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Review: 2013 Never Summer Cobra (Leo)

42K views 82 replies 22 participants last post by  JHeagz 
#1 · (Edited)
Introduction
So... this is my second season riding Never Summer snowboards. I've been very happy with the Proto and Evo and I've been riding the ish out of them. I was obviously stoked to hear about a completely new NS board in the works. Initial email exchanges revealed a less than likable graphics. NS has since redesigned the graphics and while plenty are still indifferent, I dig it. Alright, enough small talk, let's get to it.


Setup
Board: 2013 Never Summer Cobra 158
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.

Flex
The Cobra is a hair past mid-flex and stiffer through the tips. Torsionally a bit stiffer as per my experience with the carbonium line.

Handling
Right off the bat I'm going to say the tail swings around super easy. It actually caught me off guard at first ride. The Cobra does in fact have a blunted spade tail. While not a tapered shape, the tail does taper off from the widest point more than the nose. It also has a later kick. All of this combined with the setback stance is what gives the tail its handling properties. In short, the Cobra is great for paint brushing turns.

My first day on the Cobra was on hardpack powder. The slopes got hit with about a foot over the prior two days so snow conditions on the day I rode were great. I easily hit 42mph on a blue run without even trying. The Cobra was plenty stable without feeling too dead. It's definitely not as lively as the Evo or Proto, but not as damp as the Heritage. The Cobra held and amazing edge and I only encountered a problem when doing a long, drawn out skidded turn at speed. I experienced chatter there.

I was able to take the Cobra through some MI glade riding with excellent snow conditions. The hill got about 8" of dry pow the night before and there were plenty of untracked pow stashes in the trees. I was initially on the Proto and swapped out for the Cobra. Let me tell you, the Cobra loves the pow. It was literally destroying everything in it's path. Even though the Cobra is stiffer than the Evo (my choice for these tree runs), I was able to turn on a dime because of the aforementioned shape. These conditions and terrain are where the Cobra shined for me. It kept planing on top of the snow even in the slower areas. The earlier rise in the nose also helped for riding over buried branches and whatnot. I would still choose the Evo for glades under normal conditions for some freestyle shenanigans though. However, if there's pow, I am grabbing the Cobra without hesitation.

I've also come across concern that this is a big mountain board and people have questioned whether or not it's worth having in a place like LP Michigan. I don't care what anyone says. The Cobra works really well on the groomers too. I did take it down moguls and although my mogul riding isn't the best, I was able to navigate the the tight lines. The Cobra has no problem handling groomers and you can get some scary speeds on this thing. Don't listen to anyone that tells you that you have no business on a Cobra for a small East Coast hill. The Cobra is a great board to lay carves down on. Just tilt on an edge and put in work. Handled all the blacks I threw at it well including ones with mogul fields. Again, it's not as damp or beastly as the Heritage though.

Jibs/Playfulness
Not the Cobra's strong suit. I hit plenty of boxes and did a few tree jibs (even breaking one after landing ass first on it) and it wasn't as lively as I would like. Felt very minimal input from board to feet on jibs. Butters aren't the Cobra's strong suit, but doable.

Pop
Lots of it. In fact, I'm going to say the Cobra has more pop than the Proto in the tail. Just try an ollie while maching and see what I mean.


Conclusions
I definitely like this board. It's nice to know that I have a board to go to for powder days and future visits out west. The Cobra's shape definitely lends it unique handling characteristics compared to NS's other rides. Just be cautious with switch riding. I almost want to say that it's better to lean back a little during switch on this board. If you put pressure on the tail while switch, it feels washy.

I would not recommend this board for a beginner or even a new intermediate. Advanced intermediate and above all-mountain shredders are welcome. The Cobra can also handle a sprinkle of freestyle.

Let me know if you have any questions. As always, thanks for reading.
 
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#48 ·
Forgot to talk about the stability on steeps. Added this to the handling section:

The Cobra is a great board to lay carves down on. Just tilt on an edge and put in work. Handled all the blacks I threw at it well including ones with mogul fields. Again, it's not as damp or beastly as the Heritage though.
 
#72 ·
Thanks for the snarky reply. I already disclosed where I ride and many already know how I ride bunny hills.

