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Question re: Never Summer Legacy

7K views 29 replies 19 participants last post by  srdeo 
#1 ·
Alright guys...new here. I have a question that I hope you all can help me with.

I just started snowboarding recently, and I love the hell out of it. This, combined with the fact that recent family events have left me in a position to hit the mountain WAY more than I used to for years to come, has lead me to want to buy a board.

I've snowboarded a total of 6 full days. First day was brutal. Second day was better, but still rough. 3rd day and beyond, I've taken to it, and am flying down the mountain with no issues...only falling when i try to do something stupid.

So far, I've only ridden rental boards, all of which have been regular camber. Based on a little research, some word of mouth, and other things, I've found myself drawn towards a Never Summer Legacy as my first board. Main reason is I want to buy a board that I can use for years to come, and will hold up. I don't have enough access to the mountain to be buying a board to "learn on", b/c I'll be "learning" for years, given I may only have a week or two per year on the mountain.

The guy at the local board shop says that the NS boards are "too stiff" and that I should get a cheaper Soloman or Burton to "learn on", and insisted that I need a pure rocker board, which (based on what I've learned through research) is more for doing tricks, etc. I'm more interested in flying down the mountain, carving, and some small jumps, if any. I'm almost 30...not interested in spending all day on a halfpipe or jumping at a park. I prefer the NS Legacy b/c it appears to me that it's a good mix of an all-mountain board & a park board.

So...my question: Is the NS Legacy too much board for me? If I buy it, will I be happy with it? Should I just go with a cheaper, pure reverse camber board?

Any feedback you guys & gals can give on NS boards for "beginners" (I would consider myself more of an intermediate, TBH) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch!
 
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#2 ·
Do the research yourself..it's the best part. Don't spend too much on a board and invest in good fitting comfy boots. and most of all a season pass to get as many riding days as possible. Welcome to the addiction!
 
#4 ·
welcome to the forums.

just to be sure: you know the legacy is a wide board? just asking because you didn't post your boot size.

it's definitely a great board though the camber profile is not ideal for a beginner. if you're willing to bite through that, why not? from what you're saying, I'd even say the heritage might be an even better fit. it is more freeride oriented than the legacy. regardless which one you buy, make sure you have the edges detuned at nose and tail.

oh, and +1 on the boots. most important part of your equipment.
 
#5 ·
Thanks, and yes, I am aware it's a wide board. I'm either a 10 or 11 in boots, so I should probably go with the SL or the Heritage (both of which are regular width), but I prefer the look of the Legacy. What is the downside to going with a wide board if I end up with a size 10 boot?

What does it mean to have the edges "detuned" at nose and tail, and why would I want to do that?
 
#6 ·
A wide board will be harder to turn. With a size 10/11 you shouldn't need a wide. Detuning means (you tube?) taking the "sharpness" off your edges right where nose and tail meet the side-edges of the board which is where you initiate the turn. When learning is "suggested" to detune in order to catch less "edges" and fall. Not a necessity...it's more depending on the type of snow you ride and your confidence.

I love my camber board and still have to try a rocker...Again..your best tool is your season pass...or anything that allows you to ride that board. I'd rather have a basic board and a season pass, than a really cool board that I can ride 5 times a year.
 
#8 ·
you probably don't need a wide board. get your boots first and then see what size you end up with. graphics should by the way be one of the last factors when choosing a board. and choosing a wide board with regular feet is not a good idea. you wouldn't do yourself a favor.
 
#9 ·
The legacy is a great board, I've been on mine for about 40 days out now and I love it. That being said it is a wide and depending on how long of a board you get/need it can be pretty stiff. It works prefect for me as I don't go to the park except to ride through, and at 34 am no way looking to take jumps. The legacy bombs the mountain well and controls quite well, overall it's a solid choice.

That being said my main adivce would be to not buy a board based on how it looks, but on how it will fit your riding stlye and help you progress. Looks are good, but not everything. Lastly if your going to be on a board for a long time, do research. Do tons of research. Go to demo days, rent from different mountains, do what you can to make the best informed choice that you can.

Good luck!
 
