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Never Summer SL 2011 Review

78K views 149 replies 56 participants last post by  Rustyyy 
#1 · (Edited)
Big nod to BA for using his template

Stick: 2011 SL 155

Binders: 2009 Rome 390's

Stance: Comfy

Angles: 15, -12

Boots: 2009 Salomon Dialogue

Weight: 160lbs

Spot: Snowmass

Conditions: groomers, park, chop, presidents day gaper mayhem, pow stash or two.

What I knew: Do everything all-mountain monster. rails not a strength.

Initial Impression: "hmmmm...I don't remember this board being THIS poppy and lively."

Flex: Softer than previous models, I jumped on a friend's 09 to compare and the '11 is definitely noticibly softer.

Stability: First run was on an icy ridge leading to the park that I get VERY sketched out on with my revolver. Not so with this board. I charged that run with no fear whatsoever. Still incredibly damp and stable for being softer.

Pop: TO THE MOON! I was blown away by the pop on this board. I was so impressed that I called NS and asked if they changed anything on it. apparently they have been messing with the core materials and shape of the board to make poppier and more lively. mission accomplished. definitely the highlight of this board.

butterability: very very playful and easy to butter.

Charging: fast and stable. no problems even on the choppiest terrain.

Jibbing: still not a strong point but better than earlier models. still doesn't lock in like a true park board but I didn't have any problems sliding any features.

Rider in mind: Park guy who loves big booters.

My thoughts: LOVE LOVE LOVE this board. So playful and fast edge to edge. perhaps the fastest edge to edge that I've ridden yet. I had so much fun on the board that I'm 95% sure that this will be my daily driver next year. The stick has moved more into a park board which is nice for those of us who arent big jibbers but still like to slide around some. The biggest thing for me was how truly playful it was. I had some friends take some runs on it and the first thing they all said was how it rode like a skateboard. With that being said, i felt it rode much shorter that a 155 and I even narrowed my stance a bit to maximize the flex in between my feet and pop in the nose and tail. The only issue i had was that this stick was so poppy that i couldn't throw my backside cork 5 with it cuz if i preloaded the tail the board would shoot out from under me and throw me squirrelly when I hit the lip.

This is a great step forward for this board. I had always thought that the SL was a bit too all mountain for my style of riding, but this version now fits my riding needs better than my revolver does.

BIG THANK YOU to Vince and Tim for allowing me the opportunity to ride this board.
 
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#13 ·
Hey Cool As Cakes, thanks for the review!

Got a question someone related...

Thinking of getting an NS board for next year. After reading reviews and write ups...the SLR seems to be the one....HOWEVER...

SLR is a little pricey for me and seems to sell out in the size i want quick (151). So I was wondering if I could make do with a circuit R. Its more of a park oriented board and I primarily freeride but am really wanting to improve ground tricks and jumps off of natural features. I'm 125lbs (i know...super feather weight...heh) and currently ride a 2008 151 custom...which if find fairly stiff for me. I'm just looking for a more playful board to practice ground tricks but will still allow me to charge steeps. The circuit R seems a bit too flexy for me but could I compensate by getting a larger circuit R to improve high speed stability (155 vs. 151)? Does it work that way? :S Just looking for any advice. Dunno if my post made any sense...

Thanks man.
 
#15 ·
if you're mostly freeride then i wouldn't recommend the circuit. One of the best parts of what NS does is the rubber dampening layer they put in their sticks. The Circuit, along with the evo and the revolver, have much less dampening in them which chops up the ride a bit in rough conditions. With the circuit being the softest of the three (at least by reputaion) it lends itself to chatter quite a bit in choppy conditions. You can definitely do well with the evo because you are so light, but if the SL suits your riding style best then you should pony up the extra 80 bucks or so for what truly suits you.

I say pop for the SL
 
#17 ·
Straight from Vince about the 2011 SL-R

"We have modified the core/profile and the board is even livelier in feel."

So it sounds like they have done some work internally to change the board a bit.
 
#26 ·
I see, that makes sense. They didn't tell me about any changes until I asked why the board was riding so much differently from previous models. They didn't really change much, just tinkering from what i understand, which makes some sense of what you were told. if they aren't going to market it as a new design, which they aren't cuz of the new design of the heritage and the raptor, maybe that explains why the reps didn't know anything about it. Or perhaps the changes weren't made until after the demo you were at. either way, it works out for us :D
 
#36 ·
Nice review. was thinking of grabbing an Evo, but if they've softened it up and made the 2011 a bit livelier, you've given me something to think about.
thanks man. I thought the same thing riding the 2011. I was fully expecting to get an evo for next season but the way that SL rides made me reconsider completely. Especially if you love jumping and pure speed as much as I do. The best part was my confidence in charging sketchy slopes. I was bombing WAY faster than my buddies on the way to the park on a run that I usually take my time on, but once in the park, it performed exactly how I wanted it to. The stability in hitting big booters at high speeds was incredible as well. It even jibbed much better than I expected. still not a jib stick, but I only hit rails if they're not in the way of a jump.

Like I said in the review. It fits my riding style perfectly.
 
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