NSI Powder Padz Review

by Mike Hardaker on December 27, 2010 in Snowboard Reviews

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NSI POWDER PADZ
northshoreinc.com

First Impression: I took the NSI Powder Padz and leash and set them up on an Never Summer SL Snowboard Size 155. In the past I have seen people put their pads on a snowboard where you would typically place your bindings centered on the board. Growing up surfing and having used many tail pads over the years I decided to place the 1 1/2″ pad at the rear of my snowboard so that I could get the most power by using the tail of the board to turn. For the first few runs I used the leash attached to the front of the board and each time I dropped down the slope it felt more and more like surfing..

Weight: NSI Powder Padz are very light weight using thick waffle traction. These are the same type of pads used for surfing. The added weight can not be noticed. If I had to guess I would say way less then 1lb per pad. The bungee leash is also lightweight and feels similar to a dog leash.

Turning: My first time ever using the Powder Padz can be seen in the video below. I was able to make easy turns down the slope and even got a few powder face shots. I felt the surf inspired tail pad really gave me confidence to my drive turns. You have to lead with your upper body just like surfing, forgetting about the edges of the board.

Control: After a few laps with the Powder Padz leash in hand I decided it was time to go free without anything attached. This is when the real feeling of the Powder Padz came into play. Without using the rope to steer you become 100% committed to your turns. Run after run I was able to pick up speed, make huge powder turns, and even a cool 1 footed powder slash. The pads will change snowboarding, you can be “in control” without the use of bindings..

Pop: My back foot always stayed on the board even with little bunny hops and pops. I modified my front pad by just using strips of thin waffle padding that came in the package in place of the entire pad. Thinking I could actually save it for a second bindingless snowboard setup. I feel if I was to put 2″ NSI Powder Padz in the middle of the board I would have complete control. For now this works!!

Switch: My setup did not allow for riding backwards, however as mentioned above with a pad in the middle and back this could easily be done. I don’t surf backwards, so I think I will save that for riding with bindings.

Overall Impression: So much fun, do yourself a favor and buy a set of NSI Powder Padz and leash. I have been snowboarding for almost 16 years and thanks to the Powder Padz it made the sport seem new and fresh again. If you surf, these are a must have.. Even if you don’t surf you can now practise minus paddling and learning to stand up while in the snow. The mellowest slopes becomes fun and challenging, I cant wait to take this up to the ski resort with a proper leash system and rip some huge turns down the mountain! This would be a great way to teach someone how to snowboard without having a ton of parts to mess with!!

Sizes: NSI Powder Pads come in 2 size built in kicks, 1 & 2, with 4 foot NSI grab/board Leash

Retail: $89.95

For more information on Photographer Kevin Krill, please visit: http://crestedbuttephotography.com

Tags: Kevin Krill, Mike Hardaker, Mountain Weekly News Reviews, Never Summer SL, NSI Powder Padz Review, Photographer Kevin Krill, Powder Padz, Snowboard Product Review Photos, Snowboard Product Reviews, Snowboard Reviews, Snowboarder Mike Hardaker, Snowboarding Without Bindings, Surfing Colorado, Surfing on Snow Print article