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Review: 2012 Never Summer Proto CT

272K views 919 replies 187 participants last post by  dreampow 
#1 · (Edited)
Review part 2 here with David's take on the board as well:

aGNARchy Proto CT Review

Introduction

For the past two years, I've slowly been getting sucked into the Never Summer hype around these forums. I wondered, "Can a line of boards really be that good?". Well, earlier last month, I was presented an opportunity of a snowboarding lifetime. Vince and Tracey from Never Summer contacted me and offered me a position in their online design team. What does that entail exactly? Well, they wanted my input on their products present and future. If I have any ideas/input regarding all aspects of their boards, then I am more than welcome to provide them. What's the catch? I have to ride and review a board of my choice. I chose the Proto CT because the tech specs sounded to be a perfect compliment to my riding style.

So you might be wondering what I thought about the board now. Well, I am a little angry at snowboardingforum to be honest. All that hype... all that talk... for what? A board that did not meet my expectations... THE NEVER SUMMER PROTO CT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. So why the anger? Because now I have to add another brand of boards to my want list. Now I want to ride them all! Thanks guys. This is not a good thing for a gear whore like me.

So here it is, my initial review of the excellent 2012 Never Summer Proto CT 157:

Setup
Board: 2012 Never Summer Proto CT 157
Bindings: 2011 Rome 390 Boss L/XL
Boots: 2011 Burton Restricted Hail 9.5 US
Stance: +18/-12 Regular @ 23.5"

I am 5'9, 180lbs.

Handling
The Proto CT really shines in this department. The snow conditions was as good as it gets for Michigan at a generous 10-12". The Proto absolutely loves the snow. It held a solid edge when initiating carves and was more than easy to engage the sidecut. I did a series of short to medium to long carves and it was superbly stable and smooth. The Proto rode like a 160ish board, but handled like a 155ish. I attribute these characteristics to the longer effective edge and light weight (the blunted tips reduce the swing weight as well).

As the day progressed, the good snow had been pushed off to the side leaving the hardpack exposed. The Proto didn't have a single problem eating through it all. In fact, I felt so confident on this board, that I still rode aggressively even though there was crazy wind gusts with snow that made it hard to see. Of course, I didn't mach down the run in fear of hitting another rider, but I sure was carving it up on terrain I could barely see.

I didn't take the Proto into park jumps yet, but I definitely will soon. I was hitting some pow build ups though and it was super stable on those little jumps. On one occasion, I leaned forward too much and was sure I was going to eat snow. Much to my joy, I was able to ride it out. Come on, I got away with landing on my nose. That's pretty good. Not sure if this will be the case on an actual kicker, but I'll take it.

The only cons I could find about the handling is the edge to edge quickness and speed. It wasn't quite as fast as other boards I ride. This is because the board's width is a little wider than what I normally ride. The Proto CT 157 has a waist width of 25.3". My other boards are under 25". But to be honest, that is nitpicking and someone with even a size 10 boot won't likely have this problem. As for the speed, I found it to be a bit slower than my other rides. However, this is on factory wax and I will surely have to see how it rides after I personally wax it.

Pop
Very satisfying. One of the more poppy boards out there. Load up on either the nose or tail and off you go. I was having a ton of fun just ollieing over branches and clumps of snow.

Flex/Camber Profile
I'd give this board a 6 rating flex-wise. Just over middle-of-the-road. Perfect for all-mountain freestyle in my opinion. Torsionally, it is a bit stiffer which is one of the reasons why this board carves so well for a mid-flex.

I was very curious about Never Summer's now famous Rocker Camber profile. Love it. I'm going to say it... I like it more than my previous favorite, C2 BTX. While the C2 is in fact more playful, it doesn't lend to carving and stability (stable C2 boards are good deal stiff like the T.Rice). Never Summer got things right with their hybrid camber and this is probably another reason why a board of this flex can handle like a bigger, stiffer board. I like that their camber section feels like it has more bite. I haven't compared it next to a C2 yet, but I'd hazard a guess that NS's camber zone is a little more pronounced. Although there wasn't a ton of pow, I did take the Proto on the sides of the runs where everyone was neglecting the untouched snow build-up. The NS held up really well and gave me a glimpse of what riding actual pow would be like. Obviously, there are better pow boards out there, but the Proto CT does well enough.

Other Thoughts
I have to mention that I had a crash on the Proto. I was riding behind a skier and wanted take a path to the right. I did not realize that he had the same path in mind and he made an abrupt right turn. We ended up colliding causing him to lose his skies and me to go into a tuck and roll. Don't worry, I admitted fault and apologized and we both had a good laugh about it. Anyway, back to the point. I was sure I was going to find some damage on my board. Absolutely sure of it. Needless to say, I still can't find it and I want to give it another look over next time I ride. I guess Never Summer isn't kidding about the Carbonium topsheet being durable.

That brings me to my other point. The Carbonium topsheet not only looks good, but makes for a damn handy stomp pad. As in, you don't need one with this board. The whole topsheet acts as a stomp pad thanks to that cool looking texture.

Conclusions
Boy oh boy did Never Summer deliver. Trust me, I wanted every bone in my body not to like this board as much as I did just so I can have a different opinion than the rest of the crowd. But now, I realize that this Never Summer hype has a solid foundation. Is it the perfect board? Well, no. No board truly will be perfect. But for an all-mountain freestyle shredder, it comes pretty darn close.

Who do I recommend the Proto CT for? The intermediate-advanced rider that is looking for a do everything ride.

Big thanks to Vince and Tracey for giving me this opportunity. The Proto CT is definitely an excellent board that exceeded all my expectations.
 
