Leo

I do not recommend the Evo at all for you. I use the Evo purely for freestyle. It does exactly what you stated, squirrly on varying conditions and speed.

I use the Proto for more all-mountain riding. I still freestyle though. Like you, I hit everything I can find. The Proto is also very nice on jumps. Super snappy. So far it has also held up very well at speed and on chop. Stable, but not damp. The Proto has a very lively feel. I like this feel, but I know some people won't.

If you're looking for more stability and dampness, but don't want to sacrifice too much freestyle ability, the SL is a good option. I went with the Proto because I wanted a True Twin and less dampening.

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moondoggy

So I finally able to get out with the Proto. At Mont Tremblant and the conditions is packed snow with some ice. Talk about a FAST board. I could hardly go at a slow pace. Very stable board but not so grippy on icy parts as like my older custom. Still am very pleased with it. Gonna see how it goes the next couple of days with it as I'm still not used to the board yet. It seems to pair up well with the Targa (as to my surprised). Board is quite light and poppy even with the heavier bindings.

onefutui2e

that's what i thought as well. in all likelihood the proto will be sold out by the time i get around to buying it (damn you saving-up-for-grad-school!) but i can easily wait until next year. not like there's much snow right now anyway...i wish i could've demo'd the evo. an instructor we were riding with let my friend try his out, but then had to leave immediately after so i didn't get a chance. but he gave me the same opinion that seems to be echoing around here: great freestyle board, but you definitely have to work harder at just about everything else.

on the subject of union, i liked their bindings, though i felt there was something up with the toe straps, but i was admittedly a little too green to pass any sort of judgment. then i ran into your review and thought maybe it wasn't just me. went to a shop, workers there gave me the same story, "great overall bindings, but the toe straps suck, and only a bit better for this year." so my skeptical hat comes on, i buy a pair of burton toe caps, frankenstein them at home, and BAM! even if the perceived performance increase was only a placebo effect, i no longer felt it pinching my baby toe nor did i have to hammer the ratchet to get it off.

i'm looking at some ride bindings and the rodeo seems pretty solid. are they too soft for the proto?

david_z

If I'm not mistaken, the Rodeo is basically this year's version of what was previously the Delta MVMT. I rode the Deltas with Leo's Proto for a few days back in march and seemed to be a good pairing.

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axehandle44

Echoing others, I would look at the Proto or the SL, with board length per terrain being the ultimate decider. I totally understand your affinity for chatter, you just don't want it between your bindings and have it reducing the feeling of response.

mikeh6

first post, my proto ct should be here wednesday along with some flux ds30. can't wait to shred it

MeanJoe

So my two cents.

Finally got out for the first time on my ProtoCT 157. First time riding this year and first time in new board, bindings (Burton Prophecy Reflex) and boots (K2 T1). Conditions were less than good, man-made packed base and temps in the mid-40's. I spent my first 3-4 runs just trying to get back in the swing of riding after 9 months off. I had to adjust to a longer board (I rode a 2009 155 SL the last few years), a longer effective edge, and a centered stance. I absolutely noticed the longer effective edge more than anything. It seemed that it took far less effort to initiate a turn and when I did, the edges just locked in. Likewise, transitioning in and out of turns, it felt like it took more effort to disengage the edges, especially in the tail. Not sure quite how to explain it but frequently on the first few runs it felt like the tail was still holding an edge much longer than I wanted/anticipated.

It wasn't until my 2nd set of runs, after a two-beer break, that I felt like I started to get a good feel for how to handle the board. I'm not able to break things down into technical terms like some of the others here, I just know that suddenly the discomfort was gone and the board was an extension of my body. I thought about it and laser fast, the board was doing it. Edge hold was great at moderate speeds (first day out, I didn't bomb much of anything just cruised), very fast edge-to-edge, very playful but it still felt substantial between my feet and could handle the poor choppy and hard-packed conditions. I did notice the board has quite a bit of pop, more so than my SL. I didn't really push this, hitting jumps or trying to load it up, this was again mostly just cruising around and testing out the board and doing small ollies and playing around. When I got my timing right, it felt like the board just wanted to leap up off the snow and keep going up.

Unfortunately due to other commitments (stupid responsibilities) I had to cut it short after the 2nd set of runs. I'm going back out this weekend and the following weekend road tripping to Seven Springs. After those two weekends, I should have a much more well formed opinion of the ProtoCT. Based upon the 2nd half of my first day out, I absolutely am confident this board is going to live up to my expectations.

MeanJoe

Leo

Great input MeanJoe. You hit the nail on the head with your comment about the edges. I really think that bite is inherent with the NS RC design. It's why I love it. You don't get that bite until you engage that edge.

One thing I do when I'm carving on the Proto: I spring out the edge I'm on. Snowolf would explain this in much greater detail. It's like you're pushing off the edge you are on into the other edge. This also makes you gain speed. It's a technique I learned on cambered boards.

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yimingration

mind explaining this to us, Snowolf?

thanks in advance.

ImagePree

This is exactly how I felt on my first day. Granted, I was really overcompensating when initiating turns and going from edge to edge - this is due to tendencies of my old board (Ride Decade, circa 2005) washing out on anything but perfect corduroy. Conditions that day was crap, in all honesty, and I did not have a chance to do many runs. Edge hold was incredible on the Proto and actually caused 2 very unconventional wipe outs --> forward tumble end to end - kinda like catching edge except I caught the front incut.

Continuing my thoughts above, 2nd day out there wasn't much chance for carving either - can't wait to actually put a full day out on this board. However, after the disastrous 1st day, this time out I knew what to expect - only minuscule inputs (when compared to old board, that is) were needed to initiate turns - edge to edge were obviously much quicker. What I did notice, though, is exactly what Leo said - springing out from edge to edge picked up serious speed. I really can't wait to get on some nice corduroy to put it through its paces again.

Coming from an old, crappy camber board really took some getting used to but all in all, even after only 2 days, fondness has grown to epic proportions and I expect it to grow further with more time invested.