Board: Niche Aether

Buy it here:
REI: https://bit.ly/3UAFGW4
PRFO: https://bit.ly/3fVvkRH

Size: 156

Camber Option: Multi-Camber. Reverse between the feet with camber underfoot.

Bindings: Rome Black Label

Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy

Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10

My Weight: 200lbs

Resort: Arapahoe Basin

Conditions: Overcast skies, warmer temps, wet snow falling at times, 2 to 4 inches of fresh sugar snow over crust, chop, chunder, ice, and soft groomers.

Flex: This board comes in right at a middle of the road all mountain flex. You’ll notice the dead center where the reverse is has a huge flex point then there’s a sweet spot for presses right outside the camber sections. The torsional flex is highly abundant and matches up with that flex point in the dead center.

Stability: This board is super lively and that camber profile isn’t helping anyone. By that I mean because of the shape of that profile you feel every bump, lump, chunky snow, mogul, and death cookie. It just pushes right into that front camber section and your leg just gets bucked around. It’s a deck you have to stay on top of and be prepared to get chucked around. On a groomer it’s a bit more stable, but you will feel some chatter underfoot.

Ollies: With it having dual camber zones you have to independently load them up and what you put in you get double out of. This board has snap and it’s so easy to engage that it almost gives it a skate like pop to it. This makes it so easy to set up last minute and launch a sidehit, roller, or cat track gap.

Pop On Jumps: Small to medium jumps are going to be its strong suit. It’s camber profile just isn’t the best for a bigger jump due to how it can get a little tail heavy in the landing. I didn’t hit anything too big because of the time of year that it is, but what I did hit, it did the job.

Butterability: There’s a huge sweet spot on the tip and the tail. It lets you just sit on top of the nose or tail and get weird. It will lock in and hold the press till you want to disengage it and pop out.

Jibbing: This board is fine for basic jib tricks. It locks in with ease and holds the press with minimal effort but lets you pop out the end. When you go sideways you do want to be a bit more under your front or back foot due to the camber profile, it will just lock in easier than at the dead center.

Carving: There’s a lot of ankle steering going on with this board. The Magnetraction is nice as it does grip on icier snow and will keep you locked in. When you drive hard this board has limitations and won’t let you fully lay it over before it kicks out. Medium carves and short tight quick ones are its true strong suit.

Rider in Mind: All mountain freestyle rider that does it all and wants a hybrid camber profile.

Personal Thoughts: I’ve ridden this board in just about very iteration that’s come out and from every factory it’s been made at. This one has the most snap, but it sacrificed some edge hold and power to drive a carve. Personally I think it’s time to ditch the hybrid camber profile on this board and go to a camrocker. I think it would be far more versatile for what this board is supposed to be.

Comparable Boards:
Gnu Riders Choice: https://bit.ly/3E6pNzP
Yes Typo: https://amzn.to/3ErJ4wL
Rossignol One: https://bit.ly/3G9PuBU

Binding Recommendations:
Bent Metal Transfer: https://bit.ly/3US2obX
K2 Formula: https://bit.ly/3hGUzaY
Burton Cartel: https://bit.ly/3X07t3Z