If Burton is the flashy neon infused in your face brand well then Nitro is the dark metal brand that’s hiding in the shadows ready to strike. With over 20 years of making boards with some insane technology in it they definitely know what’s up. For this year they added their Gullwing reverse camber to The Team (personal all time favorite in their line up), needless to say this didn’t disappoint. Check out my take on how it rode.
Board: Nitro Team Gullwing
Size: 157
Camber Type: Gullwing Rocker which is a camber into reverse back into camber, very noticeable.
Bindings: Raiden Blackhawks
Stance: 22.8
Angles: 18 negative 15
Boots: K2 T1 DB size 10
My Weight: 165
Resort: Loveland Ski Area
Conditions: Sunny Bluebird days with fresh corduroy and a slightly colder temperature
Preconceived Notions: The last board with their Gullwing rocker that I rode was last seasons late release Sub Pop. Needless to say while it had a few redeeming qualities it was just too damn soft for me and I felt over all to get consistent pop.
Flex: Not too stiff not too soft that all right flex that allows for all mountain domination.
Stability: Bombing a run it was perfectly fine regular and switch. It was damp enough to absorb the early morning death cookies.
Ollies/Pop: If you like boosting this board has a sick sweet spot that allows for maximized pop. The Gullwing with its dual cambered zones let you load it up and pop. Boosted the highest ollie of the day on this deck.
Butterability: Being that it does have reverse camber you can manipulate it from the center into all sorts of contorted presses, but note it’s not as soft as their Sub Zero/Sub Pop deck. It will have a bit of fight with it.
Cruising: Edge to edge it was slightly hooky but I attribute that to the board I rode was brand new. The sidecut could be a little deeper if you want to rail a euro carve but for just laying tight turns and keeping it on edge this board has it dialed.
Jibbing: Pressing definitely wasn’t a super issue with this board it did have a bit of fight to it, but when it locks on it locks on well.
Rider in Mind: All mountain freestyle guy that’s going to do it all from parks to powder and will only have one board.
Personal Thoughts: I thought I had found a winner with the Nitro Rook as my favorite board in their line. This board dominates the Rook in that regard and is now my new personal favorite in their line up. This board is solid and I could definitely see myself riding this as a daily deck.
What They Say: THE TEAM SERIES HAS TAKEN THE COMBINED EFFORT OF OUR RIDERS LIKE BRYAN FOX AND JOSH MILLS TO DESIGN A BOARD THAT KILLS IT YEAR AFTER YEAR. THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE TEAM SERIES WAS TO BUILD A LIGHTWEIGHT DO IT ALL FREESTYLE BOARD THAT CAN HANDLE ANY CONDITION YOU THROW AT IT. TURNING IT UP A NOTCH WE HAVE ADDED OUR NEW GULLWING CAMBER FOR THE ULTIMATE COMBINATION OF LOOSENESS AND CONTROL. GULLWING CAMBER AMPS YOUR CONFIDENCE FOR ALL TERRAIN SHREDDING FROM DROPPING CLIFFS IN POW TO SWITCH 5’S IN THE PARK.
Binding Compatibility: Same company with a board and binding combo that meshed very well.
Binding Adjustability: Quick on the fly adjustments for the straps and highback. Heelcup had been set up for me already.
Straps: Toe strap is a bit lacking it’s better than in previous years. Heel straps are solid and did their job very well.
Highbacks: Stiffened up for this year compared to years past, more all mountain freestyle focused so you could really drive into heel-side turns on it.
Binding Flex: Similar to my K2 Formulas but with a metal heel cup and plastic base. The dampening is solid and super cush for stomping landings.
Ratchets: While they do their job I would love to see these beefed up just a hair.
Rider in Mind: All mountain freestylist that likes to charge hard.
Personal Thoughts: Raiden bindings keep moving in the right direction for product development. Stiffening the highback, dampening the base, and having quick adjustments are key. But I would love to see the toe strap get a slit in it and grip the toe box just a hair better. I’d also like to see the ratchets get an over haul as well.
What They Say: THE BLACKHAWK IS NO NONSENSE, DO IT ALL PERFORMANCE BINDING. IT STARTS WITH OUR PROVEN FTI CHASSIS FOR STIFFER FLEXING BASE FOR ADDED RESPONSE AND T6 ALUMINUM HEEL CUP FOR PRECISION BOARD CONTROL. ALL NEW FOR THE BLACKHAWK IS THE INTEGRATED EVA BASE CANTING TO ELIMINATE PRESSURE ON THE JOINTS FOR MORE TIME RIDING AND EASIER BOARD CONTROL. THE PREMIUM CONTROL CUT STRAPS FOR ADDED STAB ILITY AT HIGH SPEEDS AND BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF PRESSURE OVER THE FOOT, FOR THOSE RIDERS THAT LIKE TO CRANK IT DOWN. FROM STRAIGHT-LINE DESCENTS TO HOT LAPS IN THE PARK, THIS BINDING DELIVERS.
