The Nitro T2 is a great board. I was looking for a true twin that I could ride both inside and outside of the park. All-mountain freestyle. A single board. The T2 delivered.
I've got the 155 Nitro T2 from the 2005/2006 season. I've ridden it for three complete weeks on a variety of terrain: park boxes and kickers, slushy slopes and icy pistes, fresh corduroy and some powder. It's difficult for a board to excell in every category when used across the whole mountain. Floating effortlessly in powder is pretty much guaranteed to come at the expense of short, twin, flexy rail action. But the T2 ticks a lot of boxes and I'm confident with it being the only board in my bag.
So who is going to benefit from the this review? Well, if you're looking for a pure jib-stick, I don't think the T2 is for you. Likewise if you're mainly interested in freeriding, the T2 is likely to fall short. But if you're in one of the following categories, as I was, read on:
- You like jibbing and riding in the park, but you'd like to try something a little stiffer and slightly longer to be more rounded.
- You're in the market for an all-mountain board, but you'd like it orientated towards freestyle.
Jibbing & The Park I found the T2 quite nice for jibbing around the piste. Sure it's not as soft and playful as a jib board, but it's definitely light, with a snappy feel, which makes it agile. You've got to put a little more into ollies than with something like a Ride Kink or a Ride DH, but when you get it right, the T2 has great pop. It's not too stiff. It felt nice on kickers.
If you follow the weight ranges, the T2 is also a little longer than a jib board. For me, a jib board is in the range 150cm - 153cm, but the T2 I ride is 155cm. For some, this might feel long, but I didn't really notice it. Maybe the lightness helps here? While the little bit of extra length may make the board feel more cumbersome on rails and boxes, it comes in handy around the rest of the hill.
When it comes to rails and boxes, I'd say you can tell the difference between the T2 and a pure-jib board, but it didn't stop me hitting them. The T2 has a nice twin shape, with good stance options, 23.5" being the widest. It still felt like a good setup on the boxes, no real hang ups. And besides, the T2 is Eero's choice for rails after all...
Although I've hardly ridden any pipe with the T2, I'd say that the little extra lenght and good edge hold will help with the transitions.
Riding the piste The T2 performs well. Whilst it's not a freeride board, it does have a pretty aggressive sidecut on it compared with something like the Ride DH. And although it's lack of directional-shape may hinder its out-right performance on the piste, to me this is a design benefit. I like to ride switch as much as I do regular, so the twin shape is perfect. The result is good edge hold going in both directions.
I also think the T2 has a pretty fast base, that seemed to maintain wax quite well. It certainly stacked up well against the other riders in our group. The additional length and stiffer flex over a pure jib board adds to the stability, especially at higher speeds. It's a confident and solid ride, encouraging you to rip up the piste.
Powder Not really the T2's domain, but it did ok. The '05/'06 model has a fairly flat nose and tail which didn't help one bit (I think they changed this with the '06/'07 model). Cruising flat bits at slow speed or traversing at slow speed was a little tricky, with the nose having a tendancy to dig in. This caught me out quite a few times. But once your gliding, or even better, riding some steep stuff, it's fine. The T2 felt nimble in the powder.
A friend in the group was riding around on a Burton Fish, which is a different story altogether. But hey, the T2's a twin tip and I was riding it with an even stance, 23.5" apart, it's not going to float like a Fish. What's important is that I didn't really feel held back by the board, I didn't have the urge to try something longer for a run or two to test the difference. I didn't even bother setting my front foot back. It was still fun riding.
Overall So is the T2 a compramise or just the right mix for a board?
I'm towards the great mix end, I think this is a really good board. I wanted to try something more versatile than a pure jib board, but not going as far as an all-mountain board. A little bit longer, a little bit stiffer, but still freestyle. Still twin. I know that I could easily enjoy something with a similar design aim but a little softer - like the Agent or the DH - but the T2 has a little more bite, and I like that too.
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