Never Summer 157 PROTO CT
This is only the start of the review. I will have a few different riders test this out for the next couple weeks and add their impressions, along with a few members going to the East Coast Meet. I am sure they will chime in with impressions.
Setup:
NS 157 Proto CT
Celsius cirrus dbl boa(size 9)
Flux SF45
Rider Stats:
5'9"/ 165lbs
Preferred Board Lengths 156-158 for all mountain/ 153 ish for smaller playful days/ 159-161 for hard carving days(not to many of these)
More of a rider that enjoys turns and going where I am not supposed too. Will not be hitting larger jumps but do not mind natural features and drops.
Other boards ridden this season:
2011 159 Raptor/ 2011 155 Heritage/ 2011 158 Heritage/ 2011 155 SL/ 2011 158 SL/ 2011 155 EVO/ 2011 159 Smokin Superpark/ 2011 151 Smokin MIP/ 2011 157 Rome Agent/ 2012 Technine 153 Tech IV/ 2011 Technine Re Enforcer
Conditions- Hard packed groomed runs/ 3" fresh snow/ Crappy ice coast conditions.
Pros- Carbonium topsheet takes a beating and acts as a slight stomp pad. Vario grip holds an edge well on all conditions. Hand cut angle along the top sheet edge helps reduce nicks and scratches along the edge. Fast base. Blunted tips help in reducing swing weight.
Cons- Not sure yet.
Info on the 157 Proto CT
Effective edge- 125
Tip/Tail width- 29.9
Waist width- 25.3
Sidecut- Vario 735
Shape- Twin
Overall Impression-
Spent most of the time testing the feel of the board. Feels a little softer then the SL and slightly stiffer then the Evo(assume this is attributed to the dampness of the board) when just riding lazy. Very easy to initiate and hold turns. Very poppy board along the smaller bumps I found along the trail. Landings where smooth and cushy for the smaller hits I was doing,
Feel like the carbonium top sheet adds a little extra dampening to the board(Just my opinion so far)
Held up very well to speeding down the runs, Munkyspunk was not with me so I was waiting on everyone else to catch up. The graphite impregnated 5501 Base gains and held speed just as well as my Heritage. I did wax this with some saucer wax (cold temp that Vman turned me onto earlier this season) to match the conditions.
I put this board at a 5 1/2 for flex rating. Been torn myself on either going with an SL for stiffness or Evo for twin shape and this board made my decision for me.
Should be able to get this out in 10 days at Jay Peak to get a feel for how well it handles heavy wet powder. Got this in a little after a big storm here so missed a good powder day to test it.
Notes:
This board is very light in comparison to the SL and the Evo.
Top sheet
Base
****Note-More details to follow. Sorry have a busy week here with shows and getting ready for a trip but wanted to get this started.
Edit to add the board set up.
