- Price: £565 / €600 / $620
- Category: Freeride/Powder
- Ability Level: Intermediate, Advanced
- Size: 158L, 161L, 164W, 168W
- Flex: 8/10
- Shape: Directional
- Profile: Directional Camber
- Base: Sintered
To get an idea of just how much pride Nidecker have invested in their Megalight, know that they’re now on the fourth generation of this weapon. On its black-on-black surface, there’s not a great deal to tell it apart from 2020’s iteration, aside from a touch more extra-terrestrial green around the nose now making it look even more like a death machine sent from the outer rings of Jupiter to mercilessly vaporise the human race.
Anyone thinking this mean freeride beast might be harvesting a cuddly centre, though, is in for a rude awakening. This thing lives to eat steep faces and deep powder, and’ll go hell-for-leather on the hard-packed pistes with fully charged carving action.
“It lives to eat steep faces and deep powder”
Thing is though, it’s got some manners, too. “The definition of dynamic elegance” is how Nidecker want you to remember it, and with a knee-saving Absorbnid top layer in place to soak up any unwanted shocks and vibrations and make for a smoother, longer and more comfortable ride, we can see where they’re coming from with they’re somewhat flowery, motoring show-style description.
Last year, Nidecker’s N-Tech 2.0 was one of their biggest evolutions in board construction – a development two years in the making – so it’s little surprise to still see it in the Megalight for 2021. In short, it means more torsional response between the feet, equating in a level of control that the brainiacs of Nidecker’s R&D team once could only dream of.
Weight-saving is taken care of by the triplet of woods that make up the brand’s Light Core, the Ronseal of woodcore innovations, whilst the always impressive N-9000 base, the fastest most durable sintered base you could possibly find in their Swiss factory, deals with going really really, wickedly fast. This is the kind of board that’ll make you say your Hail Mary’s before leaping on its back, but freeride heaven awaits once you do.
