Never Summer SL - 2011
Never Summer claim the SL is their all-mountain, do everything dominator. They’re not wrong. Enough damping to eradicate any of those unwanted vibrations you get when the snow’s hard and crusty, a rocker/camber hybrid profile that makes carving a dream and backcountry riding effortless and a powerful but manageable flex that rewards aggressive riders with great edge hold and plenty of pop. The Never Summer SL is a great snowboard for riders who want to ride everything and anything as long as there’s plenty of carving to be had.
Manufacturer's Description:
An extremely agile, high performance freestyle board that does it all, the SL is not only versatile, but offers powerful edge to edge response and maintains a forgiving tip and tail. If you want a board that excels in the park, on groomers, or on backcountry kickers, this is it.
Recommended for park riding.
Recommended for halfpipe riding.
Recommended for freeride riding.
High cost $
Available in Wide.
Rocker Construction.
Directional Twin Shape.
Year: 2011
Available Lengths (cm):
151, 153, 155, 158, 161, 164
Riding Style: All Mountain
Specifications:
RC rocker / camber profile
STS Pretensioned Fiberglass
BI-Lite Fiberglass
Carbon VXR Laminate Technology
NS Custom Flightcore
RDS 2 Damping System
Sintered P-tex Sidewall
Durasurf Sintered 4501 base
P-tex Tip and Tail Protection
Full Wrap Metal Edge
3 year warranty
Similar boards: Burton Feelgood Flying-V - 2011 Burton Sherlock - 2011 Nitro Shadow - 2011 Atomic Alibi Renu - 2011
Snowboard Review:
The SL is Never Summer’s all-mountain snowboard aimed at the rider who is looking at boards like the Burton Custom or Atomic Alibi, a snowboard to lay waste to everything from park to powder. It has a directional twin shape, biaxial glass, extensive carbon reinforcement and more damping than a bouncy castle.
Like other NS boards the SL uses RC technology, rocker between the bindings and camber at the nose and tail. The result of this match made in heaven is a softer longitudinal flex between the bindings and a stiffer and super poppy nose and tail. For intermediate riders raising the nose and tail off the snow means the SL is very stable when it’s kept on a flat base and ridden down all types of snow conditions, despite using a slightly firmer than moderate torsional flex, the SL initiates carves quite easily and on an edge the SL was extremely capable. Personally, I really enjoyed the way the board’s sidecut worked well with the softer rocker area between the bindings, I felt I could really work the SL into hard carves… and then there’s a reminder that you’ve got camber in the tail as it pops you out. The feel is almost identical to that of the NS Raptor, just a little less powerful. The softer waist also means it’s remarkably easy to work the fairly firm flexing SL into tight turns on steep terrain. When you open up the SL the ride is smooth and refined, there is no snowboard manufacturer on the planet that does damping quite like Never Summer, the SL rides like a Rolls Royce Phantom on air suspension. Another great thing about the SL is the crazy float it packs, there’s no need to put all of your weight on the back of the board or set your stance back, it just seems to work in the pow.. freeriding is something the SL just eats up.
On the freestyle front, the SL was fine off kickers, as I mentioned earlier, there is plenty of carbon reinforcement in the nose and tail, so you’ve got a nice helping of pop. Carving into spins was predictable, but for those with less experience I think the SL has too much grip, so there’s no way you’ll be able to cheat and slide frontside spins off transitions. Another observation was that riding switch was a bit of an oddity on the SL. I felt that the toe edge and particularly my front foot (my rear foot when riding regular) toe edge was dragging a bit which made the ride pretty twitchy, I’d be interested to know if anybody else has found this? Unfortunately I didn’t get to ride the SL in the pipe, but I’m certain it would smoke it. If you want to ride rails, short of the odd board slide and box press the SL is probably too stiff to work, I’d look at the Evo if rails are your bag.
If you’re a confident intermediate or advanced snowboarder who enjoys carving hard on groomers, getting expressive in the powder and hitting booters of all shapes and sizes in the park and off piste, you should check out the SL. The SL feels quite like the Custom flying V which is no surprise as they use similar technology. Comparing the two, the SL needs a stronger / heavier rider to get the most from it, but the damping means it’s a more refined ride at high speed and on sketchy snow. Choose the SL if you want to ride everything but freeriding is your main-stay and the Burton Custom Flying V if pipe and booters are your bag.
