chatyak

So i've been doing a bit of reading - and it seems that the Cobra is an upgraded SL - with the same dampness and flex. The only major two differences are the tail shapes and the carbon top. Though to be fair I have read that the flex is a bit stiffer than the SL. By the same token, I have also read that it pops much better than the SL.

Can anyone confirm this after riding? I'm sure I'd be happy in all honesty with the proto, sl, or the cobra - but now that I'm in my mid to late twenties versus getting the first board at 13 - you want to pick one after much thought instead of grabbing anything

Maybe the cobra is the board to go for? It seems to have adopted the Proto's features on the tail, it uses Carbonium, and keeps the same specs as the SL. Kind of the best of both worlds? Though unlike the twin tips, it has a more gradual nose and sharper tail, which allows the back to sink into pow as far as I understand. Not that useful on the East Coast (I ride at Holiday Valley), but for trips out west it may be a good all around board.

Thoughts? My only concern would be riding switch and how it handles that. I don't ride switch for the whole run, but I like to mix it up with the butter here and there.

lonerider

Well the Cobra is only available this season... so not many people have actually ridden it aside from Leo and Snowolf - both of them have posted long, positive review threads that wax poetically about the wonders of Never Summer (search for them). I plan to demo it sometime this season.

chatyak

Ahh - gotcha. I'll look at snowwolf's thoughts. I did remember lurking and scanning through it. Time to open it up again.

jdang307

BA has as well.

2013 Never Summer Cobra Used and Reviewed «

It's a proto/SL on crack.

lonerider

He also said the following thing in the comments section

Jdang, what board do you have now? Still and Evo? (I can't remember if you said you were getting a Cobra).

chatyak

Yea, seems like the Cobra is the one to get now. Best of both worlds with some new tech thrown in for good measure. I thought snowwolf said it was a great upgrade from the SL and for pow... I'll have to check his thread.

lonerider

That's definitely how the Cobra is marketed to be (SL replacement) and hyped up by pre-season reviewers. I'm excited to try out the board, but I personally try to be careful not about boards I haven't personally ridden myself.

Good luck and have fun - you really can't go wrong!

jdang307

Yup, thats' why I say Proto/SL on crack. It looks to be a mixture of a bunch of different boards.

No Evo. I bought a Coda and loved it last year in Tahoe, so I grabbed a Westmark to fool around with down here in shitty So Cal resorts (Mt High, Bear/Summit). Yes getting a Cobra. But saving it for the bigger resorts when I make a trip (possibly Tahoe in a few weeks, looking at SLC, and Mammoth in February). Going to powder chase with it if I can.

I could still ride the cobra in So Cal but it'd be mostly pointless. Bear/Summit at least has a semi-long run. and I've ridden the SL there. And I really do mean Semi-long. I'm just getting to know the Westmark so I'll keep pounding on that locally. Had a fucking thigh bruise my first day out (from a trip to Asia) and couldn't even lift my front leg. So ollie's were so fucking painful I grimaced when even starting to try one. But the westie seems to a little less poppy than the Coda.

I didn't find the Evo that poppy (but I still suck). The SL felt better on the small jumps I do take.

lonerider

Lol... so you now have a Coda, Westmark AND a Cobra... welcome to the collector's club

Just write you name on a name tag and join us in the circle when you are ready

As for no reason to pull out the Cobra... tell that to Leo and the hills he's riding on (no offense, that's how Leo describe it himself).

jdang307

Yes, but I'll only ever keep two boards at once so the Coda will probably go ... to a friend or craigs list. As for the Cobra ... I rode an SL around these parts (which I believe are still bigger than a lot of the midwest hills) and it was fine. So the cobra would be too. But with a Westmark sitting here ... The Cobra will be when I want to be aggressive and try to slash side hits and hop off of rollers etc. The westmark is for when Im trying to polish my shitty park skills off small jumps boxes and rails (the wider rails mind you). I do need to armor up though, Im' getting up there in age.

Westmark - try to butter around and hit everything in site. Cobra - powder and aggressively riding down the mountain.