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 December 10, 2010 at 09:15 PM
Thanks Rich, I’m gonna go with the SL. Luckily, I don’t have to see the ugly green bottom when the board is on. They must’ve wanted to get rid of their extra paint from the legacy. LOL
on December 11, 2010 at 05:56 AM
I am having some trouble deciding weather to ride a 158 or 161 in the SL. I am 6’1” 195-200 lbs. I typically run laps in the park all day unless the pow is deep. I would consider myself an intermediate/advanced rider. This is my 1st board purchase. Any feedback would be helpful, thnx, Craig…
on December 11, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Hi Craig,
For all mountain snowboarding the 161 is going to be the best fit. If you are riding mainly park and would like to use a shorter board, look at the Evo or Revolver depending on your foot size. You could happily ride that around the 158 mark.
on December 30, 2010 at 06:40 AM
Hi Rich,
I’m extremely interested in buying the Never Summer SL. I am 5’7 170 pounds, do you think the 153 will be good for me? I know you’re supposed to ride shorter rocker boards, but with the camber in the tips and tail throw that off?
Also, do you have any other cons for this board? I’ve read your review probably a hundred times and I can’t help but doubt my choice of snowboard, especially when dropping 500 bucks on it. Any more expertise on this board would be much appreciated.
on December 30, 2010 at 06:58 PM
I think the whole idea that rockers should be ridden shorter is incorrect. It’s true you can bennefit from slightly better float from a rockers so in powder you don’t need to ride super long powder boards but I really don’t think it’s a good idea to size down for all mountain boards. You still want effective edge for grip and length for stability.If you weigh 170lbs you should be riding a 158 or if you want to go a little shorter a 155. The 153 is too short. If you are looking for a powerful all mountain snowboard for taring up groomers, hitting the pipe and big jumps as well as heading out of bounds then the SL is great. But it does benefit from aggressive riding, if you just like cruising or jibbing it might be a bit of a handful. Can’t really advise you until you disclose a little bit more about what terrain you like to ride and what your ability is.
on January 01, 2011 at 12:09 AM
Thanks Rich, I think I’ll go with the 155 when I decide to buy it. I live in Jasper, Alberta so I ride in the rocky mountains. My main riding is searching for powder. I love going through the trees and hitting up untouched spots. When that’s all tracked out, I’ll do the regular runs and groomed runs and look for natural jump features… but at the same time I like to jib as well, I just got good at jibbing so it’s something I’ll be doing at the end of my run because the park is at the bottom of the hill. I have never been in a half pipe, and huge booters aren’t my thing. So I pretty much want a board that does everything. Right now I ride a Rome Graft (pure park board) which can’t handle steeps too well because its so floppy, so now I want a board that can do everything. I picked the Never Summer because I was intrigued with their RC technology, which is patented now (Does that mean no other company can have rocker under the feet and cambered tip and tail?) And I picked the SL because they proclaim its their do everything board.
on January 31, 2011 at 02:44 PM
Hi. I’m a beginner/intermediate rider and ride on piste for about 85%. i’m 6’1 and 185 lbs. Should i get the board in 164 (like some charts i found on the internet suggest) or should i get a shorter one? Riding in the park doesn’t really interest me, so in the future i’m looking forward to ride powder if i can find any. Thanks in advance
on February 18, 2011 at 09:54 PM
Hey Guys, Question. im looking into getting the 2011 Never summer board. im really liking the SL but im not sure what to get. im getting a never summer no matter what. im 5’9” and 175-180lbs. im getting a 153 for sure. i have a piece of crap 158 right now and it is too big and i hate it. i love to ride powder but want to shread in the park. what never summer board would best suite that?
Thanks,
on February 19, 2011 at 01:25 PM
Tyler - for your height and weight and the kind of terrain you want to ride i.e. park and pow the NS Evo 155 would make a great choice. I think 153 is going to be too small especially if your boot size is bigger than a US9… at 24.4cm at the waist it is narrow. The Sl is more freeride orientated than the EVO with a setback stance and directional shape, it doesn’t sound like what you are after.
on February 21, 2011 at 05:24 PM
I took a look at the Evo, It looks like it is mainly a Freestyle Park board? i’m worried this may not be a great match for me in the powder with the butteryness of the Evo. Does it have the power to bust through pow, but still maintain that float?
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