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REVIEW; Neversummer Raptor 156

66K views 211 replies 36 participants last post by  danm 
#1 · (Edited)
Actually this is just a prequel, I'm heading up to http://www.Shweitzer.com this Sunday and Monday for first turns on this board and the forecast looks pretty promising for some nice pow.
About me, 160-165lbs sz 9 foot 5'5"... I've been riding 'seriously' for the last 7-ish years but off and on since I was 15... I'll be 40 in March. Not into park except for jumps/kickers and don't do switch unless I need to get out of a dicey situation.
I purchased the Raptor to replace my T.Rice 157... My pure pow board is a Lib Mullet 160 and I'll keep that for snorkel days! Love the rice but the waist width at 25.8 can be kind of a chore with my feet and it's a twin and I don't do much switch so..... in comes the Raptor. I was originally considering the Cobra but after much reading and noticing how reviewers (Snowolf, Leo, others) noted that the Heritage was stiffer than the Cobra and the T.Rice was stiffer than the Heritage... and I really like the stiffness of the rice :)
I'll update this thread probably Tuesday...

Happy riding
danm
 
#42 ·
2013 Never Summer Raptor 164 Review

Not holding out. Need more time on it before doing a full review. I will say that it is the best technical steeps board of the line from what I can tell early on. Extremely aggressive, damp and holds an edge admirably.
Been reading this forum for years but finally decided to bite the bullet and join the community. First off- Snowolf, you are the man and have handled what went down pretty darn well. You rock. Keep the good stuff comin! :bowdown: Eagerly anticipating your review of the 2014 Raptor!

2013 Never Summer Raptor 164 Review:

First of all, my quick bio: I'm 6'3" - 195 lbs - size 10.5-11 boot - 22" stance - regular +18*, 0*. I'm an advanced 15 year rider and have spent the last 7 seasons on a 164 Burton Triumph. It is a tapered directional big mountain board that I have loved and thought was at the apex of the big mountain slaying boards... until now. I just spent my first day on the 2013 164 Raptor yesterday and all I can say is AMAZING. Conditions were 32-35* with 2-3 inches of fresh Utah snow on ten day old ice which led to soft, chopped up crud on with ice underneath. Others have compared the Raptor to a Ferarri or Lambo because you don't realize how fast you are going since the board is so stable at speed. That pretty much sums it up! Hard packed bowls were a breeze compared to my old 164 Burton Triumph. I was keeping up with my expert skier friends before... now I'm beating them down the mountain by a good margin. After 15 years of riding, this board has taught an old dog new tricks and improved my riding significantly. The board also worked WONDERS on my fatigue. I don't know if it is the dampening or the RC hybrid, but when I would usually be spent and need a break for my style of hard agressive riding, I was still going strong and my legs were still fresh. That alone made this board worth its weight in gold. I'm a weekend warrior so I have to make the most of my days on the mountain.

The RC hybrid led to effortless edge to edge transition while carving and incredible edge hold on the ice. I could feel the additional edge digging in when needed from the the rocker portion of the board that I was missing in my old cambered Burton. The Vario/RC combo makes this a viable alternative to magnetraction. Other boarders were sliding out on some bad patches of ice but the Raptor allowed to me to hit those areas with confidence. The dampening of the board was apparent while bombing some chopped up end-of-day groomers. The dampening allowed me to absorb much bigger bumps and moguls. That combined with the great edge hold made riding confidence soar. I'm going to have to careful with this badass board... I have a feeling that this is going to make me overconfident in my riding and get me hurt one day lol

I have the Raptor paired with 2013 Burton Cartel Bindings and 2009 Burton Ruler Boots. It makes for a versatile all mountatin/free ride setup that I like. I've been looking into a stiffer boot like the Malamute or Driver X though.

QUESTION for SnoWolf and you all... I loved the board yesterday and can't wait to slay some powder with it. I'm still a little torn on the size though. Since my weight (195), height (6'3"), and boot size (10.5-11) are all in between sizes, I can't decide whether or not to swap the 164 regular out for a 165 wide Raptor X. Advice? I thought the 164 reg was great on-piste but I'm concerned about drag when I hit the powder. I know it boils down to trying it and personal preference but I want second, third and fourth opinions on this from you all.

