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Never Summer SnowTrooper

6K views 28 replies 9 participants last post by  griffin1324 
#1 ·
Anyone ride a 2016 SnowTrooper? If so, any thoughts? I've never rode a Never Summer before but have heard a ton of good things.
I'm about 5'10" and 170 lbs, 10.5-11 for boots. Should I go wide or regular?

I'd be using it in a mix of trees, moguls, and groomers. How is it there?

I currently have a 161.5 Gnu Riders Choice Aspen and not 100% sure how I feel about it. It flew on groomers but didn't take it on any moguls and through a very tiny tree section. I think though that I might want something a little smaller. Anyone know how the two compare?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
I ride the 2015 in a 159 which is the same board other then graphic. I'm almost identical stats to you as well. Board is great in the trees and quick edge to edge. The rocker in the middle helps with float if you find some deep stuff. On groomers it's a great board very versatile it's stiff enough to really push the limits, ride steeps and go fast but at the same time the rocker in the middle of the board makes it easy enough to butter and press so that you can have fun on mellow days. I never feel uncomfortable or chatter when I get the board up to speed and never had an issue with edgehold unless it was really icy. You need to work a little harder to engage the camber sections of this board to really get pencil thin carves when riding groomers but if you are proficient on the riders choice this will be a breeze.

Moguls I don't ride to often but never summers are damp (not in a bad way) they just absorb whatever bumps you throw at them and kind of contour to the terrain it's a hard feel to describe. The ability to make quick turns helps with that as well and this board goes quickly edge to edge as I said before.

You may also want to look at the West and Type Two if you are looking at Never Summer boards they fit the description of what you are looking for as well. I haven't spent as much time on either of those though so if interested I am sure other members will chime in shortly.

Best of luck

I also have ridden the trooper in the 164x quite a bit lately but if I were you I would go with the regular width not the wide
 
#4 ·
They are similar but the Snowtrooper is slightly setback where the riders choice is twin and I would also say the snowtrooper is stiffer. The Original never summer rocker camber rides differently from c2btx don't get me wrong it is definitely close but because where the camber sections are placed you get a different feel with initiating a carve and for me at least the snowtrooper was quicker edge to edge (I was also riding the snowtrooper in a bigger size so you would expect the opposite)

The OP said he was looking to try out a Never Summer and it would definitely be a comfortable switch for him to make

With that said if he wants something extremely different he can go more or less extreme in stiffness and try the funslinger or ripsaw

But I don't think either of those two fit his riding style

Many members here have an affinity for The West and Type Two which I feel would also fit for the intended purpose
 
#6 ·
They are similar but the Snowtrooper is slightly setback where the riders choice is twin
True, but the difference is tiny/negligible.

and I would also say the snowtrooper is stiffer.
I would say the RC is stiffer - but in any case the difference is tiny/negligible.

The Original never summer rocker camber rides differently from c2btx don't get me wrong it is definitely close but because where the camber sections are placed you get a different feel with initiating a carve and for me at least the snowtrooper was quicker edge to edge (I was also riding the snowtrooper in a bigger size so you would expect the opposite)
The NS might be slightly more lively and the GNU slightly more locked in/stable. But again, the difference is tiny/negligible (there is a theme here).

My point was: Yes there are tiny differences and that could be considered if you were to decide between buying either board.
But these differences are probably too small to justify switching if one already owns one of these boards (like the OP).

The OP said he was looking to try out a Never Summer and it would definitely be a comfortable switch for him to make

With that said if he wants something extremely different he can go more or less extreme in stiffness and try the funslinger or ripsaw

But I don't think either of those two fit his riding style

Many members here have an affinity for The West and Type Two which I feel would also fit for the intended purpose
Sure, but if he does not love the RC he is unlikely to feel very different about the Snowtrooper, West or Proto/Type Two.
The Ripsaw or Funslinger (or 25) are at least legitimately different boards.
 
#5 ·
I love my Snowtrooper. It's great for everything and the set back is really nice for those deep days. I ride a 164w and it works very well in tight trees and on the steeps. Here is a short review of what I posted in a different thread:
Just finished off 7+ days riding the Snowtrooper in Colorado. Have to say... I absolutely love this thing. Does absolutely everything well. Most of my riding is spent in the trees, and I must say that I was definitely impressed. The Snowtrooper can hold a line in the trees very well and never wash out on those super hard turns when you are screaming along. It also handles flatbasing along narrow paths very well. I never caught an edge in the trees which is key. Nothing worse than trying to flatbase a narrow path, catching an edge, and going head first into a tree.
I am not a huge groomer guy, but I did spend a day pretty much dedicated to riding groomers. I was also fairly impressed there as well. The tips never fluttered at high speeds, the board held an edge very well, and I never had an issue with washing out on hard carves. I definitely prefer the vario power grip to magnetraction. Magnetraction is ALWAYS catchy and vario power grip is only catchy when you need it to be.
The board floated pretty well in powder too. We never had any "deep" days while we were out there, but I did do some in bounds hiking at Keystone and Breck. With only minimal setback of the bindings I just leaned back a little and the nose popped right up. I would assume that if I set the bindings all the way back I would not even have to do that.
The pop on this board is also pretty damn good. Side hits, kickers, rollers, small cliff drops it handled all of it. I didn't do anything above a 10 foot kicker on the Snowtrooper, but you could easily do larger and not get bucked. The skate style pop is pretty impressive.
I don't do any jibbing or rails at all so I cannot comment on any of these. The board is soft enough that I was able to do some easy butters on it. Honestly, the flex is the thing I love about this board. Soft enough you can torque it as needed in trees and have fun buttering on it but stiff enough to handle bombing runs.
One of my only knocks about the board is how HEAVY it is. Hiking is not fun with it. On the other hand, this board is absolutely bomb proof. After taking this board through some pretty nasty rocks and tree stumps I looked at the base and there was no major damage other than a few scuffs. Only marks on the board are top sheet nicks from damn skiers.

