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Review: 2012 Never Summer Proto CT

272K views 919 replies 187 participants last post by  dreampow 
#1 · (Edited)
Review part 2 here with David's take on the board as well:

aGNARchy Proto CT Review

Introduction

For the past two years, I've slowly been getting sucked into the Never Summer hype around these forums. I wondered, "Can a line of boards really be that good?". Well, earlier last month, I was presented an opportunity of a snowboarding lifetime. Vince and Tracey from Never Summer contacted me and offered me a position in their online design team. What does that entail exactly? Well, they wanted my input on their products present and future. If I have any ideas/input regarding all aspects of their boards, then I am more than welcome to provide them. What's the catch? I have to ride and review a board of my choice. I chose the Proto CT because the tech specs sounded to be a perfect compliment to my riding style.

So you might be wondering what I thought about the board now. Well, I am a little angry at snowboardingforum to be honest. All that hype... all that talk... for what? A board that did not meet my expectations... THE NEVER SUMMER PROTO CT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS. So why the anger? Because now I have to add another brand of boards to my want list. Now I want to ride them all! Thanks guys. This is not a good thing for a gear whore like me.

So here it is, my initial review of the excellent 2012 Never Summer Proto CT 157:

Setup
Board: 2012 Never Summer Proto CT 157
Bindings: 2011 Rome 390 Boss L/XL
Boots: 2011 Burton Restricted Hail 9.5 US
Stance: +18/-12 Regular @ 23.5"

I am 5'9, 180lbs.

Handling
The Proto CT really shines in this department. The snow conditions was as good as it gets for Michigan at a generous 10-12". The Proto absolutely loves the snow. It held a solid edge when initiating carves and was more than easy to engage the sidecut. I did a series of short to medium to long carves and it was superbly stable and smooth. The Proto rode like a 160ish board, but handled like a 155ish. I attribute these characteristics to the longer effective edge and light weight (the blunted tips reduce the swing weight as well).

As the day progressed, the good snow had been pushed off to the side leaving the hardpack exposed. The Proto didn't have a single problem eating through it all. In fact, I felt so confident on this board, that I still rode aggressively even though there was crazy wind gusts with snow that made it hard to see. Of course, I didn't mach down the run in fear of hitting another rider, but I sure was carving it up on terrain I could barely see.

I didn't take the Proto into park jumps yet, but I definitely will soon. I was hitting some pow build ups though and it was super stable on those little jumps. On one occasion, I leaned forward too much and was sure I was going to eat snow. Much to my joy, I was able to ride it out. Come on, I got away with landing on my nose. That's pretty good. Not sure if this will be the case on an actual kicker, but I'll take it.

The only cons I could find about the handling is the edge to edge quickness and speed. It wasn't quite as fast as other boards I ride. This is because the board's width is a little wider than what I normally ride. The Proto CT 157 has a waist width of 25.3". My other boards are under 25". But to be honest, that is nitpicking and someone with even a size 10 boot won't likely have this problem. As for the speed, I found it to be a bit slower than my other rides. However, this is on factory wax and I will surely have to see how it rides after I personally wax it.

Pop
Very satisfying. One of the more poppy boards out there. Load up on either the nose or tail and off you go. I was having a ton of fun just ollieing over branches and clumps of snow.

Flex/Camber Profile
I'd give this board a 6 rating flex-wise. Just over middle-of-the-road. Perfect for all-mountain freestyle in my opinion. Torsionally, it is a bit stiffer which is one of the reasons why this board carves so well for a mid-flex.

I was very curious about Never Summer's now famous Rocker Camber profile. Love it. I'm going to say it... I like it more than my previous favorite, C2 BTX. While the C2 is in fact more playful, it doesn't lend to carving and stability (stable C2 boards are good deal stiff like the T.Rice). Never Summer got things right with their hybrid camber and this is probably another reason why a board of this flex can handle like a bigger, stiffer board. I like that their camber section feels like it has more bite. I haven't compared it next to a C2 yet, but I'd hazard a guess that NS's camber zone is a little more pronounced. Although there wasn't a ton of pow, I did take the Proto on the sides of the runs where everyone was neglecting the untouched snow build-up. The NS held up really well and gave me a glimpse of what riding actual pow would be like. Obviously, there are better pow boards out there, but the Proto CT does well enough.

Other Thoughts
I have to mention that I had a crash on the Proto. I was riding behind a skier and wanted take a path to the right. I did not realize that he had the same path in mind and he made an abrupt right turn. We ended up colliding causing him to lose his skies and me to go into a tuck and roll. Don't worry, I admitted fault and apologized and we both had a good laugh about it. Anyway, back to the point. I was sure I was going to find some damage on my board. Absolutely sure of it. Needless to say, I still can't find it and I want to give it another look over next time I ride. I guess Never Summer isn't kidding about the Carbonium topsheet being durable.

That brings me to my other point. The Carbonium topsheet not only looks good, but makes for a damn handy stomp pad. As in, you don't need one with this board. The whole topsheet acts as a stomp pad thanks to that cool looking texture.

Conclusions
Boy oh boy did Never Summer deliver. Trust me, I wanted every bone in my body not to like this board as much as I did just so I can have a different opinion than the rest of the crowd. But now, I realize that this Never Summer hype has a solid foundation. Is it the perfect board? Well, no. No board truly will be perfect. But for an all-mountain freestyle shredder, it comes pretty darn close.

Who do I recommend the Proto CT for? The intermediate-advanced rider that is looking for a do everything ride.

Big thanks to Vince and Tracey for giving me this opportunity. The Proto CT is definitely an excellent board that exceeded all my expectations.
 
