Test of the new Nidecker Escape Splitboard

This year's splitboard newcomer, Nidecker Escape, was tested by Vašek Čajka from Freeride.cz. How did the split fare in the Austrian backcountry? And how was Vašek's first splitboard experience? Read on to find out.

Splitboarding definitely had a meteoric boom during the Covid, but there are those who waited a year or so. I belong to this group of slackers and I waited until the beginning of this winter to start my splitboarding career. That's when I experienced my first time and it was even better than I expected.

As you all must have noticed, we have been cooperating with the Czech shop Snowboard Zezula for a few years now, where they have equipped us with a splitboard gear for this season. They have a lot to choose from, but I, as a splitboard beginner, was fascinated by the first splitboard in the history of Nidecker, the Nidecker Escape Split. This is a variant of their all-mountain board that a bunch of engineers cut in half and gave it the best technologies available. Simply love at first slide.

 

As soon as the board arrived in my hood, it also brought a proper snowfall, which we have not seen in the Beskydy for at least five years and on top of that already in December. Simply the perfect condition for my glorious first time! The first day I went to the beloved Lysá hora or Beskydy glacier, where you ride from the beginning of winter until spring. Plus with the amount of snow, it felt like I was in Hokkaido. From the first slide upwards, I fell in love with snowboarding and knew I'd never let go again. However, this was only true until I started to climb the first proper hill, where things got pretty scratchy between us, but we made it and reached the very top of the Beskydy kingdom at 1323m above sea level. There we made the first link ever, which was far easier than I expected, and went down. I was enjoying it so much on the way to the valley that there simply wasn't time to flash some of those photos from the first ride.

We spent a few more days together like this before Christmas, when I was walking daily in the surrounding hills and enjoying the freedom of movement in places where unfortunately I simply couldn't go before, because I would have drowned and died of exhaustion from swimming in snowdrifts. That's where I think the splitboarding is the best part, of course it hurts sometimes, but you can just really go anywhere and explore every nook and cranny of the local mountains.

But last week it was time for the trial by fire. With Freeride.cz/Snow colleague Štefán Košík we went to Alpbach, Austria for the SHOPS 1st TRY event. On this occasion, we decided to hit the road two days early and from the comfort of my FR.CZ living, we set off for two days of adventure up some serious hills, where we (me and the splitboard) experienced our first real crisis. It was all beautiful in the Beskydy Mountains... Locally known hills, max 600 vertical and no steep mental climbs.

But in Austria it was a drudgery. The real splitboard drudgery, where you get a taste of what snowboarding tastes like without the comfort of lifts. I guess it was necessary, but up 1200 vertical, the all-inclusive splitboarder in me was awakened. The audacity to enjoy the ride down, feeling every turn, the one hundred percent state of presence, the hatred of every terrorist who made their way down the surrounding slopes in the powder to splash my freeride paradise in the comfort of a chairlift. All in one package I needed to open to experience my first real splitboarding experience in the high mountains.

 

That trip down is one big fairy tale with a happy ending. Splitboard floats like a Czech tourist by the Adriatic and you just enjoy and live the moment you are living.

THANK YOU SPLITBOARDING! THANK YOU NIDECKER! THANK YOU ENGINEERS! You have made my life perfect thanks to one toy for big and small boys (and girls, of course!).

 

To wrap up this story, I'm going to show you my beloved setup that I put together for this winter. The split and skins I chose, as I mentioned before, were from the Swiss at Nidecker - Nidecker Escape Split, the binding I took was UNION Charger and the poles were from Burton in a collab with Black Diamond Compactor pole. For me, I would recommend investing in the poles because you won't get to the top without them and these Burtons are really TOP!

Especially about the binding. Of course, there is a large number of manufacturers to choose from. From those specialized only in splitboarding, such as the Spark R&D company, as well as from snowboarding staples such as UNION. Everyone approaches it a little differently. For anyone who is really serious about splitboarding, I would recommend Sparks, but even the new UNION is already tweaked. The key is always to get it fitted properly so it fits like a glove!

Tested and photographed by Vašek Čajka from Freeride.cz