Nitro Santoku

The Nitro Santoku is a bit of a unique board, with a twin shape, long nose and tail, traditional camber and a soft soft flex – despite how it is described

How the nitro santoku Rides

Board size: 156cm

Boots: Salomon Launch Boa SJ 27.5

Bindings: Flux RK

This review is based on me riding the 2020 model, in a mix of deep light snow, and on soft groomers.

Camber Profile

It has a regular camber profile, so you get a reliable feel, that is quite stable if you consider the flex rating.

Flex and Pop

Nitro give the flex rating a 7/10, which seems way way out. Although I don’t really like the number ratings on any board, everyone has to use them, but this is a super soft board. If I had to give it a rating, I would say maybe a 3 or a 4. The 156cm board I was riding has a weight range of 60-80kg, and I weight 72 so I am right in the middle, it isn’t like I am way over the recommended rider weight.

It takes only the tiniest effort to flex and butter the Santoku, and the first few runs you have to make sure you are landing with your weight centered, or the board will easily flex and wash out.

In deep snow the softer flex ends up being quite fun, it is a different feel than I am used to, and soft tail means you can get a really good surfy feel, with the nose riding way out of the snow.

Edge Hold

Having a regular camber profile, and a fairly narrow waist width (250mm on the 156cm model), it has a quick feel swapping edge to edge, was smooth and easy, and held the edge very well throughout the whole turn. Maybe the best part of the board was how it turned, and especially the feel throughout the whole turn.

Float

Although having a twin shape, the nose and tail on the Santoku are quite long, so the float in deep snow it pretty good. The soft flex on the tail means when you are riding fast it has a pretty nice, surfy and floaty feel.

Speed

The base is a nice sintered material, and I had no problem keeping speed up in deep fresh snow, and it was nice and quick on the groomers.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Quick edge to edge
• Fun to turn

Cons

• Very soft flex takes some getting used to

Overall

The Nitro Santoku is a bit of a weird board, that does take some getting used to. The very soft flex means that you might have to change your riding style a bit, but once you get used to it, it ends up being quite fun.

Lots of boards turn well, but this would be up there as one of the nicest. Not much effort gives you lots in return, and it doesn’t feel like it will wash out even with the soft flex.

If you are someone who wants a board that does well in powder, but still likes to butter around and wants a soft flexing board, it is worth a look.

Features of the Santoku

All-Terrain Twin Shape

True Camber
Regular camber, just like all boards used to be. Gives the board good pop, edge hold and overall a solid feel.

All-Terrain Flex
Nitro’s name for a flex rating that is suitable for riding all over the mountain.

Dual Degressive Sidecut
A mix between different radius circles, which has larger ones toward the nose and tail of the board, and a smaller tighter one in the middle. It is the most forgiving option Nitro have, that keeps it loose and playful.

Whiplash Core Profile
Whiplash is the name that Nitro use for their core profiling, which means that it is thinner between your feet, and thicker outside your feet so you don’t lose ollie power.

Sintered Speed Formula II Base
A fast sintered base material, that comes with wax already infused into the base.

Diamond V-Tips

Bi-Lite Laminates
Two directions of glass, that make the board easy to flex and move around.

Powerlite Core
A lightweight core, that uses high grade poplar wood to keep it light and poppy, but still strong.

Progressive Width
Nothing that fancy with this one, it just means that the boards get wider (better for bigger boots) as the length of the board goes up.

Sizes available:

• 156cm
• 159cm
• 162cm

Nitro Santoku 2020 Technical Specs

Length	Running Length (mm)	Setback (mm)	Waist Width (mm)	Sidecut (m)	Weight Range (lbs)	Weight Range (kg)
156	1005	0	250	7.5/5.5/7.5	130-175	60-80
159	1035	0	255	7.5/5.5/7.5	145-185	65-85
162	1065	0	260	7.5/5.5/7.5	155+	70+