The Nidecker Escape is finest suited to somebody who’s on a tighter price range however does not wish to need to go for a gentle flexing or newbie kind board. They nonetheless desire a board they’ll push pretty exhausting, however do not wish to need to pay an excessive amount of to get it. 

Even higher suited to the rider who suits the outline above and likewise desires to reap the benefits of something a resort or side-country can provide, from park, to cruising groomers, to carving groomers, to profiting from powder days, timber, and many others. 

Not for novices – it is barely catchy feeling at gradual speeds and common general flex really feel make it a reasonably difficult prospect for novices, IMO, and a possible confidence buster/development halter. However for intermediate riders who’ve progressed to a sure stage in approach and confidence it must be high-quality. 

GodBindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 550mm (21.7″)

Stance Setback: 10mm (0.4″)

Width at Entrance Insert: 267mm (10.5″)

Width at Again Insert:  269mm (10.6″)

Tester: Nate

Rider Top: 6’0″

Rider Weight: 180lbs

Rider Boot Measurement: US9.5 Adidas Response ADV

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M 

Weight: 3060grams (6lbs 12oz)

Weight per cm: 19.25 grams/cm

Common Weight per cm: 18.71 grams/cm*

*primarily based on a pattern measurement of round 250 fashions that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 fashions. So, the Escape was a little bit heavier than common on the scales, however felt regular on snow. 

Powder

We did not get any actual quantities of recent snow the day we examined the Escape, however primarily based on specs and really feel, it must be fairly good in powder. It has a directional form, together with a directional camber profile, with a great quantity of rocker within the nostril. That plus a little bit little bit of setback and really delicate taper, ought to assist to sink the tail a bit and float the nostril, in powder. 

Carving

Actually first rate on a carve and may do quite a lot of carving effectively, together with lengthy radius and shorter radius carves and at reasonably excessive speeds. It isn’t a carving demon or something that may blow your thoughts, but it surely’s actually stable on a carve. 

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing: Not tremendous straightforward to provoke turns when driving actually slowly, however with a average quantity of velocity underneath it, it turns into a lot simpler and loses the slight little bit of catchy feeling it has at gradual speeds, with out having to get an excessive amount of velocity underneath it.

Maneuverability at gradual speeds: Pretty nimble at slower speeds, with out being lightning. Not easy to alter edge-to-edge, but additionally not one thing that requires a excessive quantity of rider power. 

Skidded Turns: Has a slight catchy really feel when making an attempt to slash at slower speeds, however when it will get a little bit little bit of velocity (and does not take rather a lot) underneath it, that feeling disappears. 

Pace

Is decently quick and may deal with a great quantity of velocity with out beginning to really feel unstable. It isn’t an out and out bomber, however nonetheless actually first rate. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: It isn’t an immoveable object in messy snow – it will probably get bucked round when it is actually uneven, but it surely does not get thrown round like a rag doll both. It handles it pretty effectively. And, it isn’t too dangerous at making corrections, while you do get knocked off your line. 

Bushes/Bumps: Not lightning edge-to-edge or easy, however not dangerous both and can be first rate in timber in powder. Good edge maintain for more durable moguls. 

Jumps

General nothing overly thrilling, however will get the job completed effectively and nonetheless enjoyable general.

Pop: The pop is not too exhausting to entry. Not the best ever, but additionally actually not exhausting and it has OK general pop, however nothing epic. 

Method: Good mixture of being steady but additionally with the power to make changes when obligatory. 

Touchdown: Stable on landings, has sufficient tail to land tail heavy and get away with it and sufficient stiffness within the tail to carry on, while you do go a bit tail heavy. Forgiving sufficient of errors and fairly good for velocity checking/dodging shortly when it’s essential on the finish of a soar or facet hit. 

Aspect-hits: It could possibly be extra poppy and a little bit simpler to regulate when driving slower, however general it is first rate. 

Small jumps/Huge jumps: Good for all sorts of jumps. Greatest for individuals who have some soar expertise already – not pretty much as good for newbie jumpers who will probably be approaching jumps extra slowly and certain needing extra changes and ideally a extra catch-free feeling at slower speeds. 

Change

Felt good change. When transitioning at slower speeds needed to watch it a bit for catchiness however quicker velocity transitions have been high-quality. It is received that directional camber profile, which you discover driving the opposite method, however in any other case, it isn’t that far setback and the taper could be very delicate. 

Spins

It is high-quality on setup and touchdown when you’ve got a little bit of velocity underneath you, however can really feel catchy at slower speeds, so, like with jumps, it is higher for extra skilled spinners, who’re seemingly spinning with extra velocity underneath them. 

Swing weight does not really feel heavy and it does not over spin you. Once more, in the event you’re touchdown slower, then it may be a bit difficult to complete your spin on the snow, in the event you do not fairly get round, however in any other case, it isn’t too dangerous at ending a spin that you may’t fairly rotate sufficient. 

Jibbing

As is the theme with this board, approaching a jib with a little bit of velocity underneath you (which makes them noticeably simpler more often than not anyway!) and it felt fairly good. It isn’t preferrred and never what it is made for, for certain, and positively a more durable prospect in the event you’re approaching them a bit gingerly, at slower speeds, significantly in the event you’re not skilled at hitting rails/bins and many others. 

Butters

Fairly straightforward to press the nostril and there is noticeably extra flex within the nostril than the tail. So presses do not feel tremendous even, however when you get used to that you may butter it round pretty straightforward.

I could not over press it and I feel for many it will be pretty exhausting to over press except you bought it in a really small measurement in your weight. Presses lock in properly when you get them to a degree the place you possibly can lock them in. Not tremendous straightforward to get to that time, however not tremendous exhausting both. 

The Escape has nothing significantly particular about it, but it surely additionally has no actual weaknesses. It is center of the highway for just about every little thing. 

It does have one standout characteristic although, regardless of being in any other case abnormal, and that is it is value-for-money. It is common efficiency however considerably beneath common price-wise for this class – and much more so for its for its flex-range.