Also, since I just got the board so late in the season I'm also anticipating Snowolf's review of the 2014 Raptor. I'm curious how the supposed increase in stiffness and dampness is going to affect it. Will this catapult the board further into freeride category and make it more one-sided? I'm totally sold on the Raptor... I just can't make my final final decision on 2013 Raptor or Raptor X or hold out for the 2014 Raptor/Raptor X. I do like the base Phoenix diecut on the 2014 replacing the NS text base but that does not affect the decision for me. I got the board on backcountry.com and they are great at returns so that isn't a concern. By the way - they have their entire 2013 NS lineup at 10% off right now. Feedback appreciated!
 
#43 ·
Been reading this forum for years but finally decided to bite the bullet and join the community. First off- Snowolf, you are the man and have handled what went down pretty darn well. You rock. Keep the good stuff comin! :bowdown: Eagerly anticipating your review of the 2014 Raptor!

2013 Never Summer Raptor 164 Review:

First of all, my quick bio: I'm 6'3" - 195 lbs - size 10.5-11 boot - 22" stance - regular +18*, 0*. I'm an advanced 15 year rider and have spent the last 7 seasons on a 164 Burton Triumph. It is a tapered directional big mountain board that I have loved and thought was at the apex of the big mountain slaying boards... until now. I just spent my first day on the 2013 164 Raptor yesterday and all I can say is AMAZING. Conditions were 32-35* with 2-3 inches of fresh Utah snow on ten day old ice which led to soft, chopped up crud on with ice underneath. Others have compared the Raptor to a Ferarri or Lambo because you don't realize how fast you are going since the board is so stable at speed. That pretty much sums it up! Hard packed bowls were a breeze compared to my old 164 Burton Triumph. I was keeping up with my expert skier friends before... now I'm beating them down the mountain by a good margin. After 15 years of riding, this board has taught an old dog new tricks and improved my riding significantly. The board also worked WONDERS on my fatigue. I don't know if it is the dampening or the RC hybrid, but when I would usually be spent and need a break for my style of hard agressive riding, I was still going strong and my legs were still fresh. That alone made this board worth its weight in gold. I'm a weekend warrior so I have to make the most of my days on the mountain.

The RC hybrid led to effortless edge to edge transition while carving and incredible edge hold on the ice. I could feel the additional edge digging in when needed from the the rocker portion of the board that I was missing in my old cambered Burton. The Vario/RC combo makes this a viable alternative to magnetraction. Other boarders were sliding out on some bad patches of ice but the Raptor allowed to me to hit those areas with confidence. The dampening of the board was apparent while bombing some chopped up end-of-day groomers. The dampening allowed me to absorb much bigger bumps and moguls. That combined with the great edge hold made riding confidence soar. I'm going to have to careful with this badass board... I have a feeling that this is going to make me overconfident in my riding and get me hurt one day lol

I have the Raptor paired with 2013 Burton Cartel Bindings and 2009 Burton Ruler Boots. It makes for a versatile all mountatin/free ride setup that I like. I've been looking into a stiffer boot like the Malamute or Driver X though.

QUESTION for SnoWolf and you all... I loved the board yesterday and can't wait to slay some powder with it. I'm still a little torn on the size though. Since my weight (195), height (6'3"), and boot size (10.5-11) are all in between sizes, I can't decide whether or not to swap the 164 regular out for a 165 wide Raptor X. Advice? I thought the 164 reg was great on-piste but I'm concerned about drag when I hit the powder. I know it boils down to trying it and personal preference but I want second, third and fourth opinions on this from you all.

Also, since I just got the board so late in the season I'm also anticipating Snowolf's review of the 2014 Raptor. I'm curious how the supposed increase in stiffness and dampness is going to affect it. Will this catapult the board further into freeride category and make it more one-sided? I'm totally sold on the Raptor... I just can't make my final final decision on 2013 Raptor or Raptor X or hold out for the 2014 Raptor/Raptor X. I do like the base Phoenix diecut on the 2014 replacing the NS text base but that does not affect the decision for me. I got the board on backcountry.com and they are great at returns so that isn't a concern. By the way - they have their entire 2013 NS lineup at 10% off right now. Feedback appreciated!
Nice review, thanks for keeping this thread going! Pretty much sums up what I feel about this board... especially the part about getting overconfident and getting into trouble... :D

As far as your foot size, the easiest way to see if you need the wide or not is to stand barefoot (or thin socks) on your board in your bindings and see where your toes and heels relate to the edge. You want to be right to the edge or slightly over to get proper edge pressure, if your way over then the wide might be better but you should check the same way if you can arrange that.