Popularity: 38% [?]
21 Responses
What would you prefer between this and the NS decks like the revolver? im in colorado too looking mostly for a good all around freestyle. steeps/park w/e.
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Thanks for the review, bru. Based on your reviews of some of the nitro decks from last year, I know you aren’t just drinking the kool aid.
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
First off awesome cite. Second, how would you rate this board versus the Never Summer sl-r, ride’s DH2, or any other reccomendations you may have. I am an intermediate rider and I do some of everything from pow to park. My boot size is men’s 11 and i wiegh 172 lbs.Thanks in advance.
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
MP I’ve been a Revolver guy for a while have had a few of them, like the way it rides. The team is a way lighter deck and the sidecut is a lot different though. Both are solid choices.
Chris it’s more like the SL-R than the DH2 in the all mountain freestyle regard. I’d definitely consider this a solid choice for what you’re looking to do. I’d also toss out the new Salomon Answer.
I always drink the Kool Aid my flavor is Orange mixed with coconut rum.
Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Yes i am stoked you did this review, seems sick. from what i had been hearing before i thought it might be one to do work on, good to know
Posted on November 21st, 2009 at 12:14 am
So I have narrowed it down to NS sl-r and the Nitro. In your opinion is one superior to the other. If you have any other information that could help swing me one way or the other would be great.
Posted on November 21st, 2009 at 2:09 am
Chris other than a 3 year warranty on the NS and a two year warranty on the Nitro the only thing that would make me say one is superior is that NS uses 5 layers of glass and has more dampening than the Nitro.
Posted on November 21st, 2009 at 8:27 am
How would you compare the ride of the Gullwing Team vs the Solomon Grip?
Posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
They’re two different rides that’s for sure. The grip has more give in the tips cause of the rocker and is a little looser than the Team Gullwing.
Posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 11:03 pm
[...] some reviews on those Raiden's and going from there. Here is BA's review to get you started: The Angry Snowboarder Blog Archive Nitro Team Gullwing with Raiden Blackhawks my take They sound solid, I say go for [...]
Posted on December 23rd, 2009 at 8:35 am
Hey, Angry. I’m looking at the Blackhawks and the K2 Autos right now. Which one has more heelside drive in your opinion?
I don’t really care about the auto feature so much as the dampening and the canted footbeds. What’s your take?
Posted on January 6th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Harshmellow saves lives that’s all I can say about it, best dampening agent I’ve ever had the pleasure to use in any of my bindings. Over all I’d say the Auto is just a better binding than the Raidens.
Posted on January 6th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
[...] the team is a regular cambered deck. the team gullwing is dual-cambered – rockered in the middle between the bindings and cambered under the bindings. you should read BA's review on his website… The Angry Snowboarder Blog Archive Nitro Team Gullwing with Raiden Blackhawks my take [...]
Posted on January 28th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
i was about to pull the trigger on the ‘normal’ Nitro Team, but after reading this I am confused… I am after an all-mountain board, where park/jibbing/rail will be around 10-15%, and all the rest carving/turning/learning to get faster and also lot of off piste and powd.
Would the gullwing be helpful for the powd or other reason?
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Anything reverse is going to be better in the pow. The team sounds like the deck you want.
Posted on January 31st, 2010 at 9:11 pm
thanks. I just read this after replying on the other thread
Posted on February 1st, 2010 at 9:38 am
I know you dont like burton, but would compare the Burton Custom Camber, Nitro Gullwing, and the Never Summer Legacy R.
P.S. I already have a Never Summer Revolver R that I love, just want a slightly stiffer board for a different style of riding or variety.
Posted on February 2nd, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Well the camber will probably feel the stiffest just cause you’re not getting the benefits of alternate camber. The Team Gullwing and the Legacy are fairly close just different dampening.
Posted on February 2nd, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Both the legacy and the gullwing have similar flex and pop? I would prefer to stick with Never Summer, but it is hard to get end of season deals on them, any suggestions?
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 12:22 am
how would you compare the regular Nitro Team with the regular Burton Custom? is there any ‘better’ or just preferences? unfortunately I cannot test the 2 boards. I am looking for a review comparing these two boards because I heard some saying they are very similar, but couldn’t find any more details on how they perform in carving/powd/etc
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 2:11 am
Dustin smoke crack that’s how I solve all my problems.
Lorenzo the Team is a better ride in my opinion, better sidecut, better construction.
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 8:19 am
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