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.
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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 March 14, 2011 at 02:02 AM
Lets lay some rumors to rest. Im 5’10 and 185 lbs. I bought this board in a 155 and my buddy bought it in a 158 (hes 200lbs). While it is an all mountain board, the 155 was the clear winner for me hands down. Ive been riding for years ..powder, groomers, park, ice, etc…and this is the seventh board I have owned. It all comes down to preference. While MOST people suggested a 158 for my weight the 155 gave me that added ease of maneuvaribility and I could still bust through powder like nothing..this thing held an edge ridiculously. I rode 155 and 158 back to back after every run for comparison purposes. The 155 was a lot more fun for rails, boxes, buttering, 180’ing 360’ing off of little booters and so forth. Not only was it a lot more playful than the 158 but it still held an edge just as good as the 158 and I got just about the same speed! However, do note that if HUGE booters are your thing and you have similar stats as mine do opt for the 158. It will give you that added stability upon landing. Either you way you CANNOT go wrong with this board. Best board I have owned yet..Hands down my daily snowboard now. THanks never summer for your quality craftmanship!!!!
on May 04, 2011 at 10:45 PM
How is this board on rails ad riding switch?
on June 12, 2011 at 12:10 AM
What size Sl should i get? I was thinking either a 151 or a 153 because im at 5’7 and 140 lbs with a size 8.5-9 boot so im kind of a small guy. Just going All-mountain/freeride.
on June 12, 2011 at 12:53 PM
All-mountain freeride I’d go for the 153 or 155. The 151 will be too short and a little too narrow.
on June 23, 2011 at 06:45 PM
Hi Rich, I’m trying to pick a board. I think it’s between the NS SL, Proto, or GNU Rider’s Choice (but maybe even the Evo, or heck…something else if you know of a better match for me). I’m a female, 6’ about 170 lbs with a men’s size 9.5 shoe. I ride 158-160 and I’m an intermediate rider, starting to get comfortable on black diamonds, and hitting little boxes and jumps. I enjoy cruising and carving down the mountain and I like to ride feeling in control - not flying down the mountain, and I need to have good grip when I need to control my speed on steeper runs that can get intimidating, or maneuver easily if the slopes are crowded with people going every which way. I live in Southern California, so my local mountain conditions are usually groomers, ice patches, or crud, but I want something I can also enjoy in better conditions like Mammoth Mountain powder. I REALLY appreciate any advice you can offer. =)
on June 23, 2011 at 11:34 PM
HI Stephanie, I’ve got loads of good suggestions for you, but I’m off to Italy for the next couple of days. I’ll be back on Monday and post you some boards to check-out then. Rich
on June 24, 2011 at 05:25 AM
Have a safe trip!
on June 27, 2011 at 08:00 PM
@Stephanie,
Ok the Proto sounds like it would be a good choice for you. If you read the NS marketing they put as their board that bridges tha gap between the SL and the EVo, I’d say that’s pretty much spot on. It rides pretty damp so you can charge hard on it and the edges grip nicely but when you’re hitting smaller jumps it still seems to work well on those too. Alternatively you might find that the Burton Custom Flying V with the new Squeezebox profile and the Nitro Team Gullwing offer similar performance but are a bit lighter and livelier than the Proto CT. As far as the performance to price ratio goes the Nitro Team Gullwing is the winner by a country mile. If you want something a little softer it might be worth looking at the Nitro Addict. Other boards that fit the all-mountain board that rips in the park too and isn’t too much of a beast would be the K2 Turbo Dream and next year’s Endeavor Board of Directors which is going to win a lot of awards next season.
Rich
on July 07, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Hi Rich, help me to choose sizes, my weight 190lbs, height 6’1. I’m intermediate rider. I ride more on non-prepared slopes and powder, sometimes in the park. I choose 161 or 164 sizes? Thanks in advance.
on July 07, 2011 at 02:18 PM
@Rostislav - you can ride either. If your focus is on riding off piste then I think the 164 would be a better choice. If you plan to ride more park you might want to consider riding the 161 or looking at the Evo in a 158. By the sounds of it the 161 sounds like the best compromise.
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