I finally got a chance to try out my new Nomads this past week. The last couple of seasons I’ve been riding only long boards (120s) because where I now live the conditions are mostly powder. This is how my two days on the slopes went:
On day one I broke out the Nomads first thing to give them a try. I only lasted 2 runs before switching to my 120s, this was really no fault of the Nomads. There was a good bit of loose powder on the slopes that day, and I just didn’t want to try out the Nomads for the first time in those conditions. It had been a while since I’d been on anything that short, so I wasn’t comfortable.
On day two I decided I was going to force myself to ride the Nomads all day long, so I only took them to the slopes with me. The conditions were much different from day one. It started out groomed hardpack (slick in spots), and by the afternoon became soft and slushy. The temp got close to 60 degrees and the sun was shining bright. I must say that I had an absolute freakin’ blast on the Nomads. I have an enjoyable and fun time on my 120s, but the Nomads brought me back to the times when I lived in Minnesota only using sub 100cm boards. It took me a little while to get used to riding short boards again. I realized soon to have the boards perform like I wanted, I needed to push them harder. It was great to get back into a gorilla stance and carve these things tight back and forth down the slopes. I was riding fakie, doing flat 360 spins, and even hitting small jumps. All things I seldom ever feel comfortable with on my 120s.
Overall the Nomads were stable at speed, performed very well in the crud, kept a great edge, and were super light on the feet. There were a few times I sunk into the slush and felt like I might face plant, but I don’t think any other board would have performed better. And something else to mention is that these boards are simply gorgeous. When I received them I thought they were green and black, but you get them in sunlight and you learn the black is actually a dark blue. Very sharp!
Quite often I buy boards, use them once or twice, decide they aren’t for me, and then turn around and sell them. I won’t be doing this with the Nomads. They are keepers! Love, love, love them!!! 
Rider – Jay Wisely – Expert Skiboarder