Concerning pow floatation, I've been in knee deep so far and didn't feel the need to lean back at all. I won't be riding until next Thursday but the forecast is looking REALLY good so I hope to test it in some really deep pow. I'll report back.

danm
 
#44 ·
#45 ·
Nice to hear the raptor is getting a bit stiffer for the next model year, I feel that mine is just a touch to soft. Other than that my raptor is the perfect board for all moutain riding, except switch, it pretty twitchy when you flip it around.

I may have to get another 1 next year to see the stiffness for myself.
 
#64 ·
Nice. I'm 165 lbs and was almost considering the 159. Danm also said to go for the 156.

Any reason behind going 156 vs 159 for irongoose? The size chart shows him right in the middle of the range for 159, and really at the top of the range for 156. Is it just cause they "ride long"?
 
#65 · (Edited)
I was also just maybe thinking 159 so that i can grow into it a bit more since i am quite short and my current park board (never summer evo 2012) useto be at my eyebrows now its perfect at my chin but i also think it would be better to get the best for now rather then struggle. But, by looking at the charts on evo.com i am almost maximum for the 156 but in middle for the 159
 
#77 ·
Regarding the width issue... I wear size 11.5!

I had a 165X titan and a 161 titan. The 161 was much better IMO. Faster edge to edge and as stable at speed YET easier to turn quick in tight spots and better overall all-mountain board for me!

Since then, the MAX WW board I buy is 260. My preference is 258/259 and I've been on a 256 board. But 258/259 seem to give me better response & control over the board on quick turns and edge to edge handling, especially at high speed!

Now back to review... how does it hold on ICE?! :dunno:

Cheers....
 
#104 ·
I like it!

I've got a bunch more videos and will be hitting Northstar this weekend and will hopefully take some more. Maybe I'll get around to editing them one day so they're watchable :p Problem is they're all helmet cams and I think that angle sucks. Thinking about getting a pole mount.

In response to the binding question, I'm liking the 2013 cartels on mine but I'm wondering if they're a little bit of a weak link in terms of stiffness because I'm in Driver Xs. Not that I have any complaints whatsoever, I just don't have a lot of experience with a lot of different gear and know the diodes are stiffer.
 
#89 ·
Thought I would chime and give my impressions on two days of riding.

First a little about me...

Second year riding and between this year and last year, I've had 30+ days predominately on East Coast hardpack/ice. I believe I'm a solid intermediate, but also have no illusions of my own ablilty. I'm still trying to get the finer points of down unweighting as well as fore/aft movements to control my speed down the steeper runs. I thought I'd give a little insight from a second year rider b/c it seems most on this forum that have had or ridden this board have 10+ yrs experience.

On to the review...

I'm coming from an NS SL 153 and was wondering if the change to a 156 Raptor would be worthwhile, but I got insight from SnoWolf and others saying there is a HUGE difference in speed and carving ability. I just want to say that is ABSOLUTELY TRUE!

This thing just LOVES to grip Eastcoast hardpack! I thought I'd have a little more trepidation charging the steeps with this thing, but in fact, I'm a lot more confident in it than my SL. Now, don't get me wrong... I know that SL can charge the steeps fine too b/c my friend who's been boarding for 7+ seasons still goes down the mountain faster and in better control with his SL, but just strictly from a board to board comparison, this is exactly what this thing was built for. It's just a very stable, damp ride. It's damp, but gives you enough feedback to react to terrain. When you go over really rutted out groomers, my body doesn't jerk around as much and I can maintain a much higher speed. It just blasts through that stuff.

Compared to an SL I found this board really likes to point downward. When engaging the SL's sidecut, I found I was turning more perpendicular to the fall line than with this board. It took some getting used to because, of course, this leads to quicker acceleration and top speed.

When using this board compared to my SL, I've been able to ride a LOT more aggressively due to the stability and dampness, but at the other end of the spectrum, I've also had to pay a TON more attention to it as I'm riding it. This wasn't something I was used to and I've found myself in pretty scary situations because of it. I now know what people mean by this board getting you in trouble. I was charging down coming from a heelside to toeside turn, didn't pay enough attention to the terrain and got caught off guard by some big rutted out bumps. I didn't have my knees relaxed enough and got caught off balance. Luckily I was able to dig in last second and save myself from running into a tree line. Also, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that getting used to this board on the first day, I actually fell on my ass on some pretty flat greens. I just was not paying attention and hit some patches, plus I did not detune my tip/tail, so that might have had something to do with it. I rode the flats that same way I rode my SL, but it didn't let me get away with it like my SL did. Second day, had now issues lazily cruising along the greens with my wife.