Posted by Rich Ewbank in • Never Summer
User Snowboard Reviews
Want some advice, or have a question about the Never Summer SL snowboard, or whether it is right for you? DON'T POST HERE! Head over to our snowboard forums and our community will be happy to help.
Seriously - READ THE ABOVE..., the snowboard forum the best way to get your question seen by all of our community and an answer, rather than just those who happen to view this page.
However, if you have ridden this snowboard and want to share your feedback, then please add your experience below. It helps to add as much detail as possible, e.g board length you used, bindings, rider stats etc.
on November 27, 2010 at 11:19 PM
@ Rich Thanks for the prompt reply I was leaning toward the 158 for that sole reason. Besides I have a 155 WWW for park so I will be taking your advice. Have a good one.
on December 08, 2010 at 09:27 PM
hi, i am a intermediate-advanced rider. i am more of the hard carving freerider who likes to get good quick response out of turn transitions and carves. I also like hitting big kickers and jumps.
getting good float on powder, good pop off jumps and quick carving is the priority. i wouldnt mind it having some flex and being a very damping board.
i cant choose between the arbor RX or CX (which one is better for my choices) and the Never summer Sl-r
thanks.
on December 09, 2010 at 09:10 AM
Josh, it sounds like the SL was made for you. Plenty of pop out of carves, as damp as a weekend camping in Cumbria (very damp, stable for charging and poppy enough to be hitting big jumps. It sounds to be that a cambered Arbor would suit your needs more than reverse.
on December 09, 2010 at 10:57 PM
im a bit confused. you stated that the SL would be a great fit for me…then at the end, you stated that the cambered Arbor would suit my needs. Which is the one you would recommend for my riding style? or are they (cambered arbor and SL-R) pretty much the same for my needs.
thanks.
on December 09, 2010 at 11:16 PM
Rocker and RC tech are quite different. RC has the benefits of rocker between the feet for short radius carves and camber at the tips for punch out of carves. STandard rocker has no traits of camber, sure it rolls nicely onto edges and holds a nice line, but you don’t get the snap of camber. RC takes the recoil of camber and makes it more forgiving, workable and fun. Rocker takes non of the elements of camber. If you want pop out of carves and you don’t want RC then you’re best sticking with camber.
on December 09, 2010 at 11:28 PM
ohhh. so your stating i get a regular camber board. so the older never summer SL or the cambered Arbor element.
so from what i wrote on my first post. which of the two would you recommend. camber right? and which board with camber…
sorry if im bothering you. haha
thanks
on December 10, 2010 at 09:14 AM
Wow you are confused. Never Summer RC technology is Rocker between the feet and camber at the nose and tail, it’s a hybrid camber incorporating elements of both rocker and camber. This would be the best choice for you as you can enjoy the powder float of rocker and the carving feeling of a board that bends at the waist but has camber punch for energy out of turns in the tail. If you decide that you don’t want a Never Summer and you want an Arbor instead I think that Arbors Rocker which is a radial rocker (100% reverse camber)(i.e. no camber in the tips) doesn’t have enough of the characteristics that you are asking for so I would suggest you choose a cambered board… if you buy an Arbor.
In the basics section of our guide at the bottom of the page is an explanation of all of the camber varieties and their benefits.
http://www.snowboard-review.com/snowboard_guide/basics/
on December 10, 2010 at 09:28 AM
ohhhh haha. sorry.
i got it.
thanks for your help Rich
on December 10, 2010 at 08:11 PM
What factors need to be considered when justifying the slightly wider Legacy vs the SL? I’m 5’10”, 175lbs, and wear a size 10 boot. Can I go either way and are there many drawbacks to a wider board?
Thanks in advance, Mike
on December 10, 2010 at 09:00 PM
Hi Mike,
If that’s a US10 then go for the standard SL. There’s no point in going wide unless it’s going to be a benefit. Wider boards with less wide feet make edge-to-edge transition a bit slugish and the board in general that little less responsive. Always best to a have a touch of overhang.
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