Niche Crux Snowboard Review

Overview of the Crux’s Specs

Who is the Crux Most Suited To?

The Crux is a great option for anyone who wants to ride freestyle over the mountain and in the park, but also wants to be able to bomb and carve up the groomers too. 

It's poppy, aggressive and stable, but in no way completely unforgiving. 

Not suitable for a beginner, IMO, but for anyone solid intermediate and up, it's a good bet, if it fits your style. 

The Crux in More Detail

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 540mm (21.3″)

Stance Setback: Centered

Width at Inserts: 265mm (10.4") 

Rider Height: 6'0"

Rider Weight: 185lbs

Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura

Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M

Powder

Form the little bit of powder I had, and based on the feel of the board overall and the specs, the Crux isn't the worst board for powder. But also average at best. Fine in the shallow powder I had, but get too much deeper and it would require a reasonable amount of effort to keep the nose afloat. 

Carving & Turning

Carving: Really enjoyed this board on a carve. Just had such a satisfying carve to it. Really fun. Definitely preferred to carve over other turns. But wasn't bad with S turns either, but just preferred to carve on it. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds:  Not bad in terms of maneuverability at slow speeds. Better than I expected given it's penchant for carving. A little easier to ride slow than the Story (which I also rode that day). 

Skidded Turns:  It felt like there could definitely be some consequence for skidded turns. Not the easiest to skid turns on. Prefers to rail the edge!

Speed

Felt really stable and controlled at speed. Carving at speed or flat basing I felt really comfortable opening this board out. 

Uneven Terrain

It handled uneven terrain well. Damp enough without being ultra-damp and nimble enough to weave through too. 

Jumps

The Crux is awesome on jumps! Really fun. 

Pop:  More pop than the Story and plenty more pop than my control board (Rossi One). Really good pop and most of it easily accessible. 

Approach:  Nice and stable on approaches to larger jumps, but also maneuverable enough for slower approaches for smaller jumps or for when you need to make adjustments to your line. 

Landing:  I found I could really stomp the landings on the Crux. It's one of those boards that wants you to own the landing - and when you do, it feels good. 

Side-hits: Really liked it for side-hits. It's nimble enough for trickier approaches and nice and poppy. 

Small jumps/Big Jumps:  It covers the spectrum well, IMO. Probably ideal for medium to large, and maybe not as good for XL (not that I took it on one). 

Switch

Great for riding switch. Whilst it's not a true twin, it felt like one. I had to double check my measurements to make sure that it wasn't actually a true twin. 

Spins

Awesome for spins. It takes off and lands switch really well, it's poppy and it's easy to get the spin around. 

Jibbing

It's OK on jibs. Not a jib master (and neither am I!) but it's doable for jibs. If you're a strong jibber, shouldn't have any issues, but not made for it either.  

Butters

It's not ultra buttery, but you can definitely still butter it. I felt it was easier than the Story to butter, and about the same as my control board, but very slightly not quite as good. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Overall, the Crux is a super fun, stomping beast. It's got some forgiveness to it, but that doesn't detract from it's ability to bomb. 

It excels for jumps, spins, speed and carving - but it's not something you can't butter at the same time. 

I had a blast on this board and wish I could have ridden it longer!