swilber08

158 ctx would be better

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axehandle44

Completely agree.

After a third day on the Proto and more importantly loaning it to a friend for a few runs, I don't think a relatively new rider is going to enjoy the subtle nuances of the ProtoCT.

Also to add onto the "not the only good board out there".... agree here as well.

The ProtoCT is getting a lot of hype and I wouldn't have posted a review if I didn't think it warranted some extra attention. The ProtoCT is a unique board and for those who've been riding a long time, it's design and performance does offer something to genuinely get excited about. That said, the ProtoCT's popularity means nothing in terms of other boards, their design or performance. NS could've just as easily missed the mark completely and no one would be talking about it.

There's been alot of "advancements" in snowboarding, but you have to remember these companies have to invent new and exciting features to keep their product line "hot".

Twin tip -> 3D baseplates -> FatBob -> Baseless -> Capped -> Clip-in -> Carbon -> Aluminum -> Slider > Glueless -> Magnetraction -> Rocker -> RC....etc.

Some of you will recall, most of these "advancements" (and the many I left off) were little more than hype. My opinion is what we're seeing with the ProtoCT is proving to be a promising evolution in design and materials. I suspect next year's NS lineup will show heavy influence from the ProtoCT's popularity.

casper3043

i didn't bother reading all 69 pages of crap in here. but i wouldn't even bother, knowing ^^^^ this alone.

nofronts

Based on what you said about a "new rider" being someone who never road before period, how would you say a 15 year rider would appreciate it after riding a standard camber Burton balance from 7 years ago till present? I just bought the Proto 157 yesterday to replace the balance i've been on the past 7 years. So i have experience in riding but have never rode a rocker, reverse camber or any other hybrid.

jdang307

kctahoe

Why do you even post then, some people accually like the information

axehandle44

All this depending on where you're riding..

I never rode the balance, but I did ride the Dragon. If my memory serves me correctly that board had a fairly deep sidecut, narrow waist and was pretty stiff (mktd as Terje's pipe/allmountain board). Depending on how much camber you've lost in the 7yrs of riding, you're definitely going to notice a degree of difference with RC. The difference won't be polarizing, meaning you aren't going to hate it, however you may not fall in love with it if your riding style exploits the responsiveness of camber. Like I said earlier, the ProtoCT does allow quick turn initiation, just need to take advantage of the board's flexibility to initiate your turn.

Long story tedious..

With your experience I think you'll appreciate the difference and won't feel limited. Now, conversely if you were going from RC to all camber and deep sidecut.. that'd be a WHOLE different story. In many ways that's why the ProtoCT is getting so much attention. It's the first RC board I've ridden that didn't leave me feeling like I sacrificed something by moving away from camber. Even the Heritage RC I rode last year had me yearning for camber some days. I'm going on record as saying next year's SL will incorporate design influences from the ProtoCT and we'll be the next "must have" board.

Then again, what do I know...

lonerider

yes, go ride it if you have snow and worry less.

onefutui2e

sorry about another "is this board or this board good for me" question, but i rode an arbor westmark 156 last year, and i love it but it tends to squirrel and get choppy in certain conditions, it feels a little slow to pick up speed, and some of my landings off jumps come out a little loopy (like i have to pay extra attention to how i take off).

i'm deciding between the evo and the proto and likely will be debating this for a few more weeks before choosing (hopefully neither sells out). i'm by no means a park rat; my friends and i tend to just stop over there on our way down and don't spend our entire day unstrapping and walking back up, but we do enjoy aggressively riding through everything taking hits off the sides of trails, executing sharp turns, or buttering our way down when we feel like being playful. which board would generally suit me better? i don't mind working a bit harder on the mountain if it means i can have a lot more fun doing it, but i guess it depends what kind of trade-off it is.

i rode my friend's proto 154, though it was for a very short run; it felt similar in most ways. a few things i noticed were that i could gain speed more quickly, turn initiation was easier though it might've been due to the slightly smaller size, and it felt more stable at high speeds and going through chop. i felt ollies would a bit easier as well.

i'm willing to work a little harder going down the mountain if it means i can potentially have more fun doing so. call me crazy but i sometimes actually enjoy the chatter and noise that comes with my board; it's more unsettling if i have a super smooth ride. i guess it's the sports car mentality?

Leo

Why? If you bothered actually reading anything let alone any my other posts, you would realize that all that means is I get to review boards for Never Summer. They have a pool of people that they send boards to for reviews. This list includes Snowolf and AngrySnowboarder as well.

None of us get paid for this. We get to keep some boards, but well... our reviews do pull in revenue so that's not very unreasonable right?

I review tons of other boards. If you take a look at the site on my signature, you'll see my other reviews. It just so happens that I ended up really liking Never Summer. They make damn good boards and that's that. I don't have a reputation of buying into hype around here. Ask any of the Union fans that have been here. Or the Skate Banana lovers.

This is exactly why parents teach their children to never judge a book by its cover.

Thanks for the hate though. I love it.

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