Shape, Profile and Sidecut

The Escape Split shares the exact same outline as the regular Escape. It’s a directional twin with a diamond tip nose, a squared-off tail and a 10mm set back stance. The result is a deck that’s optimised for riding forwards and which will float well in powder but – unusually for a split – it’s got bona fide freestyle credentials. In fact with its friendly flex (more on that below) the board is super comfortable to ride switch and will tempt you into spending some of those hard-earned turns on hitting natural jumps and getting creative. Think cliff drops, windlip spins and powder butters.

A ‘Camrock’ profile features classic camber in the middle and extended rocker towards the nose and tail. This lends the Escape Split an easy-going nature; turns feel relaxed across hardpack and soft snow alike, with less bite at the contact points,. And by raising the tips a little you don’t have to work hard to keep on top of the fluffy stuff.

“Unusually for a split, it’s got bona fide freestyle credentials. It will tempt you into spending some of those hard-earned turns getting creative”

Construction and Materials

The entire Escape range (regular, Split and specced up Plus) are built around Nidecker’s ‘Master Core’. They’ve nailed this one, mixing no less than four wood types to keep the whole thing lightweight and lively yet strong enough to handle the heaviest of landings.

It’s stable at speed, too, thanks to a triax fibreglass lay-up that includes carbon areas towards the nose and tail and an Absorbnid top layer to dampen the ride. Point this thing down a couloir and you don’t need to worry about it turning into a noodle.

What’s magic about the Escape, though, is that it still manages to feel so playful. Carbon and triax are usually a recipe for aggressive, unforgiving carve sticks, and, sure, this board holds an edge through icy sections – yet the flex is easy to manipulate underfoot and you don’t need legs like Roberto Carlos to load presses and ollies.

The Escape Split comes fitted with Karakoram clips at the nose and tail, and Nidecker’s own touring skins. That saves you the hassle of cutting third party skins to fit, although if you want the absolute best traction money can buy then that could still be worth it.

The N-7000 base is ‘sintruded’, which is marketing speak for ‘extruded plus carbon nanoparticles’. It’s the one element freeriders (who often demand nothing less than full sintered) might nitpick over, but on the plus side extruded p-tex is easier to repair should you hit any rocks and, let’s face it, at this price you can’t – quite – have it all.

“If splitboards are ever to break out of their niche then the Escape Split is just the model to make it happen”

Roundup

If splitboards are ever to break out of their niche and find their way into the average rider’s board bag then the Escape Split is just the model to make it happen. It’s affordable, it’s well built and it’s easy to ride – and by the way, that goes for the resort too, should you find yourself back on the piste at the end of your tour. As a fresh addition to the Nidecker line, and one that dares to tread new ground, we couldn’t fault it.

Pros:

• It’s the perfect shape for backcountry freestyle
• Brilliant value – especially in the splitboard market

Cons:

• Base is not full sintered
• Included skins not quite as good as market leaders’

“I’ve ridden many splitboards over the years, and can well remember how shit the early versions were to ride compared to a normal deck. Things improved rapidly, of course, but recent advancements in tech have come at a steep price. The Escape Split promises to shift the paradigm by making touring more accessible. It isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s around a hundred quid less than the competition AND it comes with skins. So far so good, but how does it actually ride?

In a word, brilliantly.

I demo’d this over a full 10 days in Norway, and when we weren’t splitting I was riding the lifts on the regular version of the Escape. Honestly, there’s little difference between the two beyond how your bindings feel – and when you consider how great the standard Escape is, that’s high praise for the Split. The shape is super versatile; turns are smooth to initiate and there’s minimal back leg burn when riding pow, but with plenty of tail you can still ride switch easily. Even if you’re not planning to bring your park game to the backcountry, that switch-riding ability is useful to help you navigate around obstacles and access narrow chutes. The flex is lively and not too stiff – I’d say any intermediate rider or above would get on just fine with this board. Ultimately it just inspires confidence on the descent, which is exactly what you need to make the most of those hard-earned turns.

In climbing mode, the Escape Split didn’t reveal any nasty surprises. I paired it with a set of Spark Surge binders and some Jones Talon Pro poles; transitions were pain-free and rapid. It’s actually tricky to find fault with this thing, but if we’re splitting hairs then a proper sintered base would be nice (“sintruded” sounds like a bit of a cop-out). But since that would push the price up, we’ll let them off.”

“Like it’s solid cousin the Escape, our goal with Escape Split was to make a board which has it’s soul in freeride, but is versatile enough to perform well during every part of a brilliant day on the mountain – but including the way up. Everyone who rides the Escape Split is blown away at its versatility; it’s a true go-anywhere, do-anything all mountain splitboard.”

Buy the Nidecker Escape Split: £650 at Blue Tomato UK 

Buy the Nidecker Escape Split: €730 at Blue Tomato EU