New board cost vs growth

Posted: 11 February 2012 01:52 AM

Hola!

New guy here, hoping to pick some of your experienced brains.  I am looking (like everyone else in this forum) to grab a new board during the current clearance sales going on around me.  I have 3 options:  Never Summer SL, Never Summer Legacy, GNU Carbon Credit.

A bit about me…I am in my second year of boarding, feel completely comfortable on blues and getting comfortable on blacks.  I plan on focusing mainly on trail riding but would like to work some park stuff in as I progress.  I’m 6’1 185lbs if that helps at all.  I ride on the East Coast so I see plenty of icy conditions.

Now, normally after reading the reviews and research I would just take the GNU as the NS boards seem fairly advanced…but…a store near me is currently selling the SL and Legacy for $350.  The cheapest I can find the GNU is 319…so would the NS be a better long term investment for the fairly small cost increase?  Or would the NS boards be too advanced and cause issues?

Thanks for any advice!

Posted: 16 February 2012 03:38 PM

Hi Chris

The NS Legacy is a wider version of the SL - for all intents and purposes they’re much the same board. If you have US 11 feet or larger you might want to consider a wider board.

The Gnu would be good for the East coast ice with it’s magnetraction, and you could ride anything from a 156 upwards, although based on your height I’d probably consider the 159 as the boad for you. FYI there is a wide version of this board too.

The Gnu is probably slightly stiffer than the NS boards, but I doubt by much.

The only other major thing to consider here is the camber - NS use a hybrid set up and the Gnu is full rocker. Translated to the mountain, the Gnu may feel a bit looser on the snow and give your ride a more skate feel, whereas the NS will combine the camber feel with a bit more forgiveness and float in powder.

If it was me, I’d probably plump for the NS. Magnetraction can be a like/dislike feature and if you’ve been riding a regular board until now you might find the combo of full rocker and magnetraction will make a big difference to the way you ride. The NS will offer good grip regardless, and will be more stable at speed due to it’s hybrid camber.

If you get a chance to demo though, definitely do it.

Posted: 18 February 2012 12:17 AM

Hi Kat,

Thanks for the advice.  After reading your response and some more thought, the Never Summer seemed to good to pass up at that price point.  I was able to talk the sales guy down to 300 for the SL, and picked up a 161.  Now all I need is some snow…

Thanks again!

take care,
Chris