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 February 21, 2011 at 05:44 PM
It completely depends on what you want from the board. If you buy any board at 153 you’ll sink in powder like the Titanic. If you want a board that will perform well in the park primarily and then float when you are riding powder the reverse camber in the EVO gives it float. And it’s definitely not a soft board, probably about as middle flexing as you can get 5/10 and personally I think it handles freeride particularly well for a twin shape. The SL is stiffer, more directional and needs more power to ride it. I’d say it is more skewed to people who want to freeride. I’d also say that you shouldn’t consider the SL at any shorter than 158cm…. which kind of defeats what you want to do… i.e. going for a shorter board.
on February 21, 2011 at 05:50 PM
Man, I appreciate your help! Looks like I’m gonna find me a nice Evo. I probably go with the 155 but right now im on a 158 and it just seems so big. granted it is a piece of crap and is a 100% begginer’s board. we’ll see how it goes but now i have a bit better idea of how these to NS boards match up. Thanks a lot!
on February 21, 2011 at 05:58 PM
No Probs, I’m glad I could help. But definitely don’t get put off riding a normal all mountain board length because of an experience with an old plank. I ride a 157 Rossi Angus for park and cruising around and it feels a lot shorter than my 158cm fully cambered Rossi JDub… sidecut, profile and flex are all as import as the length of the board when it comes to maourverability. You’ll find the rocker in the profile will make it feel short. Only buy a really short board if you are confining your riding to rails or you only ride on short low gradient hills with bad snow.
on February 22, 2011 at 02:31 PM
I was about to head out to Seattle to pick up the Raptor X 165 before taking it up to Whistler, now it seems that board is sold out everywhere :o( So the SL looks similar but what are the major differences between the boards? Is it just the dampness? Also, i’m 6’3” and about 200lbs, riding groomers and powder mainly… 161? THanks :o)
on February 22, 2011 at 02:56 PM
There’s not a huge difference between the dampness, they’re both very damp in comparison to most brands. The Carbonium topsheet makes the Raptor a bit more lively and the shape and RC profile are more directional. Hoever both carved great and both floated like a airship in powder, and both benefit from stonger, aggressive and heavier riders. At 200 lbs it’s your call, it’s either the 161 or 164, but I’m 160lbs and I found the 158 was plenty of board… you’d be fine on the 161, but obviously the 164 will have more edge for grip and more float. Have you looked at the Premier F1… It’s a bit more freeride focused than the SL. And the Heritage is like the Raptor spec with the SL shape.
on February 22, 2011 at 03:09 PM
I might just dump NS for making the perfect board and then not making enough of them!!! Hmmm… Ok, thanks for the advice ;o)
on February 26, 2011 at 03:30 AM
I am 5’10 and 175 and size 12 boot. I want to purchase a NS SL 161 but not sure if I should go with the legacy?
on February 28, 2011 at 12:19 AM
Ok im looking to buy my own board and have been looking at this board. Im 6foot 195lbs size 10boot u.s. my ride style is all mounton/freeride. Love carving. Im just looking for some help. also have been looking at the NS F1. any help would be great
on March 11, 2011 at 05:02 PM
i tried the 2011 Custom flying v on a quick demo last year, not keen on the way the middle feels a bit loose, does the Never Summer SL have this loose feeling in turns cos it sounds a rad board?
on March 13, 2011 at 10:03 AM
@Brad - The profile both boards use has rocker between the feet and camber at the nose and tail means that both boards will feel loose on a flat base on hardpack snow. On an edge… the SL definitely doesn’t feel loose, this thing has more grip than an eagles talons!It’s definitely a different feel to camber though.
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