The only thing I would add is I had 4 straight days of 9+ inches every day in March. The board rode like a dream. Great float and all I had to do was set the bindings all the way back. I would go with a 159 regular if i was you. No need to go with a wide if you dont need it.
 
#11 ·
I loved my snowtrooper. I liked it more than the ripsaw... if you're going to get a bomber get a camrock board, not CRC IMO. The new type two is pretty similar to the snowtrooper, but the type two is maybe a bit better at holding an edge and turning. Only downside of the snowtrooper was that it didn't do great on east coast ice. But maybe if I was better, it would have.

It is a jack of all trades, master of none type of board. It was my learning board and it really helped a ton. I only sold it because I didn't see a need for it and my dupraz in the same quiver.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the responses.

What drew me towards the Snow Trooper was it's stability and rating on uneven terrain, while still being playful. That's based off of what I've read anyway. I usually set my stance back slightly, so I might prefer the directional shape of the Snow Trooper.

I don't think the RC 161.5 is too big for me. I rode a 161 Burton Joystick for 5 years and prefer the longer board. I had a 155 prior to the Joystick. I just think going smaller would serve better while whipping around the trees and moguls. 157x was the size I was thinking.

What I didn't particularly care for w/ the Riders Choice Aspen was slowing down/stopping on my heals going around 40 mph. It just feels like it's skipping across the snow and I like being able to stop.

Having an asym board and magnatraction were both new to me and I hadn't rode a twin in years, so the RC was a new set up for me.

I'm also sort of looking at the Ride Helix and Interior Plan Project Honalee.
 
#13 ·
What I didn't particularly care for w/ the Riders Choice Aspen was slowing down/stopping on my heals going around 40 mph. It just feels like it's skipping across the snow and I like being able to stop.
I've heard this complaint before regarding asym boards with a deeper sidecut on the heal. In my experience, speed and deep sidecuts are sometimes a scary combo.

It sounds like a symmetrical (no toe/heel sidecut difference) directional twin that is camber dominant be a good fit for you though even micro cambers and RCR profiles do require you to be on your game. On the other hand, camber dominant profiles are extremely predictable. They suit me for that reason.
 
#23 ·
poopresearch;274se said:
It's been my experience that deep sidecuts handleI'vegreat at low and medium speed, but they skip as you describe at higher speed. The Gnu will probably ride fine as long as you keep it slower.

I'm really liking the newer camber profiles out there. I spent some time on an Endeavor Live and the profile felt great, but the sidecut was too deep for high speed particularly when stopping as you describe. With that said, I'll probably pick up another for riding with my slower friends. I just picked up a Burton Custom Anniversary and love the ride. Haven't had a chance to try it in pow yet. Custom Anniversary or next year's Trick Pony are other options to consider. Yes has a few boards that might suit you.

With all my love of camber, I still haven't tried a Never Summer with Ripsaw profile. I love CRC in pow, but perhaps Never Summer has dialed it enough to win my heart on piste and park too...

Too many boards too little time :)
After riding the new RipSaw crc profile, everything else seems pretty weak.
I can feel each camber section underfoot, I never felt that on the old crc profile.

You can pump that on hard snow.

The RipSaw X is the only board I've ever dynamically carved riding fakie.
Never thought I'd be able to do that & it happened by accident.
I was just fuckin' around & I got locked into a pencil thin railed carve riding backwards.

It's a different feeling when you get locked into a carve like that, very distinct.
As soon as I felt it, I knew what had just happened.

It was easy after that. Haven't been able to do it fakie on anything else, I've been trying.
I'm also riding the wide models though & have 9.5 booties. I can put my board on edge close to perpendicular to the snow before my boots touch.

That's some bite right there.

TT
 
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#25 ·
I personally think the ripsaw is to stiff for my liking for moguls it doesn't absorb the bumps enough if you don't pick the right line. I only have ridden that board once though so let someone else chime in that has more experience on it

If you want ripsaw profile but something a little less stiff look at The Type Two. They are both true twin but the type two is a little softer and has asym
 
#28 ·
There's a 159 Trooper for sale in the forum. At a pretty good price. Short of being able to demo, buying a cheap used one is not bad at all. Worst case you hate it, you can sell it off at a smaller loss than if you bought it new.

It's been struggling to sell, but that's because the forum is on the Hype 2 now, but that doesn't mean the Trooper is bad.

Only issue i think it's at your weight (about same as me) and same boot size, i'd rather be at least on a 160 if it's a NS or other rocker-type board. But 159 is pretty close...

Other than that, any mid flex RCR should be fine too. A bit more stable and easy to turn if you're somewhat used to camber. If you've been riding mostly CRC then it will take a bit getting used to a different profile, but not that much. A couple of days on almost any board and you'll be fine unless it's way off.
 
#29 ·
Thanks everyone for all of the responses and input.

I ended up getting a 157x SnowTrooper. I just got it in the mail today. Once I get out of work, I'm going to slap on my '08 Rome Targa bindings (less than 10 days on them I think) and see how it feels.

I also bought a 158 Interior Plain Project Honalee - that should be coming in tomorrow!

I can't wait for next season
 
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