Nitro Mountain Review
Compare prices at 2 resellers Pros: Stability at speed, pop, limited to no drag for sz 9s
Cons: Hard to butter, stiff for lighter users
Manufacturer: Nitro
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Nitro Mountain | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $559.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $669.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $570 List | $489.99 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $499.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Stability at speed, pop, limited to no drag for sz 9s | Floaty, precise edging, good construction, playful | User friendly, turning experience, versatile, playful | Responsive, snappy, maneuverable, durable topsheet, powder performance | Loads of pop, stable, fun turning experience |
| Cons | Hard to butter, stiff for lighter users | Switch performance | Topsheet scratches easy, topsheet is slippery | Backseat landings, switch riding | Average powder floatation, pop is less user-friendly |
| Bottom Line | A robust, all-mountain charger | If we could only buy one, this would be it | High performance embedded with a consistently playful charter | Agility meets stability | A board fit for those sunny all-mountain laps filled with turns, methods, and straight lines |
| Rating Categories | Nitro Mountain | Yes. Optimistic | United Shapes Cadet | Weston Backcountry Backwoods | Jones Mountain Twin |
| Edging (25%) | |||||
| Float In Powder (20%) | |||||
| Stability At Speed (20%) | |||||
| Playfulness (20%) | |||||
| Pop And Jumping (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Nitro Mountain | Yes. Optimistic | United Shapes Cadet | Weston Backcountry... | Jones Mountain Twin |
| Shape | Tapered Directional | Directional | Directional | Directional | Directional |
| Camber/Rocker | CAM-OUT Camber | Hybrid-Rocker/Camber | Camber | Directional Multi-Radial Camber Rocker | CamRock |
| Flex | Medium Stiff | Stiff | Medium | Medium Stiff | Medium Stiff |
| Weight | N/A | 6.2 (lb) | 6.22 (lb) | 6.63 (lb) | 6.1(lb) |
| Tested Length | 160cm | 151cm | 156cm | 157cm | 157 |
| Available Lengths | 157, 160, 163cm | 151, 154, 157cm | 144, 152.5, 156, 159, 162cm | 152, 152 wide, 157, 157 wide, 160, 160 wide, 163, 163 wide, 167, 167 widecm | 151, 154, 155, 157, 158, 160, 161, 162, 164, 167 |
| Construction Type | Sandwich | Sandwich | Sandwich | Sandwich | Sandwich |
| Core Material | Powercore II | Carbon-wrapped wood | A11x (poplar, bamboo) | Slayer (bamboo, poplar) | FSC Mountain (dual-density wood, hardwood bamboo stringers) |
| Waist Width | 25.6cm | 26.6cm | 25.6cm | 25.6cm | 25.3cm |
| Radius | 8.2/7.4m | 6.5m | 7.5m | 7.5/6.8/7.8m | 7.8 m |
| Taper | 8mm | 6m | 20mm | 18mm | 0mm |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Nitro Mountain is built for charging all over the mountain; it likes to go fast and make long arcing turns. We enjoyed this board. It isn't for someone looking to learn the fundamentals of turning technique more for the all-mountain ripper who like to make high speed turns and doesn't care if it's smooth or choppy.
Performance Comparison
Edging
The Mountain is a fairly stiff board that features a mostly camber profile, with rocker starting just before the contact points. The stiffer camber profile provides a stable and consistent platform to make high speed arcing turns. The stiff flex requires strength to influence the board to drive short radius turns and maintain secure edge hold on the spring frozen corduroy.
Fortunately, this board has a mid-length waist to give a larger margin before being taken down by our arch-enemy of heel drag. The flex and width of this board make it a secure ride for high speed edging and riding through the chunder. The MTN takes a little more effort to get on edge and prefers to be ridden at high speed to make long and beautiful long arcing turns.
Float in Powder
We didn't get a chance to use this board hard in powder, but we expect it to be a contender in this metric, as the shape of this board seems to indicate good powder flotation. The long nose has a little bit of rocker and should provide plenty of surface area, which will promote float in conjunction with the tapered tail.
Stability at Speed
This thing has stability written all over it. A mostly camber profile with a directional shape and plenty of tail allows the Mountain to have virtually no chatter and blast through the chunder. When we were straight-lining or ripping high speed carves, we felt we were in total control. Because this board is stiff, it requires technique and strength and may be difficult to control for beginners and some intermediate riders.
Playfulness
The Mountain is similar to other stiff boards designed to ride at high speeds and will require a certain amount of technique to enjoy the benefit. For a rider in its targeted skill level, this board is easy to hop on and start ripping. If you are newer to snowboarding, it might be more than you can chew. Its gently rockered contact points and longer nose allow you to slash the tail at medium and higher speeds to obtain a surf style or more playful style of riding.
Playfulness and riding at high speeds are polarized concepts, and some find the balance very well. We found the MTN hard to butter. We were able to initiate butters but struggled to maintain them. This board is better suited for popping and jumping rather than buttering around.
Popping and Jumping
Phew! We consistently went large and popped higher than expected on this beast. Thanks to the camber and stiff tail, we were able to go to the moon and pull off the landings when we needed to. This board has plenty of pop and is there when you need it to be.
Value
The Mountain comes in at the standard market price for performance snowboards. It performed well, and for the proper rider, can be ridden every day.
Conclusion
The Nitro Mountain is a stiff, mostly cambered board built for charging in whatever conditions. Its edging style favors higher speed, long arcing turns and is less intuitive to make shorter arcing turns. Its stiff camber profile provides ample opportunity for airtime and incredible stability at speed or landings. This board is excellent for the advanced rider who likes to go fast and big no matter the conditions. If you are pushing yourself, this board won't back down before you do.
— Isaac Laredo