aiidoneus

I paid $589 CAD. But where I am is not a big snowboarding city, so there is only two stores and they always charge more money then online stores, but it usually balances out with shipping costs.

david_z

I believe they were buying direct from NS so yeah, it could certainly be a get it early deal with a price premium to match.

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david_z

$589 CAD seems pretty reasonable but since NS are factory-made in Boulder, I think they may be exempt under NAFTA from the tariff/duty that normally jacks up the prices in Canada.

Man... I shipped a Ride DH2 to a buddy in MTL last season, Customs nailed him for like $200 worth of duty/taxes because Ride is made in China.

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BurtonAvenger

Boulder? WTF NS is not in that god damn shitty city.

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Angry Snowboarder Because someone has to call it how they see it!

david_z

Ahhhh why the fuck did I have Boulder on my mind? Too many Coors over the weekend perhaps. My bad.

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T0aSty

great read guys! Awesome input from everyone (except for that small 'flight' lol). I thought i'd take a shot at a question for the guru's. I currently ride a 2010 Legacy 159 and i think and feel the board is way to stiff for my liking. I currently weigh 210 lbs (weight lifting) but i'll prob be around 195 ish come next season. Us so-cal people ride a lot of park (but still love bombing down blacks) so i would like something with alil more flex. i was pretty set on picking up an EVO until i found out about the CT. I now rock a size 11 - 11.5 2011 F20 which is way smaller boot than it seems so i think ill be fine on a reg size stick. This past season i stuck to jumps and boxes because jibing on that Legacy was hard for me as i'm still learning 'park'. Also, butters and what not were so hard and made it seemed like a workout. I want board a can venture out and be able to try/learn everything. SO the big question is whats the flex difference between them since everybody talks about the SL which i know has better flex than the Lagacy and of course which board would be better for me?

Sorry for the essay

Leo

From all accounts I've heard, the Proto feels slightly softer than the SL. Compared to the Evo, it is definitely stiffer, torsionally as well.

The Proto also has less dampening than the SL so it should feel more lively. SL riders should chime in here.

Based on your intended use, the Proto sounds like a great choice for you. It's a really good, well-rounded board.

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www.aGNARchy.com Reviews and David Z's rants

mdc

I've reviewed the Proto CT from my 1 day demo in VT from Feb. already, but I got my hands on my very own Proto and rode it in Utah 2 weeks ago for 5 days!

I'm riding the 157 Proto CT with 2011 Auto Evers. I'm 6'1" 200 lbs.

Rode the first 2 days at Solitude. These were the closing days at the mountain. They had gotten 40 inches of snow the week before I got there. Warm slushy conditions. Deep heavy unridden pow/slush in the woods. The board did great, floated well in the quick cement like powder and did fine on the slushy groomers. The snow was very sticky, the Proto did a good job and retained it's wax quite well. The groomer I could find that were shaded were super fun, and the Proto ripped trenches in the snow.

Days 3 and 4 were at Snowbird. Day 1 at Snowbird was rain at the base and snowing balls at the peak. Needless to stay I stayed up high. Very wet heavy snow. The board rode well in the powder. It does get tossed around a bit in the chopped up heavy snow, if I lived in UT with all my gear I would not have ridden the Proto that day because I'd have ridden a longer damper board, but it still did fine. Great in the trees that were untracked. I can't say how well this board turns in tight spaces. Tho tight trees out west don't really exist compared to what I'm used to riding on the East Coast. Day 2 at Snowbird was killer. We got 10 inches of heavy wet snow on day 1, and another 10 of fluff that night. It got colder and sucked some of the moisture out and made for a blower day. Face shots all day long, the Proto was super fun. Floated super in the deep steeps, deep flats, deep trees. This is the kind of day we all live for and the Proto performed flawlessly.

Day 5 was at Brighton and was another great pow day. The Proto did great and I found a nice cliff with a great landing and sessioned that for quite some time. The board pops well and provided a nice landing in the pow.

Hope this helps anyone who reads it.

MDC

Mysticfalcon

Very nice to hear. Im impressed that you liked the 157. When I rode the 158 SL I felt like I wanted longer and I love my 161 SL. I know the Proto rides long. I think you and I might need to swap boards at the meet again next year for a direct comparison.

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Robert Boskind Photography

mdc

Rob, we can do that. I'd like to try out the SL. Like I said the only thing I'd change about the Proto is make it more damp. Especially for big mountains out West. For the East Coast it's perfect.