Board: Niche Crux

Size: 156

Camber Option: Camber Dominant Hybrid. Flatter mid section in the camber making it essentially camber 2.0.

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 bluebird skies, warmer temps, slush, chop, chunder, hero snow, and some corduroy for good measure.

Flex: This has that standard run of the mill middle of the road flex you get on most park boards. Softer tips that have a sweet spot right by the contact points, stiffening up through the inserts to the middle where it gets a little softer again. The torsional flex has a little rebound to it but overall it’s still playful.

Stability: This boards stable to a point but it’s not going to be the dampest ride out there. You’re going to feel some chatter underfoot from the flap in the tips at high speed. In rutted out terrain it’ll get bounced around if you let it, if you’re more assertive you’ll stay on top of everything so keep those knees bent and stay vigilant.

Ollies: The camber is easy to load up and has some predictable rebound. What that means is you’ll be able to pop off or over anything in your path without having to second guess yourself. It’s not the snappiest deck I’ve been on but it’s also not the least snappiest either. It just sits in that middle ground of you can pop off most anything.

Pop On Jumps: This boards fine on just about all sized jumps. Maybe super mega booters of death you might want something a little more stable, but for the most part it gets the job done. It’s easy to load the camber up and pop off the lip, or you can be laid back and let it throw you. Either way it gets it done.

Butterability: That sweet spot in the tips is nice for when you want to press. You can just sit over it and know the board is locked in and not going anywhere but will have just a little fight to give you rebound and snap when you want to pop out.

Jibbing: I do think just a little more speed than you think works wonders with this board. This will help you make it through any feature before you notice what little fight it has wants to hinder your presses. Going sideways there’s a flex point in the dead center of the board, you want to hit this to get the most optimal slide, if you don’t you’re doing a bit of a balancing act on the jib. Nothing wrong with that just be aware of it.

Carving: The edge to edge transmission is consistent but not nimble. This means you know you’re going to be able to transition from edge to edge just fine but it won’t be snappy, instead it’s a bit more laid back and fine for doing mellow carves and park carves. When you do push this board that delay is noticeable until you really apex the carve by driving your knee into the center of the board and pushing off the tail. This allows you to lay it over hard when you absolutely have to. At the end of the day it can carve and you do notice those Traction Bumps underfoot giving a little more grip but it’s not the most aggressive carving deck out there, nor should it be.

Rider in Mind: Well rounded park rider.

Personal Thoughts: This felt a little stiffer than the last time I rode it, which isn’t a bad thing as it helps with pushing through choppy spring snow in the park. It’s a balanced park board that’s mostly predictable and doesn’t have you second guessing what you can and can’t do with it.

Comparable Boards: Rome Agent, Yes Jackpot, Salomon Huck Knife

Binding Recommendations: Salomon District Pro, Now Select Pro, Bent Metal Transfer