Nitro Mercy
By PTO Ski Team, PTO has not ridden the 26/27 Mercy, and no independent 26/27 ride report exists yet. This is read off Nitro's 26/27 dealer manual and order book, plus reviews of earlier Mercy builds. · Spec analysis on this board · Spec analysis
The take
“A forgiving Cam-Out jib twin at the low end of Nitro's women's park range - snap and speed are what you trade away.”
The Mercy sits at the bottom of Nitro's women's park range on price, and the honest way to read it is by what that low price gives up rather than what it adds. Nitro flags it as a new lower price point for 26/27, and it undercuts the rest of the women's park lineup: the asym Optisym Womens at $549.95, the cambered Zaza at $559.95, and the flagship Fate Pro at $659.95. Spend more here and the money buys a stiffer, cambered board - it never buys a softer one.
What the price gets you is a soft, forgiving jib twin. The Cam-Out camber keeps camber between the feet and lets it fade toward the contact points, so the board keeps a little pop while forgiving a landing that comes in crooked. Nitro rates the flex a 4, and a soft twin on a Dual Degressive sidecut butters easily, slides without fuss, and stays calm on rails. Nitro's own chart backs the brief - Park 10, All-Mountain 8, Backcountry 7 - and this is a team jib board that Brantley Mullins rides, not a stripped beginner plank; the graphic is a collab with the artist Ali Bruce.
The limits are the flip side of those same choices. A soft flex and an extruded base are forgiving and low-maintenance, but the base is not built for glide and the board turns washy the moment you point it and ride fast. This is a centered true twin with zero setback, so powder is out - there is nothing to float the nose, and technique does not fix geometry. A rider who wants camber snap and edge hold should be on the cambered Zaza; a rider who wants the whole mountain wants the directional Mystique, not a jib twin held dead center.
One caution on evidence: no independent 26/27 ride report or PTO field test exists yet, so the character here is read off Nitro's published construction and flex plus reviews of earlier Mercys, which describe the same soft, playful jib board. The four lengths sit close together and Nitro's rider-weight ranges on the two shortest are unclear, so tell us your size and we will confirm the length and width in the shop.
Bindings we'd pair with it
Mount point: Centered stance, zero setback - a true twin. Our pick: No factory pairing - set up in the shop.
The Mercy is a bare deck - you choose the bindings. Nitro makes bindings, but no factory pairing is printed for this model, so we match one to your boots and riding in the shop.
Common Questions
- How stiff is the Nitro Mercy?
- Nitro rates it a 4 on their own ten-point flex scale - a soft, playful flex. With Cam-Out camber and a Dual Degressive sidecut, it butters, slides and presses easily, which is the point of a jib board. It is not a stiff, chargey board and does not pretend to be.
- Is the Mercy any good in powder?
- No, and we would rather say so. It is a centered true twin with zero setback, so there is nothing there to float the nose. Above a bit of fresh you want a directional board with setback, like Nitro's Mystique.
- Mercy or Zaza?
- They ride differently. The Mercy runs Cam-Out camber and a soft flex for a forgiving, catch-free feel; the Zaza is a true-camber twin with a stiffer flex for more pop and edge hold, and it costs more. Want forgiveness, take the Mercy; want camber snap, take the Zaza.
- What size Mercy should I get?
- It comes in 138, 142, 146 and 149 cm, with waists from 228 mm to 238 mm. The four lengths sit close together, so we confirm your size in the shop against Nitro rider-weight ranges before you buy.
- Does the Mercy come with bindings?
- No - it ships as a deck only. Nitro makes bindings, but there is no factory board-and-binding pairing printed for the Mercy, so we set you up in the shop and match a binding to your boots and riding.
