Best Nitro Snowboards: Reviews by OutdoorEquipment.com

OutdoorEquipment.com rates the best Nitro Snowboards! Reviews include the Nitro Ripper, Rook, Swindle & others as compared to Burton, K2 & Gnu snowboards

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First things first: You either love or hate Nitro snowboards.. There’s no particular reason behind this–their innovations aren’t especially different, their materials aren’t unique, and their lineup is pretty standard–but it seems that the snowboarding community is divided into extremes when it comes to Nitro’s reputation.

This is a company that has been around since near the dawn of the sport, giving them a bit of an experience edge over the younger competition. They’ve been working for decades now to perfect their snowboards, and some can tear it up with the best of them.

And then there are others that you wouldn’t be caught dead on.

The price range for Nitro snowboards is pretty vast–you can get the Ripper for less than $150 or go for the $500 Pantera–and that may account for the variety in quality. But it should also unite the snowboarding community–with a board for every kind of rider and every budget, the majority of consumers should be okay with Nitro.

Maybe it’s a thing of loyalty–some people will only buy Gnu Snowboards and absolutely nothing else–or maybe it’s just because Nitro isn’t one of the biggest brand names in the industry…

But whatever the reason may be, some people just fervently oppose any recommendations for buying Nitro Snowboards. Others couldn’t possibly offer enough praise to do justice to the love they feel for the brand.

So which kind will you be: a Nitro lover or hater? The only way to find out is by reading on and seeing just what makes this brand tick. Do your research first–then your decision on which camp you fall in with will at least be an informed one.

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Best Nitro Snowboards: Reviews of the Bestselling Models

Those who don’t like Nitro snowboards generally have a few very similar complaints:

The topsheet scratches too easily
The edges are known to crack
The sidewalls may split
The highbacks have a tendency to snap

This is like the mantra of the Nitro hater community. And you know what? None of this has to do with performance. It’s all about the construction quality.

Some boards aren’t built right in the factory–this is a simple fact of life. It doesn’t excuse them though–it seems Nitro has a lot of improvements to make on the factory floor.

But come on, Nitro isn’t the only brand that sometimes sells faulty equipment. At least Nitro owns up to any mistakes they make with a pretty darn good warranty system. Anything wrong with your board? Send it in and they’ll give you a new one.

But what about how the board feels? What about how it moves through the crud, across the powder, along the rail, and between the trees? What about how it turns, carves, jibs, and sails? What about how the board grows with you?

Fortunately, this is where the Nitro really excels. Every model has different advantages, but they all perform admirably well on the mountainside. To give you a better idea of just what makes them so nice, let’s take a look at three of the bestselling models in the catalogue: the Ripper, Rook, and Swindle.

Nitro Ripper Snowboard Review

Finally, here is a kids’ snowboard that doesn’t condescend to younger riders. This board, by all means, is tough enough for an adult to carve with, but it’s shaped and sized especially for young ones.

This is a soft, forgiving board with a 3 on the flex rating, but it’s also incredibly responsive. Your kid will learn the tricks of the trade with theRipper, and then be able to grow with it in skill until he or she is big enough for an upgrade. In other words, this board has the ability to stay relevant to your child’s carving growth for several seasons.

Some of the Nitro Ripper snowboards better features include:

Tip-to-tail poplar wood Powercore
Radial sidecuts
Bi-Lite laminates

Learn more about Nitro Ripper Snowboards

Nitro Rook Snowboard Review

This is one of the best park snowboards out there, period. The Rook is one of the most popular boards in the Nitro lineup, and for very good reasons: the pop, control, and speed of this thing are beyond limits.

The Rook is a full twin-shaped board with a Speed Formula base for some of the smoothest and quickest rides you’ll have all season.

If you like to get up in the park and show off, the Rook is perfect for you. Compare it to the K2 Believer and you’ll see just how well it stands up to the competition.

Here are some of the Nitro Rook’s best traits:

Zero Camber design
Tip-to-tail poplar wood Powercore II
Dual Degressive sidecuts
Kevlar Ballistic Impact Panels

Learn more about Nitro Rook Snowboards

Nitro Swindle Snowboard Review

Like the Rook, the Swindle was made to tear it up in the park. More specifically, this is a board that was born to ride the rails. If you like to grind more than groom, you may be in for a treat with this stick.

The Swindle is also an incredibly innovative board because it combines advanced design technologies–radial sidecut, bi-lite laminates, etc.–with an affordable price. Now it’s nowhere near as inexpensive as, say, Avalanche snowboards or Silence snowboards, but the quality is far higher.

Get in the park and show them all what you can do with the Swindle–you’ll be surprised at just how far it can take you.

Some of the better features of the Nitro Swindle snowboard include:

Tip-to-tail all wood Powercore II
Reflex Profile
Scratch & Rip FH Base

Learn more about Nitro Swindle Snowboards

Nitro Snowboards: Summary

You’ll either love them or you’ll hate them. Who’s to say which side you’ll choose? But for your own sake, we here hope that you decide to love them.

Nitro Snowboards offer a versatile lineup of hardworking boards that can tear it up in the park, the piste, the powder, and anywhere else you find yourself on the mountain.

Many of their snowboards are very reasonably priced, and the ones that are more expensive are like that for a reason: they’re elite. Nitro snowboards are recommended to anyone out there looking for a reasonably priced upgrade and for those who value a fantastic warranty.

Short History of Nitro Snowboards

Founded in 1990, every one of the Nitro snowboards is designed in the shadows of the great Cascade Mountains near Seattle, WA. For the past couple of decades, Nitro has been working hard to create some of the best boards, boots, and bindings in the game.

Their products are manufactured in Taiwan and their technical development center is in Germany, making Nitro Snowboards a worldwide powerhouse in the carving industry. Since their inception, Nitro has made over 300 different snowboard models.

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