Need new board: NeverSummer or Skate Banana?
 

Hello everyone,

After a few years of snowboarding, I'm ready to take it to the next level and by next season I hope to learn how to butter, ride switch and attempt some few jumps. My current board is a 2002 burton feelgood (size 145) and I'm ready to ditch it for a freestyle board with newer technology.

Here are the boards I'm considering.

1. 145 Skate Banana- Lib Tech
2. 140 or 143 Pandora- Never Summer
3. 142 Evo Mini - Never Summer
4. 141 or 145 Lipstick- Burton

I'm hearing a lot of great things about the Skate Banana and I like the idea of the magna traction. I'm trying to find something that's most equivalent to that board but in a smaller size, which is why I'm leaning towards Never Summer.

Questions.
1. What's the most equivalent board to a Skate Banana in the Never Summer line? Would it be the Pandora or Evo? I picked these two because the other boards don't come small enough. I know Lib Tech is owned by Mervin who makes boards equivalent to the Skate Banana for women in a smaller size, except I've seen the graphics and they look awful to me.

2. Are there other boards out there I didn't list that you think I should consider?

Thanks for your help in advance!

Katie

Never Summers ride very differently from Mervin boards, in my experience. Never Summer has a much damper feel. If you want an all-mountain board that performs well in the park, go for the Pandora over the Skate Banana. Beyond that consideration, it's a matter of preference - each board feels slightly different and you really have to ride both to know for sure which is best for you.

The Evo Mini is a kids' board and will not be made as well as the Pandora.

If you like Burton, you'll probably really like the Lipstick. I've never tried it, but it gets great reviews - it has a ton of pop for jumps.

You should also consider the Roxy Eminence - a very nice board with C2BTX which makes it more versatile (more pop and stability) than regular BTX boards.