Hello and welcome to my Niche Story snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Story as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Story a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Niche Story 2023
Price: $599
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 84.2/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 19 men’s aggressive all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Story’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Story’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Aggressive All-Mountain |
Price: | $599 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Chattery/Damp: |  |
Smooth/Snappy: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Rocker - Niche's "Multi-Camber" |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 20mm (0.75") |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Felt normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
156 | 258 | not available | n/a |
159 | 262 | n/a | n/a |
162 | 265 | n/a | n/a |
165 | 268 | n/a | n/a |
Who is the Story Most Suited To?
The Story is for anyone who wants an all mountain board but with an aggressive flair to it. It excels best when its carving up groomers or being taken through moderate amounts of powder and even through the park to hit the jumps.
I would recommend the Niche story to anyone who's an upper intermediate to expert rider. It's too aggressive for beginners or newer intermediates.
The Story in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Story is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Niche Story 2022, 156cm (258mm waist width)
Date: March 25, 2022
Conditions
Sunny with clouds. More cloud than blue skies - high cloud. Unlimited visibility.
Temperature: 37°F (3°C)
24hr snow: 0" (0cm)
48hr snow: 0" (0cm)
7 day snow: 27" (69cm)
On groomer: Nicely groomed mid-soft pack. Some glints of slush to start with and then got slushier as the day went on.
Off groomer: A little icy and crunchy to start in spots but not too bad. Got progressively softer.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +12/-9
Stance width: 540mm (21.3″)
Stance Setback: 20mm (0.75")
Width at Inserts: 263mm (10.35") at front insert and 263mm (10.35") at back insert.
Tester: Fraser
Rider Height: 6'1"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV
Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M
Weight: 3040grams (6lbs 11oz)
Weight per cm: 19.49 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.59 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 200 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 models. The Niche Story is heavier than normal on the scales but felt normal on snow.
Powder
Unfortunately we had no powder to test in on the day but looking at the specs, the Story should be decent in powder, without being a high-end powder board.
The hybrid rocker will help give it some float in deeper snow, while the setback stance and directional shape will help sink the tail and keep your nose above the snow, making the board fairly capable in powder.
Carving
The Niche story is fairly aggressive and snappy but doesn't require a ton of effort, making it really enjoyable for both longer and shorter carves. Otherwise felt pretty good for edge-to-edge quickness and held an edge nicely when asked to.
Turning
Ease of Turning/Slashes: Takes some effort to turn/slash pretty but overall it felt comfortable for slashing turns.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Decent at slower speeds. It never felt washy or catchy but definitely not as fast edge-to-edge at slower speeds.
Skidded: Not amazing for skidded turns as you can feel a bit out of control when in one and it can feel a bit catchy if you're not really on top of your edge.
Speed
The Story doesn't have endless speed but when you get some speed behind it, it does feel pretty damp and stable. I never noticed any chatter or wobble.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: At times the Story could get bucked around in heavy amounts of crud/chunder but it was maneuverable enough to correct. Otherwise handled normal amounts decently.
Bumps: Those extra contact points help you get around bumps/moguls faster but the board had a lot of pop, which sometimes made going through ditches or over bumps a little unpredictable at times.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Quite enjoyable on most jumps.
Pop: It has a ton of pop, which at times could almost be overwhelming but once you got used to it and used it to your advantage, it felt great. Good amount easily accessible and then more when you wind it up.
Approach: Felt smooth and controllable on approaches. Made last second adjustments when needed but definitely preferred it on approaches that needed more speed.
Landing: I really enjoyed its stiffness for landings as I found it absorbed them nicely which made them pretty forgiving, especially if you landed to tail heavy.
Side-hits: Enjoyable on most side hits. You don't really have to use much of the pop because when I did I found myself overshooting the landing a bit. But otherwise feels stable and capable on most side hits.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: I have no preference as I really enjoyed it for both.
Switch
Considering its not a true twin and has a bit of a setback stance, it rode switch quite nicely, didn't get a catchy feeling in transition or once riding switch
Spins
Overall good not too difficult to spin around for 180s and 360s and like stated above has good pop. Landing/setting up switch also felt pretty good.
Butters
Not amazing for them as they require some effort but still capable - just really have to distribute your weight and lean into it to initiate them.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SPEED | 4.0 | 20/25 |
CARVING | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
JUMPS | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
POWDER | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
SWITCH | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 84.2/100 |
Overall, the Story performs well in most places on the mountain but is at its best when you ride it with speed, laying out deep long carves, or when your taking it out on a moderate powder day. You can also rely on it to be pretty capable on most jumps.
Its a go anywhere do anything board but prefers to be done so at an aggressive pace.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Story, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other aggressive all-mountain snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Story compares to other aggressive all-mountain snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hello and welcome to my Niche Story snowboard review.
Recent Comments