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#166 ·
I'm wondering which size of this board you guys would suggest me:

I need the normal version, not the X. I'm in doubt between the 154 and the 157.

I'm 6'0" tall, and my weight is 165 lbs. I need a board for 50% Park, 50% Groomers, and I focus on jumping more as on jibbing. Besides that I like to butter a bit...

Which one would you guys get?
 
#171 ·
This or the SL would definitely be the best contenders for your next ride. The Proto is a twin while the SL is a directional twin with more dampening.

Personally, I'd do the Proto to keep things playful unless you are dead certain that you are going to stay away from freestyle.

In that case, actually I'd say get the Heritage.
 
#179 ·
Damn bro, you on your rag or something? What's with this sudden hard on for attacking me? Think what you want, I told you all I had to say. If you don't believe me, then its in your own little head.

Funny how you call my review all rainbows yet your own review talks nothing, but positive things about the same board. All this because I thanked Vince and Tracey in my review? And saying I "guess" about some board comparison? Wow man.

I do nothing to provoke you and yet you pick a fight. Kind of like that Locals article you did about the tourists that start bar fights for no reason.

You bring up this whole Never Summer thing, yet you say nothing about all my other love I show for boards like TD, Machete, and Banana Magic. And now you're giving me crap because a mod stickied this post? I had nothing to do with that and I'll let Snowolf explain himself.
 
#181 ·
Your right, I have many positives and few, if any, real negatives aside from maybe a personal preference here or there. But you see me shoving shit down peoples throats.
My biggest issue with you is 1) you come off as though your a big deal for getting some test boards. Big deal, I know of people who can barely ride worth a damn that get chit sent to them. And 2) your comparisons of boards really make me wonder if you know what your talking about. I mean come on, a Raptor to a banana magic? Or a proto to an SB? Even if you are guessing just some sort of general knowledge about the boards indicates they are not comparable. Oh, and go back in this thread, there is atleast one post of your that claims comparing, or putting in the same group together atleast, the proto and the SB, so font try and act like I made up some fictional bullshit.
 
#183 ·
Well you are making assumptions about me, granted you only have my posts to go off. I can't tell you enough I'm genuinely stoked and thankful for havin he chance to review NS boards.

1) I've never been on them and have been wanting to try them.
2) I'm not new here. This and facebook is the only place I brought that up. I consider posts here just sharing my stoke. I texted my buddies about it too

I understand why you would think that if I was jumping on every forum possible shouting that I'm "web dev" for them.

The Sb proto comparison arose from multiple requests to compare the two. I group them because the proto and evo are the best NS comparisons to the SB even if the tech is different. It's not just about what tech or shape the board has. It's about what the rider is going to do with it. Evo/Proto fits the same rider category as Sb riders in my opinion.

And I never once claimed to know all. I always admit fault when I'm wrong. I don't know what it is youre looking to do here.

At any rate, you lost a fan you thug bastard!
 
#190 ·
Oops, sorry about the taper, I was wrong... It happens, don't shoot me. Either way, the raptor still isn't comparable to the BM.

And FWIW, plenty of people write blogs for no other reason than to do it. If no one ever read what I had to say I could really careless. It's a way to express a thought and get it out of your head.
 
#191 · (Edited)
Understood and I never denied that after you guys pointed it out.

And all this e-peen swinging aside, I like reading your articles. Bottom line, we all love the same sport here. You and BA obviously have more knowledge as such I link people to your pages for more technical info or for those who want thoughts from bigger park features.

Your impression of me is wrong. And you know I didnt say shit about being a reviewer in the other forum. I consider this site differently.

I do what I do for the plain love of the sport. I like helping people any way I can. I tell people when I don't know something and direct them others that do.

My word is all I can give you. No longer my problem if you choose to keep believing your own assumptions about my character.
 
#193 ·
Ordering One

So how do I get my hands on one?? I feel like they are gonna sell like crazy so is there anyway to pre-order one?? Also I'm 5'6" 135lbs and not getting any bigger but 152 is the smallest they go.. is that gonna be ok for doing some park riding at my size? I'd say i do about half park half other stuff.
 
#197 ·
The Owl board is an SL with Salty Peaks graphic and would have their logo for the "S" on the Never Summer Base Die-cut. If there was a Salty Peaks logo on the Proto CT it is a thermal die-cut sticker. We're also made a 178 Soul Surfer Salty design swallow tail. Splits with their graphics is next.
 
#198 ·
Hey Vman!

I ordered a Proto CT tonight - 154. Can't wait! I was asking the shop if I could get it with the black base - they didn't know but would check.

Thanks - thought I would inject some positivity into this thread...
 
#205 ·
Hey all! I'M looking to step up in terms of boards. I am currently riding a 156 K2 Raygun. As of now, IM just carving and cruising down hills. I really want to get into the playful things like jibbing, buttering, and small jumps(nothing to big :p). Without sacrificing too much on free ride, this seems to be the board, no? Anyone else have any experience on buttering? Think I saw one person who commented on that in this thread and he said it was good.

Also, im 5'8 about 150-160lbs, size 9 boots. I'M thinking 154? I'M assuming by my boot size, I want the CT not CTX. Any help would be great guys, thanks!
 
#206 ·
154 CT will definitely be a good size for you. The Proto is my all-around board of choice now. I do a lot of presses and like to butter so it's good enough for that. The Evo is better to press and butter on because of the softer flex, but it also means it's not as stable as the Proto for steeper/faster runs.

Since you sound like you want a board to do a little of everything well, I definitely think the Proto is going to be a sweet choice.

By the time you get really good at things like jibbing, you'll probably want to add another board to your collection by then anyway.

Proto CT all the way for you in my opinion.
 
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