Never Summer SL and SL Split Board Snowboard Review |
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The Good Ride TakeThe Never Summer SL Snowboard Review By The Good RideBoards Tried- 158 & 161 Thanks to Never Summer and also to P3 in MammothDays on the SL- 20+ Bindings Used- Burton Diode Burton C02, Burton C60, Burton P1's and Flux SF 45. Never Summer has made a big leap the last few years from a cultish small following to a more main stream line. Now, more than just Colorado people are beginning to understand the well built reliability that Never Summer offers. The Never Summer SL-R is a great choice for a hybrid rocker all mountain board and one of our favorites. We took this twinish shaped board in powder, groomers, trees, the park and steeps. The SL-R handled everything better than we could of imagined for a hybrid rocker board and great for any kind of all mountain board. Groomers- We were really surprised at how well this board held up on groomers at high speeds, and how well it handled on hard carving turns as a reverse cambered board. The SL-R is really fun when the conditions are good, but the true test is when there is firm or hard snow. Again we were surprised with its performance on the less than ideal conditions. On day one, the SL-R held its edge on a steep icy entry and then was a pleasure to turn into firm, hard packed snow on one of the longest, steepest groomed runs on the mountain. We experienced a lot less of the squirrelly feel that some rocker and camber boards have when the SL-R was flat based. Turn Initiation- Very easy to turn on, but still has that traditional snowboard feeling when it comes to edge grip, and doesn't feel like a skate board as some rockered boards can. After you initiate the turn, the SL-R hangs in there if you want to carve a big turn. Bending the tail back down a bit with the rocker camber shape helps you keep from washing out through the course of the turn like you usually would on a rockered board. We did notice that the SL-R seemed to be a little washy when making a skidded turn, so it still doesn't have a cambered like feel, but it solved the rocker turning issue. It's pretty easy to get this board from one edge to another in any condition, but gives just enough resistance to make you work just a little bit for it (something we like more than the super easy turn-ability of other boards). Turn initiation is borderline excellent. Powder- There are only a few powder days in a season, so it can be hard to test all boards in these conditions, but we had some deep days with this one. The float is effortless and easy for a board of it's shape and size even though it's not a powder board, but you wouldn't of expected that prior to reverse camber. Speed- The Never Summer SL-R is stiff compared to most boards in the All Mountain category. Straight-lining this board was pretty easy and there was minimum chatter from the rockered nose and tail - we expected more chatter so were pleasantly surprised. Weight- The Never Summer SL-R is on the heavy side like all Never Summer boards; however, they are one of the only companies that have a 3 year warranty so it's worth a little extra pressure on your leg when riding the chair. Edge Hold- We were also really surprised with the edge hold of the SL-R. The SL did hold a edge at slow speeds quite well but without sacrificing high speed performance, and had the ability to hold an edge on hard pack days. It wouldn't be ideal for the Ice Coast, but will do well in most conditions sane people consider worth riding in. Stiffness- More stiff than your average all mountain board, but still playful. Jibbing- Usually stiff boards aren't that fun to Jib but the SL-R conquers that with their rocker & camber tech. There are better boards for jibbing, but for an all mountain board, this rocks. Switch- This is a twinish board but not a twin. The contact of the nose and tail is minimal and that helps the SL ride better switch than a cambered version. There is still a difference between regular and switch but you get used to it over time. Rails and Boxes- The SL does a good job. The Never summer Evo-R is a better choice for rails and boxes, but this will be fun if you hit them on occasion. Pipe- It has enough edge hold and speed to climb a 22ft pipe, but at the same time, the hybrid rocker shape will help you land when you come back down. At the end of the season we love to lap the half pipe all day and this is a good board to do it with.
The Good Ride Take on Hybrid Rocker SnowboardsThis is what we call a snowboard that has rocker in the center and then a camber bend at the tip and tail. The end result is the tip and tail are still off the ground but it helps bring some good qualities that people liked with camber to rocker. The camber usually keeps the board from washing out when you lay into a harder carve and for the most part provide a more balanced all conditions ride compared to continuous rocker or camber. This is still nothing like camber board and it provides a loose forgiving catch free ride. Hybrid Rocker comes in all riding styles from Freestyle to Freeride and is a solid next step from where it started with continuous rocker. Hybrid Rocker is usually pretty poppy, floats well in powder, catch free and very forgiving. The one complaint is it can still be unstable flat basing or one footing in some conditions like hard pack or ice. The major companies are working on this problem and it’s been getting better since this was introduced. Most love this loose feeling and get use to the squirrely nature in certain conditions. We at The Good Ride feel this is one of the better shapes out there so give it a try.
Company InformationNever Summer SL-R 2012SL  Type: All mountain freestyleThis all terrain, all condition ride is our most popular and versatile model. For 2011/12 we have modified our Custom Flight Core to reduce weight and increase pop. We’ve also added the Carbon VXR Laminate Technology to the SL adding powerful edge response and control. The lightweight RDS 2 Damping System provides the perfect balance of freeride vibration absorption and freestyle liveliness. Slightly setback for powder floatation but centered enough for spinning and carving, this one board quiver excels on hardpack, in the park, natural features and all around freeriding. Handcrafted in Denver, Colorado, the SL has once again set the standard for all mountain freestyle performance, versatility and durability. Technical Features:STS Pretensioned Fiberglass
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| Size | Waist | Edge | Sidecut | Tip/Tail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 151 | 24.3 | 118 | VARIO 709* | 28.5 |
| 155 | 25.1 | 121 | VARIO 750* | 29.5 |
| 158 | 25.3 | 123 | VARIO 750* | 29.8 |
| 161 | 25.5 | 126 | VARIO 765* | 30.1 |
| 164 | 25.5 | 130 | VARIO 788* | 30.3 |
