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Nidecker Mellow 2020-2021 Snowboard Review

  • Price: £420 / €450 / $470
  • Category: Freeride/Powder
  • Ability Level: Intermediate, Advanced
  • Sizes: 150W, 155W, 160W
  • Flex: 8/10
  • Profile: Surfy CamRock
  • Shape: Directional
  • Base: Sintered

Why we chose the Nidecker Mellow Snowboard: A full re-design brings this classic freeride snowboard into the fore of modern pow quivers.

The Mellow has long been Nidecker’s weapon of choice when it comes to blurring the line between ripping on the mountain and tearing up a wave. Year in year out, everything has been geared up to take its rider back to a time when snowboarding was about little more than recreating the steezy smooth moves of surfing on the snow – a time that, thanks to their five-decade industry legacy, is still very much fresh in Nidecker’s minds. But all that stoked-out nostalgia hasn’t gotten in the way of them giving their precious powder fish a stonking great facelift for 2021.

“Like a five star-rated UberXL driver, tell this thing where to go and exactly how to get there, and it’ll do its damnedest to drop you off without your stress levels even registering on the buzzkill-o-meter”

Everything changes. Nothing changes it all. The Mellow is absolutely, one-hundred per cent still a high-level freeride stick, gagging to cut tight whips around the trees and put in huge pumping bottom turns in the most epic of rolling terrains. And with a name like that, of course it’s all about doing it without a whiff of stress to distract you from achieving peak steez – a selling point helped massively by the full veneer top sheet, made from pure ash, to devour stoke-stopping vibrations whilst upping the pop and responsiveness of its ride. Like a five star-rated UberXL driver, tell this thing where to go and exactly how to get there, and it’ll do its damnedest to drop you off without your stress levels even registering on the buzzkill-o-meter.

That’s where the similarities to past versions end, though. Inspired by the changes made to its little sister, the women’s Odyssey, the Mellow’s gone under the knife and been given a fresh new wardrobe for 2021. The painted veneer and exposed wood – as well as its tidy fishy mascot between your feet – is a deliciously neat design, but it’s the all-new shape that’s really grabbing us by the retinas.

“Crack this puppy open like a clam on a concrete step and out will pour a slew of Nidecker’s neatest up-to-date offerings”

Ditching the old Mellow’s far jabbier tip in favour for the new season’s Diamond Pow – a specially designed innovation for the Mellow alone – Nidecker have whack up the extra floatiness needed for a snow surfer by extending the transition from the contact points into the nose whilst reducing the overall size. It’s a similar story out back too – instead of going whole hog and entering the Mellow into the chip-forked shape arena, they’ve opted for a more subtle but still killer fish tail, tried and tested to sink into the white and, again, reduce the length of wood under your feet. If the new Mellow had a defining feature, this has gotta be it.

All you techheads looking to eat up some tasty new innovations with far-out futuristic names, you won’t be disappointed either. Crack this puppy open like a clam on a concrete step and out will pour a slew of Nidecker’s neatest up-to-date offerings. The last line of defence between you and snow is taken care of by a small army of carbon nanoparticles as part of Nidecker’s exceptionally glidey N-7000 base, and at its heart a Master Core – a long-in-development mix of wood densities and varieties that gets the weight-power-performance ratio bang on, and keeps everything ultra-strong, super responsive and dead lightweight too. If you’re looking for a little Point Break in your quiver, this is point-blank a real contender.

Tester Verdict 2020/21

Andrew Duthie – Whitelines Contributor

All the surf spiel is completely lost on me; I have about as much business being in the water as Seaborne Freight (RIP). However, even the landlubbers would do well to consider the Mellow for their next purchase.

I had the good fortune to test this over multiple days, during which it went through fresh powder, spring slush, and just about everything in between. At no point did it leave me wanting, and in the right conditions it was a dream. The shape does a lot of the work in the deeper stuff, and when things get choppy it’s definitely on your side, so there was never any need to hold back. As the name would suggest, it was at its finest when dialled back a bit – I honestly can’t remember when I had a better time just cruising on piste than when I was on the Mellow.

“I honestly can’t remember when I had a better time just cruising on piste than when I was on the Mellow”

It’s not quite a quiver killer – no board that shape is – but it’s forgiving enough to take through the park, and even on rails, with a bit of margin for error. Given the relative lack of tail, you get a decent pop out of it too.

So it’s a jack of all trades, and definitely a master of some. The price is right, too; why blow your budget on a pricier stick when you can grab this and still have enough left over for a pair of excellent Kaon X binders.

Tester’s Verdict 2018/19

Dan Wilsonsnowfit.co.uk

“With so many brands offering a ‘surf’ inspired option I was keen to see where the Nidecker Mellow would sit alongside some of the more flamboyant options flying around. With its smooth wood finish and an appealing price point, my interest was immediately piqued.

The Mellow series is very much living up to its name; it’s such a laid-back option and really lends itself to that freeride spirit. If you want to get those surfy slashes and whip in and around some trees, you’ll be loving this board.

“If you want to get those surfy slashes and whip in and around some trees, you’ll be loving this board”

As a wider option you can afford to ride it shorter, and this only adds to the fun factor. Don’t let it fool you though – even through crud and harder groomers this won’t let up, and you could easily lay down some sweet carves.

Being such a versatile and easy board to ride, I can’t see anyone not having a good time on this. A welcome addition to any quiver.”

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