Steep for Michigan. Blacks here are blues out west.

But you knew that already. Don't read my reviews if you don't like them. Snowolf rides backcountry and talks about the Cobra's stability so go read his stuff.
 
#73 ·
Thanks for the snarky reply. I already disclosed where I ride and many already know how I ride bunny hills.

Steep for Michigan. Blacks here are blues out west.

But you knew that already. Don't read my reviews if you don't like them. Snowolf rides backcountry and talks about the Cobra's stability so go read his stuff.
I heard that it's not so much the steeps are that much steeper or the blacks harder, it's that they're mainly a lot longer out west.

:dunno:

Flame on, Westies!
 
#49 ·
Guys, I'm still seeing people confused about whether or not the Cobra is tapered... IT IS NOT TAPERED.

The tip and tail are the same exact measurement at the widest point. The tail is spaded and thus tapers from that widest point rather than the board as whole tapering.

A true tapered board tapers from the widest point of the nose through the tail. The Cobra tapers off from widest point of the tail. Hence "spade tail".
 
#51 ·
I rode a 162 Heritage so my flex experience will differ than if comparing a Heritage and Cobra of equivalent size.

I found the 162 Heritage to be quite a bit stiffer than the Cobra and also noticeably more damp. I weigh around 180 to give you an idea of where I'm coming from.

In equal size, I'm pretty sure the Heritage is still going to be stiffer and more damp. This is not to say the Cobra is super lively and flexy as it isn't that.

I saw your comments in wolfie's thread. Your style indicates the Cobra as being the better option for both pow riding and with a little playfulness mixed in. The Cobra was also a dream to ride in the trees with pow. It allows you to paint brush turns effortlessly which is very handy when navigating trees. It was also great for navigating moguls.

Normally, you'll catch me on the Evo for tree and mogul riding because of the soft torsional flex. Even though the Cobra isn't torsionally soft, the board by design turns great.

The only downside to this shape is that it works against you when in switch mode. It's not horrible as long as you aren't trying to tackle big lines entirely switch. It's also much less of a problem if you have experience riding true directional boards switch.
 
#53 ·
If it's any consolation, I was jibbing trees and boxes with the Cobra this season. Nothing special, just 50's and tail presses. It did good on those. I was doing plenty of jumping off natural hits and it was great. Lots of pop in the tail of the Cobra.

Swing weight was low too which was great on spins. Like I said, my experience on the Heritage was a bit tainted as I would never choose that board in a 162. I just don't see it being a good board to mess around on unless you go smaller on it.
 
#54 ·
I think I'll have to try and demo them both. Never summer was telling me that the Heritage is just a more aggressive version of the SL with similar flex but from reading reviews it seems the Heritage is much stiffer.
Does anyone know how the flex compares to the T Rice? For me the amount of deep pow days I see is limited. I'm out west several times a season but its hit or miss.
 
#60 · (Edited)
Reviving this thread with a question to Leo: How did you find the combination of the Cobra and the Bosses? Did you ever feel like you wanted a slightly stiffer or lighter binding?
Background: I just got my order in for a 155 Cobra for next season and will initially go with my L/XL Bosses (and my size 10 Vans Fargos), but open to changing/upgrading...

Edit: I noticed that wolfie uses the Contact Pros on it, which are a similar type of binding to the Bosses (responsive base plate but soft-ish highback).
 
#62 ·
I honestly like the combo. I would possibly want a stiffer pair of bindings on a bigger mountain though. All I know is, my bosses were perfect for that one day we got decent snow for some tree turns.

I think the Malavitas would be awesome on the cobra!
 
#64 · (Edited)
Bindings?

Hey, I just bought a 158cm military edition NS Cobra and am trying to decide between getting the 390 Bosses or the Targas. The board has a 25.3 waist. Which of the two bindings do you think suits this board more? Thanks guys.

165lbs.
6ft0in
Size 8.5 Foot
Colorado

*Oh I'm also using 2012 Burton Imperials.
 
#65 ·
Hey, I just bought a 158cm military edition NS Cobra and am trying to decide between getting the 390 Bosses or the Targas. The board has a 25.3 waist. Which of the two bindings do you think suits this board more? Thanks guys.

