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lonerider · 11-30-2012, 04:18 PM

I'm similar size (5'9" 145-150 lbs) and I've owned the Never Summer Evo 153, SL 155, Proto 154, and Summit 161.

While a 159 is not terrible in trees and moguls (I ride a 161 for powder), nothing in your self description screams to me that you really need to go longer... so I would tentatively take out the Premier F1 for only that reason.

Never ridden the Raptor or Heritage so I am making educated guesses. I did read a review that actually said the Raptor was fun in the trees - although it is definitely stiffer.

My suggestion is to just buy the Raptor 156 from Backcountry.com and ride it... if you don't like it ... return for a full refund. Nothing beats your own firsthand experiences and that is why I really like Backcountry.com and Dogfunk.com.

Some videos I found of people riding the Raptor - doesn't look that tough to initiate turns.

A guy on what I think is a 159 cm Raptor doing some mellow carves and switch riding on a blue run:

A girl (lady?) riding a 159 cm Raptor on Powder and Bumps

11-30-2012, 04:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
lonerider Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 947	I'm similar size (5'9" 145-150 lbs) and I've owned the Never Summer Evo 153, SL 155, Proto 154, and Summit 161. While a 159 is not terrible in trees and moguls (I ride a 161 for powder), nothing in your self description screams to me that you really need to go longer... so I would tentatively take out the Premier F1 for only that reason. Never ridden the Raptor or Heritage so I am making educated guesses. I did read a review that actually said the Raptor was fun in the trees - although it is definitely stiffer. My suggestion is to just buy the Raptor 156 from Backcountry.com and ride it... if you don't like it ... return for a full refund. Nothing beats your own firsthand experiences and that is why I really like Backcountry.com and Dogfunk.com. Some videos I found of people riding the Raptor - doesn't look that tough to initiate turns. A guy on what I think is a 159 cm Raptor doing some mellow carves and switch riding on a blue run: A girl (lady?) riding a 159 cm Raptor on Powder and Bumps Last edited by lonerider; 11-30-2012 at 04:28 PM.