Niche Sonnet Snowboard Review

Overview of the Sonnet’s Specs

Who is the Sonnet Most Suited To?

The Niche Sonnet is a board that is best suited to anyone who want's a board that can do a bit of everything, anywhere on the mountain.

Certainly capable of bombing groomers, while also having the ability to carve them up as well. Smashes through crud/chunder effortlessly, while also handling itself well in powder too. 

It struggles a bit with jibbing but can handle itself on most jumps, making it a one-board-quiver style option, if you don't plan on spending too much time in the park. 

I would recommend the Sonnet for anyone from an intermediate to expert level of riding. Its overall just a bit too aggressive for beginners.

The Sonnet in More Detail

Bindings angles: +15/-12

Stance width: 500mm (19.7″)

Stance Setback: Setback 20mm (3/4")

Width at Inserts: 245mm (9.65") at front insert and 245mm (9.65") at back insert 

Weight: 2760g (6lbs, 1oz)

Weight per cm: 18.78g/cm

Average Weight per cm: 17.29 grams/cm*

*based on a small sample size of around 30 women's boards that I've weighed in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 models. The Sonnet is a little heavier on the scales and felt a little heavier than normal on snow too. 

Tester: Jade

Rider Height: 5"7" (170cm)

Rider Weight: 130lbs (59kg)

Rider Boot Size: Women's US6.5 Thirty Two Exit

Bindings Used: Burton Lexa, Medium 

Powder

Unfortunately no real powder conditions were prevalent on the day but after getting a feel for the board and looking at the specs, it should be good in powder, without being the quintessential powder board or anything.  

The Hybrid Rocker profile, setback stance and directional shape all make the Sonnet a capable board in powder., The rocker helps it to float, while the setback stance and directional shape help to naturally sink the tail and keep the nose above the snow.  

Carving

Felt like the board had an aggressive sidecut to it, which made carving a dream. I was able to really get low and lay my edge into the snow, allowing me to perform aggressive long drawn out carves. I never noticed any catchiness or washiness either.

Turning

Ease of Turns/Slashing: The Sonnets tail released pretty easily and the board was decently quick from edge-to-edge, making it quite enjoyable for S turns and slashes. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Overall had an average amount of nimbleness at slower speeds. It's by no means insanely fast from edge-to-edge at slow speeds but it isn't sluggish either.

Skidded Turns: Could be a bit unpredictable at times, if you weren't always on top of your edges. But if you are a capable rider, the Sonnet should be no problem to keep under control in most skidded turns. 

Speed

Even in the heavy sticky snow conditions we had to test on this day, the Sonnet felt quite quick and it didn't take much to garner a good amount of speed. On top of that, it felt nice and stable at speed. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: Great day to test for crud/chunder as there was a lot of it. The Sonnet smashed through it with minimal effort, never feeling like you were getting bucked around or losing control/maneuverability.  

Bumps/Trees: The average amount of quickness from edge-to-edge makes the Sonnet ok at maneuvering around bumps/trees etc but it definitely requires some effort in narrower tree runs. Otherwise, it was a bit challenging to hug bumps, moguls, and ditches but again with some extra effort can be capable enough.

Jumps

Pop:  Not the poppiest board but still had enough for most situations. The pop wasn't overly difficult to access though. 

Approach: Really easy to get a solid amount of speed quickly but the average speed from edge-to-edge made it a bit harder for speed checks/last second adjustments. So better on the approach when you needed stability to pick your line and hold it. 

Landing: Felt solid but also forgiving enough. Found it easy to ride out on larger jumps as well, as it cut through landings nicely. 

Side-hits: Had enough pop to get solid air on smaller ones. Not the most playful in every situation but could be for the right rider. 

Small jumps: While it felt ok on them, the lack of pop made small jumps feel average and a bit underwhelming compared to larger jumps. 

Big jumps: Felt way more in its element on larger jumps, as it was forgiving enough for them yet really stable. 

Switch

Some of the directional features on the Sonnet make it more challenging to ride switch at times. The setback stance being the biggest reason. But even with that being said, it can be ridden switch if your decently capable. 

Spins

Overall pretty capable. It wasn't too difficult to rotate in the air and in most situations not to challenging to get off of the ground. Setting up switch take-offs and landings could be a bit more work at higher speeds but otherwise felt good 

Jibbing

Not the most ideal for jibbing because of the directional aspects making switch transitions, ride in's and out's more challenging but also because of the lack of quickness from edge-to-edge making approaches and last second adjustments more difficult.  

Butters

Found the undulating edges made me a bit more apprehensive when buttering as it felt catchy when trying to perform them. Otherwise the flex felt good and I enjoyed tail presses the most due to the setback stance. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Overall, the Sonnet can be a great option as a one-board-quiver, do-it-all kind of board for someone who rides a bit more aggressively and doesn't plan on taking it into the park often. 

You could just use it more as a carving/powder board if desired but its versatility allows you to be confident using it everywhere. Really good for icy conditions too.