This board certainly rewards technique because on runs where I'm "off" and don't down unweight and shift fore/aft properly, it felt a bit like a lumbering plank. The first day on it, I found myself ruddering more than I wanted to. You can say this for most boards, but more so this than my SL. So getting technique down is paramount. I'm a bit of a masochist though, so I like how it punishes you for bad technique. I hope with more experience, I'm able to be more efficient and ride this thing smoothly down the steeper terrain.

So, in short, coming from a second year rider, if you're starting to ride more dynamically down the steeps, this board is a blast and definitely worth owning. If not, then I suggest practicing, because I can't see this thing being fun at all doing static turns down mellow terrain.
 
#90 ·
Thanks for the review! I think you are right on the cusp of the ability level to truly appreciate this board for what it is. I'm glad you were able to spend your first year on an SL to learn on and 'graduated' to the Raptor in your own due time. Not to say the SL isn't capable... it is just a more forgiving freestyle board great for any rider level. The Raptor rewards experience and technique for hard-charging riders. I'm not sure this is the place to admit your masochism, though... might scare a few people away :D juuuuuussssst playin.
 
#91 ·
On another note - some great points were made about the dampness. I felt the same way. I loved the stability and comfort the dampness provided. With SnoWolf saying the dampness and stiffness is going to be increased to a 9... I'm VERY curious to see how that affects the ride.
 
#101 ·
Just got home to find the raptor sitting on front porch. My goodness...I'm so excited about taking this for a spin! Going to have to wait for my next trip in 2 weeks. Thinking of getting new binders for for the new black stallion.

What bindings did you guys pair with the raptor? Any recommendations?
 
#112 ·
Went riding again last night on my Raptor 164 with a fresh wax. I'm still in love with the board and the feel it gives me on the mountain. Again, I was blown away by the incredible edge hold on the iciest of ice and the stability at extremely high speeds. Bombing is a joy on this stick and I love the damp feeling of crud underneath the board. You can barely feel the bumps of chunder but just enough to know that this board is doing its jobs. I have them paired with Burton Cartels and Burton Rulers and I think they provide a middle ground to enjoy all parts of the mountain and perform well while hard carving as well.
 
#120 ·
For just getting off the lift... no. If getting off the lift is a problem, then this isn't the right board to have in the first place. I just jam my boot to the back of my binding, but I don't even jam it that hard. Keeping your weight centered, soft knees, and being comfortable with front foot steering are FAR more important. Using this board, you should be advanced enough to dodge falling, out of control newbs with no problem.

HOWEVER... one of my friends likes to mess around having his rear leg on the stomp pad while doing stuff around the mountain. This doesn't interest me, but if you do this kind of stuff, then I can see why a little extra traction can be valuable.

Besides... putting a stomp pad on this board feels like putting on a bumper sticker on a Porsche 911 Turbo. :)
 
#124 ·
Stickers, maybe. I've just never saw a stomp pad I'd like to put on it.

And Damn! That sucks. Hate outta control idiots on the mountain, especially the ones with their arms flailing. Hope you didn't get hurt too bad. I woulda tore him a new asshole for the board...
We were on a long skate traversing to another lift. This dude came through, as you said, arms flailing, and slid right into me. I grabbed him immediately and threw him in the snow and continued skating. Had I seen the gouge earlier I woulda kicked him in the face as well! But then I took another a couple of months ago. Was going nice and slow taking video of my brother in law and BAM. Right on the tail. He was board kicked.

So...Carbonium is not indestructible, but would have been a lot worse with most other boards. I suppose I can live with it. Just pisses me right off. Id rather earn those chunks....
 

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#126 ·
We were on a long skate traversing to another lift. This dude came through, as you said, arms flailing, and slid right into me. I grabbed him immediately and threw him in the snow and continued skating. Had I seen the gouge earlier I woulda kicked him in the face as well! But then I took another a couple of months ago. Was going nice and slow taking video of my brother in law and BAM. Right on the tail. He was board kicked.

So...Carbonium is not indestructible, but would have been a lot worse with most other boards. I suppose I can live with it. Just pisses me right off. Id rather earn those chunks....
Holy crap how fast was he going? I hit a rock full on and only a sliver came off.
 
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