Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Though it’s not strictly symmetrical (the tail is lopped off early) the Escape’s shape is still essentially a directional twin. It’s just… blunted. Together with a 10mm set back stance, this helps sink the tail in deep snow while sacrificing almost nothing in switch-riding ability. It’s a very efficient silhouette, with volume and running length exactly where you need it and no excess material at the tips – which saves weight and ensures you don’t need to step up in size.

Speaking of size, the Escape is available in no fewer than eight lengths – and a variety of widths, too – that speak to the confidence Nidecker have in this board and its suitability to almost anyone.

Viewed from the side, a ‘Camrock’ profile combines camber in the middle with rocker towards the nose and tail. It’s an instantly comfortable set up, offering relaxed turn initiation yet plenty of grip when you’re on edge. The extended rocker also helps lift that nose in pow and keeps it ploughing effortlessly over bumps in any terrain. In short, everything about this shape just feels natural.

“It’s a very efficient silhouette, with volume and running length exactly where you need it””

Construction and Materials

At the heart of the Escape is a clever blend of woods Nidecker call their ‘Master Core’. Poplar, beech, spruce and paulownia all combine for maximum pop and minimum weight, with extra strength where it’s needed.

This is covered in a triax weave fibreglass that’s super responsive, while carbon is targeted towards the nose and tail to add ollie power and dampen any vibrations when you’ve got your foot on the gas. It works well – in fact the carbon is a brilliant touch since it compensates for the flappiness you can sometimes experience at the tips with camber-rocker combos.

A ‘sintruded’ base promises to offer the best of both p-tex types; it uses the densest possible extruded material with added carbon nanoparticles so it’s faster than a budget base and still durable. We found it to be plenty quick enough even without a fresh wax, though it would be nice to see the speed freaks get a genuine race base option on future versions of the premium-priced Escape Plus.

Finally, the Escape features an ash-veneer topsheet that adds natural dampening and gives the whole graphic a classy look.

“It’s right in the goldilocks zone. Accessible. Playful. Versatile”

Roundup

There are tons of boards competing for your hard-earned money in the all-mountain segment, but the Escape makes a compelling case. Its updated outline looks sick as well as improving performance, and you’ll struggle to find a higher spec construction in this price range. There’s an awesome range of sizes, too, and most importantly it just feels fun to ride in any conditions. This isn’t one of those wacky shapes that only really work for a specific kind of riding, nor does it need a super experienced rider to get to grips with the flex; it’s just right in the goldilocks zone. Accessible. Playful. Versatile. They’ve hit it out of the park with this one.

Pros:

• Genuine all-mountain credentials
• Great value for money

Cons:

• The base isn’t truly sintered

“After talking with our customers at demos and on the livechat, we identified that they define modern snowboarding as ripping pow when it’s there, riding fast on the piste hitting rollers & sidehits – but also modern freestyle features like snake runs and log jibs too. The goal with Escape was to make a board which has it’s soul in freeride, but is versatile enough to perform well during every part of a perfect day on the mountain. For the trees on the topsheet, all our early samples were a sage green colour, but due to a misprint in the line plan it showed up as more black and white, which our reps and riders all preferred, so we went with it for the production version.”

Buy the Nidecker Escape: £420 at Blue Tomato UK 

Buy the Nidecker Escape: €470 at Blue Tomato EU