Board: Nidecker Megalight
Size: 160
Camber Option: Freeride Camrock. Camber between the feet with rocker points starting just after the inserts through the tips. More lift in the nose than tail.
Bindings: K2 Lien AT
Stance: Goofy, 21in wide, 15/-3
Boots: Ride Fuse size 8
My Weight: 155lbs
Resort: A-Basin
Conditions: Semi-recent storm leaving just a bit of fresh in pockets around the mountain with firm/hard groomers. Cold, but not too cold.
Flex: Stiff and supportive between the feet with a torsional flex slightly below that. The 3D core shaping contributes to that. Really soft out in the very end of the nose quickly stiffening up as it gets to the front inserts. Stiffer through the center, and then softening up just a bit through the tail. Lands the whole thing on the freeride side of all mountain.
Stability: The nose likes to flap, kind of a lot. But you don’t ever feel any of it and it doesn’t really buck you off your line at all. If you don’t look at, you won’t know it’s happening. Keeping your weight between your feet this thing is ridiculously stable. Point it, hold you line, and go. It stays put with composure.
Ollies/Pop: Lacking. That’s the short answer. Snapping off edge through turns it had some substance, but I just could not get a satisfactory amount of pop out of the tail on this. The tail has some stiffness to it, so if you push hard you get something out of it, but less than I feel like you should for a board of this makeup.
Butterability: The soft nose butters extremely well in soft snow and ok on hard pack. The stiffer flex and more responsive torsional flex make hard snow butters…interesting. If you’re not on your game it can get hooky as the board is really meant to respond quickly to your input less than just bend and stay bent.
Carving: Nidecker sure knows their way around sidecuts. The slightly softer tail and softer nose with stiffer section between the feet and the 3D core that allows for a little bit more foot steering all work together really well. This was by far the best attribute to this board. Short fast powerful turns, lay em out in trench, sit on the edge and take it across the whole mountain, it will do whatever you want and respond with energy.
Rider in Mind: All mountain freeride
Personal Thoughts: Meh. Honestly this came across to me as the “dentist” board. That board for rich guys that just want something with carbon that costs money but aren’t that great of riders. They just need something more exotic looking than their other dentist friends. It’s great at carving and is solid in soft snow, but the lack of pop or energy just made the whole thing fall flat for me. I guess it would make a decent first time freeride board as it is super stable and the lack of energy makes it very approachable. If you’re interested in the serious version of this board, look at the Ultralight.
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