder

We did not get any actual quantities of recent snow the day we examined the Escape, however primarily based on specs and really feel, it needs to be fairly good in powder. It has a directional form, together with a directional camber profile, with quantity of rocker within the nostril. That plus somewhat little bit of setback and really delicate taper, ought to assist to sink the tail a bit and float the nostril, in powder. 

Carving

Actually respectable on a carve and may do a wide range of carving properly, together with lengthy radius and shorter radius carves and at reasonably excessive speeds. It is not a carving demon or something that can blow your thoughts, however it’s actually stable on a carve. 

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing: Not tremendous straightforward to provoke turns when driving actually slowly, however with a reasonable quantity of velocity beneath it, it turns into a lot simpler and loses the slight little bit of catchy feeling it has at gradual speeds, with out having to get an excessive amount of velocity beneath it.

Maneuverability at gradual speeds: Pretty nimble at slower speeds, with out being lightning. Not easy to vary edge-to-edge, but additionally not one thing that requires a excessive quantity of rider vitality. 

Skidded Turns: Has a slight catchy really feel when attempting to slash at slower speeds, however when it will get somewhat little bit of velocity (and does not take loads) beneath it, that feeling disappears. 

Velocity

Is decently quick and may deal with quantity of velocity with out beginning to really feel unstable. It is not an out and out bomber, however nonetheless actually respectable. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: It is not an immoveable object in messy snow – it could actually get bucked round when it is actually uneven, however it does not get thrown round like a rag doll both. It handles it pretty properly. And, it isn’t too dangerous at making corrections, once you do get knocked off your line. 

Timber/Bumps: Not lightning edge-to-edge or easy, however not dangerous both and could be respectable in timber in powder. Good edge maintain for tougher moguls. 

Jumps

General nothing overly thrilling, however will get the job achieved properly and nonetheless enjoyable general.

Pop: The pop is not too arduous to entry. Not the best ever, but additionally definitely not arduous and it has OK general pop, however nothing epic. 

Strategy: Good mixture of being secure but additionally with the flexibility to make changes when mandatory. 

Touchdown: Strong on landings, has sufficient tail to land tail heavy and get away with it and sufficient stiffness within the tail to carry on, once you do go a bit tail heavy. Forgiving sufficient of errors and fairly good for velocity checking/dodging rapidly when it’s essential to on the finish of a bounce or aspect hit. 

Facet-hits: It might be extra poppy and somewhat simpler to regulate when driving slower, however general it is respectable. 

Small jumps/Large jumps: Good for all sorts of jumps. Greatest for many who have some bounce expertise already – not nearly as good for newbie jumpers who shall be approaching jumps extra slowly and sure needing extra changes and ideally a extra catch-free feeling at slower speeds. 

Swap

Felt good change. When transitioning at slower speeds needed to watch it a bit for catchiness however sooner velocity transitions had been effective. It is obtained that directional camber profile, which you discover driving the opposite approach, however in any other case, it isn’t that far setback and the taper may be very delicate. 

Spins

It is effective on setup and touchdown when you have got a little bit of velocity beneath you, however can really feel catchy at slower speeds, so, like with jumps, it is higher for extra skilled spinners, who’re doubtless spinning with extra velocity beneath them. 

Swing weight does not really feel heavy and it does not over spin you. Once more, if you happen to’re touchdown slower, then it may be a bit tough to complete your spin on the snow, if you happen to do not fairly get round, however in any other case, it isn’t too dangerous at ending a spin which you could’t fairly rotate sufficient. 

Jibbing

As is the theme with this board, approaching a jib with a little bit of velocity beneath you (which makes them noticeably simpler more often than not anyway!) and it felt fairly good. It is not superb and never what it is made for, for certain, and definitely a tougher prospect if you happen to’re approaching them a bit gingerly, at slower speeds, significantly if you happen to’re not skilled at hitting rails/bins and many others. 

Butters

Fairly straightforward to press the nostril and there is noticeably extra flex within the nostril than the tail. So presses do not feel tremendous even, however when you get used to which you could butter it round pretty straightforward.

I could not over press it and I feel for many it might be pretty arduous to over press except you bought it in a really small dimension to your weight. Presses lock in properly when you get them to a degree the place you’ll be able to lock them in. Not tremendous straightforward to get to that time, however not tremendous arduous both. 

The Escape has nothing significantly particular about it, however it additionally has no actual weaknesses. It is center of the street for just about all the things. 

It does have one standout function although, regardless of being in any other case odd, and that is it is value-for-money. It is common efficiency however considerably under common price-wise for this class – and much more so for its for its flex-range.