Shape, Profile and Sidecut

The Sensor Plus is a refreshingly simple true twin shape, albeit with modern-looking diamond points at either end. Switch riding is hard-coded in this thing’s DNA. Although it’s only available up to a maximum size of 159, the outline packs enough volume to venture beyond the ropes and have some fun; you’ll struggle to find a better board for dialling in spins on a powder kicker.

The sidecut radius is pretty tight, as you’d expect from a freestyle-focused model, enabling you to adjust your trajectory quickly on run-ins and bust nimble tricks over rails, kickers, side hits and flatland alike.

Positive camber from nose to tail delivers spring-loaded ollie powder and keeps the whole effective edge engaged, which really helps when carving into spins or killing a rotation dead on landing. You’d expect to pay a small price for that carving performance in twitchiness, but the Sensor Plus borrows a piece of Bataleon’s 3D technology, called SideKick, to negate this effect. These small scoops at the wide points smooth turn entry and make hook-ups less likely, as well as lending the nose and tail a snow-plough effect when tackling bumps, slush and crud.

“It snaps off the lip and won’t buckle when you set the landing gear down”

Construction and Materials

The Sensor Plus is based on Nidecker’s Master Core, a seamless mix of poplar, paulownia and spruce with beech stringers for added strength. They use this core on many of their top models so you can rest assured it’s a primo piece of wood. A ‘Biax Plus’ laminate uses more glass than standard lay-ups to boost response while retaining the freestyle-friendly board feel associated with classic biax.

Even more power comes courtesy of generous carbon fibre placed either side of the inserts towards the nose and tail. You’ll mainly notice these when flexing the board longitudinally; it takes a little more effort to press this model than the regular Sensor, but the payoff for riders experienced enough to harness it is insane pop. It’s also smooth and stable at high speed, aided by an additional dampening layer the Nidecker bods have creatively titled Absorbnid.

Few park-oriented snowboards boast a sintered base, and despite being a pimped up Sensor, the Sensor Plus is no exception. That said, its N-7000 sintruded offering is denser than budget P-tex and contains carbon nanoparticles to speed it up. Let’s put it this way: there wasn’t a knuckle in the park we failed to clear! It’s a base that will also take a beating.

Finally, while it might not turn heads we’re fans of the understated graphics, particularly the strokable matte finish topsheet. Mmmm…

“In short, it’s got proper cajones”

Roundup

If we’re honest, part time park rats (which means your typical rider) will probably find the standard Sensor easier to get on with – or any one of the plethora of soft, camrock options on the market. What we dig about the Sensor Plus, though, is that it unapologetically targets intermediate to advanced riders who appreciate full camber and a good dash of carbon. In short, it’s got proper cajones. That makes it a pretty versatile kind of twin, one you can blast off the pro line before doing high speed trains with your buddies through the side hits of your favourite run, or heading beyond the ropes armed with a shovel and dreams of going even bigger.

Pros:

• Awesome ollie power
• Great edge control in either direction

Cons:

• Newbs need not apply

“The Sensor+ was a real favourite on our test week this year. It feels fast and powerful from the first turn, while those sidekicks do just the right amount to stop any twitchyness creeping in. In fact for a freestyle board, this turns like it was built for it, which in my books took it comfortably into the category of boards I’d pickup for almost any conditions.

Its freestyle prowess is undeniable too though, and while it requires a fair bit of input to get the most out of it, it’ll reward you with generous amounts of pop. I was particularly frothing on how well this thing rode in switch, especially as a less confident switch rider myself. It was honestly like having an onboard hype-man, and on a day with relatively few options in terms of park riding, this turned every other bit of the resort into a playground, encouraging roller hits, switch carves, and poppy little 180s at every opportunity.”

“This is Nidecker’s take on a modern, aggressive freestyle board. It’s fast and stiff and right at home under the feet of powerful freestylers like Sebi Konijnenberg and Kealan Venning. Giving this deck Sidekick allowed us to keep the board’s energy and pace way up high…but lifting the contact points slightly allows you to ride out clean every time, however sketchy you might land. The team was split on the topsheet – a pale blue, super cool colour which evolved the turquoise and neon pink theme from last year, or the same flipped with a peachy vibe…pale blue won this time.”

Buy the Nidecker Sensor Plus: €520 at Blue Tomato EU