Nidecker Beta 165W Snowboard Review

Nidecker is not a well-known brand in the US, but you might know more about the company than you might think.  Nideceker has been making boards since 1984, one of the OG European manufacturers in Switzerland. They are the parent company of brands like Jones, Yes, Now, Flow, Rome, Bataleon, and Lobster.

In my first Nidecker review [[Nideker Sensor Review], I talked about building a quiver, the first board being a twin, the everyday board.  The next board in the quiver should be a powder-specific board, which brings us to the Beta. 

Growing up on the East Coast, powder days were like mythical creatures we heard about but rarely saw.  Living in Switzerland, we have powder days, and while a twin is fun to ride, a pow stick is even better!  Any machinist will say, you need the right tool for the right job.  A powder board may not get used as much, but when the right day comes, you will have the best day on the right ride!

The Nidecker Beta Snowboard’s directional shape borrows its curves from Mother Nature, bringing ‘effortless float and natural glide to the deepest of days.’  This is the most powder-focused model in the Biomimicry series. It features a set-back stance, a generous spooned nose, and a short swallowtail, which work together to sink the rear while generating tons of lift up front.

Surfy Camrock

The Beta Snowboard from Nidecker is a cambered board with an early rise and rocked nose.  The camber is essential for long traverses to get to the powder.  Being a longer board, the edge has a solid feel on steep terrain.  The rocker in the nose deflects chunky snow with ease and makes turn initiation easy.

Nidecker calls their 3d nose ‘generous’, but I disagree.  I have tried several 3d based boards and have had mixed results.  One 3d was so generous that I fell off a traverse. My wife made fun of me for it and my ego was bruised.  Other 3-D shapes have been fun in slush and soft conditions, but not so great on firmer snow. 

For the Beta, the best part of their 3d nose was that I did not notice it.  I easily did the big traverse on Tortin, a classic itinerary in Verbier. The slight 3d of the nose makes the edge transitions of a 319mm wide nose easy.  The board easily rolls edge to edge in powder, making it a playful tree board.

Target Rider Level

This is a tall man’s or big footed pow board. With a waist width of 272mm and a length of 165cm, it breaks the trends of the short displacement powder boards.  Drag racers say ‘There is no replacement for displacement.”  While many companies want you to downsize the length of your board, there is something about the old-school feel of a big board that feels so good under your feet.

What Can be Improved?

For me, the reference point, or where to mount the bindings, is too far back.  That applies to my style of riding because I like to push turns from my rear foot.  Another option could be to flatten the tail and increase the running length.

I would be interested to see how the APX version of the Nidecker Beta rides.  The premium materials on the construction make the board stiffer, which could be better for heavier riders.  

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Great for big feet
• Easy turn initiation with the 3D nose
• Can accommodate the widest stances and feet
• Cambered makes getting to and from the powder easy.

Cons:

• Switch performance is lacking, but what did you expect on a swallowtail powder board?
• Not designed for carving on-piste.
• Heavy riders might prefer the stiffer APX version.

How it was Tested

We were lucky enough to get an early snowfall of about 25cm, (10 inches) to test the board.  The terrain was above the tree line, and wide open.

My first impression: the board is easy to ride.  That is exactly what a pow board should be.  It planes early, and you feel like the snow is deeper than what is on the ground.  You can put lots of weight on the front foot. There is no need to put weight on your back foot to keep the nose up.  Therefore, you never get a rear leg cramp

As the day went on, the snow conditions changed, more bumps, choppy snow, different.  The subtle 3D in the nose makes turning this board through bumps smooth.  The board rides smaller and narrower than its big size.  Usually, wide boards require more effort to initiate a new turn, but not the Beta. 

The first few runs were with my normal stance, +18, -12.  When riding in power, I like to turn my hips into the fall line.  You can accomplish this by rotating the front foot a few more degrees forward. What you do with the rear foot is up to you, but I like to make the stance a little less duck.  Three degrees may not seem like a lot, but  +21, -9 improved the feel.  My initial test was with a soft flexing binding, but a medium flex binding brings out more performance for on-piste riding.

I mentioned in the improvements section about the location of the reference point.  Shifting the stance forward one set of mounting holes, or 2 inches, helped me feel more edge behind my rear binding when riding.  One of the Jones (In the Nidecker family) reps taught me this trick for the Storm Chaser and it worked like a charm.  Being an ex-racer, I drive my turns off my back foot, and having a little extra edge in the rear works better for me.

The board had been sitting idle for about a week.  The snow finally came in and we had about a foot of new snow on the ground.  The Beta came out for another day of testing.  At this point, I only had 2 days on it.  It rides fine, but I was trying to figure out where it fits in my quiver and with my style of riding.  On the third day, the snow gods smiled at us and now I fully understood what the Beta is designed for.

One of the big bowls just opened up, and I headed in with a group of friends.  They all ski, but I still like them.  The first thing you have to do is a long traverse.  The use of camber gets you across with ease.  The long toe side traverse was easy, you do not notice the 3-D shape of the nose.  Then I dropped into the fall line.  The steeper it gets, the more snow I could push with this big board.  It started to feel much livelier under my feet.  The response was there.  The deeper the terrain, the more I liked this ride.   There is no hesitation when moving more weight on the front foot and pushing the nose directly into the fall line.  You cannot sink it. (and I tried!)  The nose’s slight contour lets it roll from edge to edge like a thinner board.  My ideas for the review were coming together as I flowed down the run. 

Powder boards usually fall under two categories, tree boards and guns.  Tree boards are usually shorter, rockered, and have a surfy feel.  They are better for short turns at slightly slower speeds.  Guns are longer, stiffer, cambered, and handle higher speeds.  They are built for riding above the tree line, where there are fewer obstacles.  This board is a blend of both.  It is easy to carry speed on a glacier and then make quick turns in the woods.

When My Son ‘borrowed’ the Beta

On Christmas Eve I had to teach beginners and chose to ride the Sensor Team (See my other review).  My son borrowed the Beta, because he was too lazy to change the bindings to his powder board.  Usually, he rides a 151cm Slush Slasher.  This was his first time on a big powder board.

I tried to get it back from him, but he kept it during the rest of his vacation.  To quote Jake, “This board was designed to do one thing, and it has to be deep and steep!”  He was thrilled with how it carried speed.  For reference, he is 6’1” and 140 pounds.  Being 60 pounds lighter than me, he thought the Beta was stiff enough to rip through everything.  He now understands why long bords are so much fun in powder.

Overall Impression

My overall take is Nidecker Beta Snowboard ($499.95) is built for the deepest and steepest days.  On this board, you could (and I did) ride top to bottom of a mountain on a powder day through variable snow conditions.  Are you the person who takes one destination trip per year?  And you want a powder board for that trip?  If you are looking to add a big powder board to your lineup, this could be your next ride!

I get lost here. Are you still talking about the Beta board?What does “Surfy cam rock” mean?

Related Snowboards We Tested

1. Never Summer Cougar Snowboard
2. Arbor Candle Rain Snowboard
3. United Shapes Deep Reach Snowboard