Board: Nidecker Mellow

Size: 155

Camber Option: Surfy Camrocker. Set back camber with rocker in the nose.

Bindings: Rome Black Label

Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy

Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10

My Weight: 200lbs

Resort: Copper Mountain

Conditions: Sunny blue skies, cold temps, 6 to 10 inches of fresh pow off the perfectly groomed corduroy, and some lumpy conditions for good measure.

Flex: Obviously this board has a full directional flex. Softer nose stiffening up right where the rocker meets the camber and then staying around that flex to the tail. The torsional flex is abundant and you can really twist this board. Overall I would say this board is maybe a middle of the road between the feet and noticeably softer in the nose.

Stability: The camber section is obviously going to be the most stable section of this board. You notice right away that it doesn’t buck you around or feel loose by any means. But with the nose that’s a different story. That thing flops around like a wet noodle at high speeds and when you get into rutted out terrain because of where the rocker meets the camber it just sends shockwaves right into your front foot. That’s when you start to feel a little instability but it’s only on the outside of the front insert pack.

Ollies/Pop: That setback camber section really helps you with getting pop off your back foot when you’re cruising. Overall the pop is there and the camber does need to be loaded up, it’s not super aggressive to load up but the rebound is there and while you will have to work a little to engage it most people shouldn’t have an issue getting snap from this deck.

Butterability: The shaping of the nose with the rocker and the set back should give an huge platform for nose butters, unfortunately it just becomes this giant slab of wood you’re trying to chuck around to get to lock in then you have to make sure your weight is completely outside the front binding and activating the rocker zone. The tail is stiffer and shorter which means high speed wheelies are pretty much it’s thing.

Carving: The roll edge to edge is quick and precise. This board wants to do tight quick cutbacks and fast carves. When you’re in wide open terrain and on edge it holds well and really lets you drive off the back foot. Even medium mellow carves are a blast on this board. The long and short of it is this board can turn and you notice the power out of the tail, you can drive it from the center back without much effort. What’s super nice about this board is the grip right underfoot which allows for more ankle steering.

Rider in Mind: Surfy pow slashing resort freerider that will carve.

Personal Thoughts: The new shape makes this board ride different than the past iterations I’ve been on. It turns well and feels secure when you’re locked in. One thing I noticed though is the setback and the Surfy Camrock seem to be more abundant which really puts you back more on the tail of this board. This changes the dynamic of how it floats in pow as well as how it engages a turn. I didn’t like how the rocker meets the camber when in choppy terrain, your front knee just takes a hammering.

Comparable Boards: Amplid Souly Grail, Rome Stalefish, Rossignol Sashimi

Recommended Bindings: Nidecker Kaon-X, Union Strata, K2 Lien AT