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#42 ·
The Heritage is stiffer than the Custom. I haven't been on the Heritage yet, but I'm gauging the flex by NS's chart given that I now know where their 6 flex rating feels like. The Heritage will actually be a good deal stiffer than the mid-flexing Custom. I'd say the Heritage will be a mid-stiff. If you want a board to focus more on freeriding rather than freestyle, go with the Heritage.

If you want a board to freestyle anywhere on the mountain, the SL or Proto will be a good option. I favor the Proto due to the Carbonium topsheet and a touch less dampening. It's not squirrely by any means, just feels lively. I also favor the Proto in that it has blunted tips and is lighter. Very good swing weight going on here.

And the last piece of the puzzle is the shape. The SL is a directional twin which has a slight setback stance. The Proto is a true twin which has a centered stance.

It's pretty neck and neck between the SL and Proto. My take is... they are both all-mountain freestyle. The SL is for more bias towards the all-mountain side of things. The Proto is for more bias towards the freestyle side of things.
 
#54 ·
Just to add a little to this about the carbonium top sheet. I have been riding the proto ct myself the last couple days.

I was strapping in today while talking to one of my buddies and a young girl stood next to me and threw here skis down to step in but I guess she thought it was best to aim right for my board. Everyone cringed and had to turn away. Very surprised that she did not even mar the top sheet what so ever. Needless to say the carbonium hold up extremely well.
 
#57 ·
Would 157 or 160 be a better fit fit 190, 6'3, 11.5? My perfect all mountain size is 164! But want this as my fun board for progressing at park, jumps, boxes and spins of the side trails! Just curious. Cheers...
I'm about your weight but 5'11". I'm on the 157 but think I would prefer the 160 for a less aggressive sidecut. With your height, boot size, and stated preference for a 164 all-mountain, I'd go with the 160. In fact depending on what boots you're rocking I might go with the 158 CTX for the extra width (although the 160 is not a terribly narrow board, so depending on what you're rocking you might be ok).
 
#58 ·
See kimchi, thats basically where I'm at too deciding what size I want in the Proto. I weigh a little more, about 205-210, 6'1", wearsize 11 Zoom Force (large boot, no shrink tech, much bigger than my 10.5 Burton AWOL's) and this will be my do everything board. I want to be able to tackle the whole mountain and even some pow when I feel like it... and be able to spend some days in the park working on my skill set there when I want. I'm torn between the 157 and 158 CTX. And the 160 is still an option too. I've heard of people riding 253 WW boards with 11.5 to 12 size boots ducked at my same -15 12 stance without issue. What do you guys think would suit me??
 
#68 ·
If this years like past years, half the boards will have a neon green logo with black base and the other half will have black logo, neon base.

Black logo with neon base will be glowing.

I like the black w. green logo though. that shit pops out!
 
#72 ·
I did. It is pretty stable. By no means is it a bombing board though. It feels more lively than a stiff bomb board like a T.Rice.

I didn't have any problems washing out or anything. I wouldn't say it's unstable, rather you can just feel the terrain more. With good bindings, dampness shouldn't be an issue.

I really do think this board is perfect for people looking for a one board quiver. If I could only keep one of my 3 boards, this would be my choice.
 
#80 ·
Hi guys, I'm in the market of an all mtn freestyle board that lean to more freetsyle. From Leo's review, the proto seems to be what i'm looking for. But since it is a 2012 model, it would be out of my budget. Any similar 2011 model (does not need to be NS) that is close to the feel of the CT ?
 
#81 ·
have a look at the evo. I ride an evo 155...all day, every day. I'm a full time instructor and use that board to teach park lessons, bump lessons, carving, trees, steeps, whatever you can think of. Yes it is a little soft...but it still holds an edge like nobody's business. When I came into this season, I needed that "quiver of one" and the evo met and exceeded that expectation. As an intro to freestyle board it would be an outstanding choice. Presses will be easy as hell, good pop, easy to spin, its a twin, and holds up to a beating. When you're not doing that, you can still charge on it.
Just my .02
 
#82 · (Edited)
Hey Leo,

do you know if I can put a 24.5" stance on the Proto CT?

5'9" 165lbs. Looking to get a new board for next year and the proto is definitely on the list of boards i'm interested in. I'm currently riding an 06/07 Rome Agent 155. Looking for a new board with a more park/jib feel but not so soft that its a complete wet noodle. Not really looking to replace the old board, just to have different choices to choose from when I want.

I know someone else suggested the EVO in this thread but I hate the graphics on that board. Also, everyone says that the flex is in between the EVO and the SL but I have never rode a NS board before so I have no idea what this means. Can anyone put this into perspective for me comparing it to boards like the Rome Agent, Graft, Artifact or Bataleon Airobic?
 
#83 ·
Hey Leo,

do you know if I can put a 24.5" stance on the Proto CT?

5'9" 165lbs. Looking to get a new board for next year and the proto is definitely on the list of boards i'm interested in. I'm currently riding an 06/07 Rome Agent 155. Looking for a new board with a more park/jib feel but not so soft that its a complete wet noodle. Not really looking to replace the old board, just to have different choices to choose from when I want.

I know someone else suggested the EVO in this thread but I hate the graphics on that board. Unfortunately graphics is a big deal for me. Yes it's superficial but this is coming from a guy who bought nike boots because they had cool colours and I didn't want to rock the same boots as everyone else on the slopes...
You can get exactly 24.5" on the CT. It's the width of the further set of inserts. Proto CT might be stiffer than you want if you're doing a lot of really technical jib stuff. Strikes me as a really good jump board though.
 
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