#10 ·
The Legacy is a good board all-round board that you'll be happy with in the long run.

The guy at your local shop wasn't giving you bad info I think. Learning on a soft, cheap, catch-free board can ease progression into snowboarding. But you want a board that you'll be happy with after you've progressed past beginner/intermediate right?

The camber profile on Never Summer boards does lessen catching edges, but the edges themselves are 90 degrees with 0 bevel on the base edge. It can be a bit unforgiving in that regard hehe. Stiffness is very subjective and as far as learning on, riding a stiffer board than you're used to does make it a bit more difficult. It's certainly nothing you can overcome though. If sized right, the Legacy would be considered a mid-flex board by most.

The Legacy will do everything you want it to do, but keep looking at different boards and brands to make sure of what you want. Lots of good deals right now from many different quality companies.
 
#11 ·
I too just started snowboarding this year after skiing for 10 years. I bought good boots (most important buy), good bindings and an inexpensive noodle board upon the advice of multiple store salesmen. I ride just like you. I'm not interested in the park at all.

After 3 weeks I was ready to move beyond the noodle board and get a stiffer board suitable for my riding style. I was told by multiple people that I wouldn't progress as fast as I have. My guess it's the years of skiing which gave my edge/speed control knowledge that let me get where I am. I'm going to sell my board as soon as the season ends.

My recommendation to you would be to DEMO the board first. If you can link turns confidently and are starting to try to carve, buy the board you think you'll progress to next year. Don't waste your money.

Boards I will be demoing at Killington after a lesson
1. Never Summer SL (my fiance likes next years model over this years' because "It's red so it goes fast")
2. K2 Slayblade
3. Ride Berzerker
4. Maybe a Nitro or Nidecker if the shop convinces me to try one.
 
#12 ·
Detuning means taking a file to the edges to reduce the "catchiness". It's a bit of a religious issue. I personally own a Heritage and I've never detuned anything, and it hasn't hurt me. If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it.

As for wide vs regular board, a wider board means more distance from center to edge, which means instead of your toe (or heel) pushing down over the edge, it's pushing down before the edge. This increases the amount of effort required to put the board on edge -- maybe by only 5 or 10 percent, but by the end of the day you'll want that 5 or 10 back, believe me :laugh: It also changes the way you edge, since you'll have to put more effort into lifting the heel (or toe) to compensate.

Anyway, my first board was a Morrow Lithium. When I got the Heritage, I discovered the difference between the Morrow and the Heritage was significant. And it did take some getting used to. But as for "too much board", think of it like the difference between a Chevy Impala and a Ferrari. It's hard to get in trouble with the Impala because you just can't get it going that fast. With the Ferrari you can kill yourself a whole bunch with little effort. But if you respect the power of the Ferrari and drive within your limits, you're in no more danger than you would be with the Impala. Rider > Board, as we say. So get the NS, realize you're getting a board that can take you down the hill way the hell faster than you can handle, can turn you way faster than you're ready for, and just take it easy while learning.
 
#13 ·
What's this noise about "next year's model"? Where do you find info like that?

I've seen boards on here like the NS Cobra, and then I've seen the NS Circuit elsewhere online...yet neither of these are on their website. All they have are this year's models (at least as far as I can find).

How are you finding next year's models?
 
#17 ·
Google is amazing. Search, "2013 Never Summer SL" go to images. My local shop owner at the Kilted Yak in Akron told me they didn't change the SL, or Heritage this year. The Cobra is too much of a powder board for where I'll ride. He prefers the SL over the Heritage for East Coast riding and has both. I'll be able to demo both boards in 3 weeks for myself.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I can appreciate the advice about not getting a wide board with a 10 or 11 boot. I'm admittedly leaning towards the Legacy due to looks...I should probably get the SL or the Heritage if I want a NS board. That being said...with a 10 boot, the rental shop gave me a 157 wide (I'm 5'11", 190lbs) and it's been OK for me...not that I have much to compare it to. I'm thinking I'd get something between 159 & 163 if I purchased (is that too long?).

If I end up with a 10 boot (which I think I will), I'll probably go to the normal width boards for sure.
 
