People thought we were out of our minds when in our first collection of 1990, we presented the “Retro”, a 171 swallow-tailed powder board which we designed as a tribute to the early, surf-inspired days of snowboarding. And we basically kept a swallowtail board in the line every year since then.
However, the most challenging boards to design are the ones that look quite ordinary, as they must work in a variety of conditions and for many riding styles and levels. For most of us, a well-balanced all-mountain board is still the best choice.
We take pride in offering boards in all price categories, too. Not everyone can afford high-end boards and we feel a responsibility to make products also for slimmer wallets, so more people can go out and enjoy riding with their buddies. And we proudly design rental boards that equal our in-line models in tech, function, and looks. A snowboarder is a snowboarder, we are all one community.
We’re doing our best to describe each board model for you here, explain the technical details and differences so you can choose your stick of choice. The best purchasing advice we can give you is to go out and test our boards. Many of our shops are running demo events and programs.
Here are a few things to look for to understand which boards may suit your style.
Shapes
Easy to recognize, and together with the graphics the most prominent feature a board has.
Nitro R&D Team using latest Paranormal Technology in Search for the ultimate Shape
Directional boards work best in freeriding and backcountry conditions. The longer the nose, the more flotation you have in powder and the more forgiving your board will be on these big cruising turns. Also, typical carving boards are shapes directionally. Directional boards also have several sub-categories such as swallow tails, tapered outlines, and other specific features.
Twintips are the choice shapes for park riding. Normal or switch, your board will feel the same ridden either way.
Directional twins represent the best of both worlds and can be found on most all-mountain boards. Just enough twin shape to feel balanced in the park, yet a bit more nose than tail for more flotation and ease of turning in the untracked snow.
Sidecuts
Difficult to see, but with a massive effect on performance.
Developing functional sidecuts has been our passion since the beginning. The actual shape of the board’s sidelines is extremely important to its characteristics. From dual degressive (mellow and forgiving), to radial (super versatile) to various degrees of progressive (great for carving and acceleration), there is a big selection of sidecuts and board feels within the Nitro line. Once again, theory is good, but testing is better and you will definitely feel the differences, no matter what level rider you are.
Flex
More than one can feel by hand-flexing
We spend more time on fine-tuning a board’s flex than on shaping it. The core profile and flex of a board has to match the outline, and we optimize not only the board’s overall stiffness, but also the distribution of stiffer and softer areas along the length of the board as well as the torsional flex. Every parameter must correspond with the board shape to make a truly fun and functional board.
Camber Lines
The Quintessential Four
We have experimented with dozens of camber and rocker variations of the years and are now focusing on the most truly functional camber lines to avoid confusion and make selection easier.
Standard Camber boards are best suited for higher speeds, carving, and big mountain riding, as this gives the board maximum stability and control.
Flatout Camber boards are essentially flat, and the early tip and tail rises make the board playful, easy to rotate, and forgiving. Found either on entry-level or certain park boards.
Cam-Out combines the two above versions, making for truly versatile boards with enough grip for medium to higher speeds, but keeping them loose and forgiving through the turns.
Gullwing Rocker is a hybrid of cambers under each foot, with raised contact points for a playful feel and a fun combination of control and playfulness.
Construction and Materials
Function over Gimmicks
Over the decades, we have developed a huge array of different construction techniques and materials, some of them ideal for general purpose boards, others designed specifically for certain needs. While we always strive to design boards with maximum simplicity, certain features, and materials enhance the board in a specific way. Here is a small selection of proprietary features, more can be found in our board tech section:
Power Pods
Overlaying a tighter sidecut radius in the center of the board with a larger one towards tip and tail is creating our exclusive POWERPODS which have two amazing effects: On one hand, there is extended board width under the bindings, resulting in additional edge control, especially on hard and icy surfaces as well as simply less toe and heel drag for larger boots and flatter stance angles. On the other hand, our POWERPODS make the board super reactive and fast turning once it’s put on edge – while keeping it easy to control if ridden with less dynamics.
Hike Pods
Featured exclusively on our Doppelganger split board, the Hike Pods are specifically designed to add grip under the bindings in hiking mode, making those icy traverses just a bit more fun!
Railkiller Edge
Your secret weapon for rails, rocks, and longevity! With its unique edge profile and an impact resistance of more than 200% compared to a standard edge – the Railkiller Edge is twice as thick and twice as strong. This proprietary construction can take on any rail challenge. Take a file to them or ride them hard and wear them down naturally, this chunk of steel has enough meat for years of abuse.
Ballistic Impact Panels
Kevlar© is used in bulletproof vests and body armor to protect your core. We use it in strategic places around the binding-to-board interface to protect the construction from impacts during hard landings.
Softride Flex
Koroyd™ Powercore
The latest in core technology, utilizing co-extruded miniature tubes, vertically aligned and welded, with unique energy absorption properties, Koroyd™ is approximately 70% lighter than standard balsa wood, with no loss in strength or flex. This engineered core is utilized in the tip and tail areas of the HIGHLANDER, DOPPELGÄNGER, and VICTORIA PRO models for a smoother ride, and reduced swing mass and overall weight.
Antiphase™
Joining forces with our friends at Amplid® Snowboards, we are utilizing Antiphase™ technology which reduces vibrations and greatly improves board stability. Unlike conventional damping, which relies on rubber elastomers to reduce vibrations, Antiphase™ is a multidirectional composite layer bonded to a non-Newtonian material, which is placed between the tip and binding. It disrupts the natural frequency of an oscillating snowboard, stopping vibrations which otherwise amplify and end up as tip chatter. Ride faster and stay in control!