165lbs.
6ft0in
Size 8.5 Foot
Colorado

*Oh I'm also using 2012 Burton Imperials.
I'm 5'9" 155 lbs, size 8 boot, ride in Tahoe. I've ridden the 2009 390, 2011 390 Boss... The Bosses are stiffer than my older 390's (which were kind of soft in my opinion... although not quite as flexy as the Burton P1s) and are pretty good if you are a mix of freestyle and freeride.

For pure freeride, I wish the Bosses were a tad bit stiffer and would go for the Targas - which has straps that can be adjusted to be stiffer/softer. I now am riding Burton CO2 which are stiffer I prefer to my 390 BOSS.

Other bindings I have ridden are Burton C60, Burton P1, Ride CAD, Ride SPI, Forum Republic.
 
#69 ·
I don't mean to rule it out for newer riders completely. My intentions are to warn you about the board. The handling characteristics just isn't suited for newer riders. The tail literally turns on a dime. When it comes to all-mountain, I'd like to think of myself as an advanced intermediate. It definitely threw me off-guard at first and took a few runs to get used to it.

If you're still learning the ropes on riding technique, this might cause you to get too comfortable with how the Cobra handles. Meaning, when you go to another board, it might cause you problems.

With the Cobra, when you're riding regular, you actually have to understeer the tail especially when doing skidded turns.

Then you have the issue of learning switch on it. Switch riding on the Cobra is funky.

My honest opinion is that a board like the Cobra is going to ride you rather than you riding it. That doesn't mean you cannot handle it eventually. I just think there are better options for you out there that will also allow you to grow into them.

If you're doing more freestyle, consider the Evo instead. It'll be much more forgiving and still an all-around banger for riding the entire mountain.

If you want more all-mountain with some park laps mixed in, look towards the Proto CT or SL.

All are great boards that you can learn on and grow into.
 
#75 ·
We do have a few legitimate steeps here (not like that wall obviously) but as Sabatoa pointed out, the steel sections are very, very short.

Now, couple this with the fact that you can tell how damp a board is by riding just regular mellow blues. I rode a heritage here and I knew seconds into my run that nothing in Michigan will unlock its potential.

I make no secrets about where I ride or my riding ability. This is why NS doesn't send me a heritage or raptor to review.

They sent me the cobra because while it can perform very well on big mountains, it performs equally well on small ones. I mentioned I loved it in the trees for the tight turns I had to do.
 
#79 ·
"Dammit winter needs to get here."

OMG YES.

After reading this review, I really want to try the Cobra. Even if its just riding groomers at boyne or nubs nob. In the quiver next to the Evo... And, I'm sorry if I missed this, and I don't want to create some off-topic disscusion, but where do you ride Leo or Sabatoa? Anwhere near Ann Arbor? I'll probably take a few passes through there this winter, and I wouldn't mind stopping for some riding.
 
#80 ·
Leo spends most of his time at Holly and Pine Knob, I believe Crystal Mountain is his favorite hill but he's busy and it's hard to get him up there.

I'm in Lansing so while it sucks that nowhere is close to me, the upside is that everything is the same distance so I'll hit the SE Michigan hills if I'm riding with Leo and/or David_Z but normally I just take long weekends up north to the Boynes, Caberfae, Crystal and all that.
 
#81 ·
Hey Huckit,

If you are ever able to ride with us, I'll bring my Proto and Cobra along. Size allowing, you are more than welcome to demo them before you make a purchase decision.

Like Sabatoa said, I spend most of my time at Holly/PK because they are close to me. When I make a drive up north, I'm always aiming for Crystal Mountain.
 
#82 ·
Hey guys, sorry for the very late reply; due to work, college, and malfunctioning Apple devices I haven't been able to get on here much.

Honestly, I haven't been to Crystal yet, but I'd love to ride there sometime. Yeah, let me know when you're up this way; It'd be awesome to have a chance to demo either one of those boards. I ride a 155 usually, but that's my evo. In the 152-159 would be okay for demo'ing purposes I think. Thanks for the offer! If I get to head down your way this winter, I'll definitely look into Holly - I looked at some photos and it looks like a good mt. to check out (for Mich. anyway. ;)

Again, thanks guys! Definitely stoked for this snow season!
 
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