• Price: £240 / €250 / $270
• Category: All-Mountain
• Ability Level: Beginner, Intermediate
• Size: 139N, 143N, 147M, 151M, 155M
• Flex: 4/10
• Shape: Directional Twin
• Profile: CamRock

Just like your inaugural knee-trembling, bruised-up but stoked-filled week up the mountain, picking your first snowboard is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking (and only slightly less bruisy). Are these edges gonna launch me into the ice at every turn? Is this flex right for me? Are you sure this thing won’t autopilot its way off a skyscraper booter in the park? All pretty standard questions. But all questions that Nidecker’s all-mountain women’s beginner specialist, the Elle, has got an answer for.

The Elle’s got life pretty worked out – it’s happiest when it’s giving first-timers the confidence to improve on everything they’ve learned in snowboard school with its easy-to-use, forgiving ride. And it’s got all the characteristics you’d expect to do just that. Its twin directional profile makes for a board that’s easy to control and do precisely what you tell it, whilst delivering a lot of forgiveness in switch, whether you meant to get there or not.

“It’s happiest when it’s giving first-timers the confidence to improve on everything they’ve learned in snowboard school”

That chilled-out mellowness is helped by a freestyle camrock – a bit of rocker in the nose and tail but keeping things flat between the bindings meaning stability whilst testing the waters of progression, too. Real important, if you’re not content with sticking to the same old blues all week long.

The fact this is most definitely an entry-level weapon hasn’t meant Nidecker have held back on the technical spec. They’ve used their Classic Sandwich construction to build this board, using top-drawer materials that improve performance whilst keeping the over-budget pennies firmly in your pocket, and a Full Wood Core made from the winning combo of poplar and beech timber means pop, responsiveness and durability in a nice and lightweight package.

Finally, Nidecker’s wax-retaining N-5000 base on the undercarriage means a smooth ride without the frustrating stops, meaning you can spend less time standing still and more time charging towards the next level.