Curated Snowboarding Experts Everett Pelkey & Yuri Czmola got their hands on the 2024 Nidecker Escape Snowboard this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Escape or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Nidecker claim about this board? [Everett] Nidecker is claiming this as their overall, all-mountain performance board that can do it all.

[Yuri] The Nidecker Escape is listed as a freeride option with a directional cam rocker.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? [Everett] There’s a reason why it’s one of the best-selling boards in their lineup. They market it as a 7 out of 10 flex, making it a lot stiffer than your typical middle-of-the-road board, but it does not mean it’s overpowering. It gets the power boost where you need it. With that cam rocker profile, the early rise between the tip and tail, but you get that camber between the feet, so you get that super-stable feel. With that extra benefit of having a rocker in the nose and tail, you can float where you need to.

[Yuri] I got to ride this board at Belleayre Mountain. It is an awesome experience. It is inviting for ripping carves and for rotting slush. It was a perfect shovel to handle all the slush or anything I needed to plow through, whether wood or corduroy. I rode a 156. I recommend sizing up a little bit. I’m 6’6”, so if you are looking for something that can hold you down and a little bit more aggressive with some float to it, especially for those bigger guys, you should probably check this out. And don’t be afraid to ride true to size or even size up.

Carving

How does it turn? [Everett] When I want to engage, it engages. It felt super good trying to lock in turns or hit bumps.

[Yuri] It’s an expert ride that can hold you down from high-speed carves.

What is the edge hold like? [Everett] I felt locked in everywhere I was going. It didn’t feel like I would trip up and catch an edge when I wasn’t ready for it.

How is its energy/acceleration? [Everett] This board is more of a harder charger in their lineup, and that’s what it’s meant to do. A little high performance shows everywhere you’re going on it, but it still makes you smile.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? [Everett] For someone more of a park-style rider, I look for something that has that stability underneath the feet with a camber profile so I can lock in my edges but a little bit of playful flex where you want it so you’re always 100% in control and really can tweak out those moves. Somehow, you can do it on the stiffer profile on this board. You can still press and play around a little bit. If you want to work it and manipulate this board, you can make it happen.

[Yuri] Honestly, I wouldn’t even limit this board to that. I’ll say it, despite the fact that it’s stiff: The cam rocker is inviting enough to ride in the park.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? [Everett] With that edge engagement, you’re going to be able to throw spins on this thing easily. You can pop over features and still slide and hit rails because it is just enough forgiving where you need it to be.

Is it good for riding switch? [Yuri] Riding switch, you can feel the difference since it is a little bit directional, but it’s still very inviting due to the early rise in the tip and tail. So I don’t think it should be taken into consideration unless the majority of your day is riding switch.

Freeride

How is it for freeride snowboarding? [Everett] At first, this board was definitely on the stiffer side that you couldn’t play with it. I wouldn’t recommend it as a park board, but as things soften up here, as East Coast days do, they’ll change in a minute. It’ll go from cold to warm, icy to the slush. This thing still handled it all and made me want to take it to the park. And I was actually impressed. It could handle it way better. A lot better than I had anticipated.

[Yuri] Typically, I think this is listed as a freeride experience, but honestly, this is a great option for an expert rider who wants something to lean into a little bit harder and reap the benefits, even though it’s a camber rocker board.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? [Everett] You can get into trees, get in steeper terrain, and even charge hot laps all around the mountain.

What terrain is this board good for? [Everett] You can hit powder, you can hit bombs, you can hit trees. I could do it all in one day, and it felt great no matter where I went.

[Yuri] This is a great all-mountain answer.

What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? [Everett] I wouldn’t recommend this for a true park rat or someone who is trying to hone their skills and dedicate their life to that.

[Yuri] It is not a true park snowboard. Still very inviting, though. I had a great time trying to get jibby and go with it.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? [Everett] It’s for someone who wants to hit the park occasionally and then charge the rest of the mountain. That’s the sweet spot for this board.

[Yuri] Ultimately, I think this is a rad dad answer for people who do not really want to ride as much switch anymore and want to be able to cruise and feel very stable when you are chasing children. As you are riding downhill, this board is that plow to get everything out of the way and get you down the hill with a nice Cadillac feel.

Who should avoid this board, are there other better options out there for them? [Everett] This is not a beginner-friendly board. It is friendly enough once you start getting down to basics, a little more intermediate movement, and then start moving up towards a bit more advanced board. That’s where this board begins to open up and shine and get your money’s worth.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Everett, Yuri, or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.