#18 ·
Im responding cause i had about the same amount of experience as you when i bought my legacy. I didnt find it hard to transition into or anything. In fact it rode better and easier then anything i had rented. I love it I just like to charge the mountain and push myself to go faster. I hit some rollers too. It is definatley stiff. Its also a really stable board tho through anything Ive put it through.
 
#19 · (Edited)
In my opinion, it doesn't really matter what you learn on. Snowboarding is snowboarding, and if you learn on something that's supposed to be a little harder to ride, it makes you a better rider in the long run. I believe that I learned on a camber board with little flex, and I didn't have any more trouble than other people do.

Anyway, I'm not a board expert, or experienced at all, but that's just my opinion.

(I'm looking to pick up a reverse camber board in the end of season deals this year - never ridden one before, but if it's true that you don't catch edges as much with them, it'll be fun to try it out. Does anyone have information about demos? I'd like to do one but I've never seen them advertised except for a NS demo day at Sunday River which is during the week, while I'm in school :( )
 
#21 ·
The SL is a great board to learn on. Fuck the graphics. Go with the SL. You can't even see the graphics when riding. It isn't even that much different. Think of steering a boat vs. steering a go cart. That's extreme, and yes the rocker portion will help, but still, why bother?
 
#23 ·
I started this season with a full rocker board. Had multiple people tell me it was an ideal board to learn on. I was barely able to link turns at the start of the season and figured it would take a while for me to outgrow a beginner board because I'm not a very aggressive rider.

I had to buy a new board halfway through the season because I'd hit such a wall with the rocker board that I was considering giving up on snowboarding altogether. I felt like I could not turn it, it could not hold an edge at all on hard pack or ice and I was miserable. I was close to being convinced that I just sucked at boarding when I switched boards with a friend (her board being longer, stiffer, and full camber) and realized that at least a big part of it was the board, not me.

I've had my Never Summer Pandora for a little over a month now and I could not have made a better choice. I've made huge amounts of progress since I got it and can now keep up with my friends. I've only caught an edge once on my first day out on the board.

A full rocker might be easier for the first few days on the mountain, but I'm not the only one to have issues with that type of board after a pretty short period of time (I was about 6 days of riding into the season when I started to have encounter issues). You catch fewer edges with a rocker board, but I'm not sure the trade off is worth it in the long run for many people. It certainly wasn't for me.

You sound like you are well past the point where you would benefit from full rocker IMO. Get the Never Summer! Don't get a wider board than you need just for looks though. Get the one that fits you and your riding style the best or you won't stay happy with it for long no matter how sweet the graphics are (on graphics alone I'd have gotten the Lotus, which would be way too much board for me).
 
#26 ·
Certainly they aren't all the same, but I was on a 2011 Ride Rapture, which would seem to be exactly the type of board the guy at the shop was suggesting he get. If I were riding park I might have kept the board, but for an all-mountain intermediate I found it was total crap. Given that the OP has been learning on a cambered rental board, seems pretty happy with his progress on that and has no interest in park, I doubt he'd like the ride of a cheaper, full-rocker board aimed at beginners.
 
#27 ·
Never Summer

I ride in the East and more often than not at Killington. Never Summers presence on the hill has grown substantially over the past few years since they released the RC versions of their decks. I have several friends from beginners to experts that are rocking their boards and have been very pleased. The RC camber profile gives a ton of confidence by giving you gobs of edgehold between the feet, yet keeps the deck from being to grabby at the nose and tips to aid in reducing in "catching an edge".

I was able to get a few runs on the new Cobra a few weeks ago and was blown away, (Out of Bounds/basinshopping.com manager had one that he was riding). It rode like an SL on crack. Lighter, Livelier and faster.
 
#28 ·
As has been said, if you think the Sl/Legacy suits your riding style then go for the SL, you don't need a wide with size 10 feet.

I love my Legacy, it's my second season riding and it's helped me progress immensely. The Rocker/Camber hybrid suits me perfectly and I've not caught a single edge all season even though I've made mistakes that should have resulted in an epic wipeout. The RC has saved my ass more than a few times.
 
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