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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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#698 · (Edited)
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.
 
#701 ·
Thanks, I have been on NS R&C since 2009 with my NS SL-R so for me specifically I don't think it was so much due to the R&C but I can see how it'd be new to a rocker-only or camber-only rider. I really think it was the combination of a longer board (155 vs. 157) and the longer effective edge on the ProtoCT due to the blunt tips and new geometry. I really should have clarified in my first post that my comments on the edge hold and turn initiation were not meant as a negative about the board. Quite the opposite in fact. It was just that the first few runs really required that I adapt my riding from the directional twin and effective edge of the NS SL to the true-twin and longer size/edge of the ProtoCT.

Can't wait until this weekend when I'll get two days of riding in to really start pushing the board!

MeanJoe
 
#702 ·
Very interesting! I'm waiting on the footage that Sabato got of me doing my mach session. That's going to be the first time I ever saw myself gunning it. It was on a blue run here so I was doing whatever technique to pick up speed. Going to have to pay attention to exactly what I'm doing.
 
#705 ·
I have two cambered boards left in my quiver - A 2009 Ride Kink and an older NS Premier. I keep the Kink as a loaner for friends and the Premier is mostly for sentimental reasons and that same idea of wanting to enjoy the ride of camber. The reality though is I have not rode either in years and most likely won't, the NS SL and ProtoCT are my primary sticks now.
 
#711 ·
Weird seeing myself carving. Yea, I'm not really maching on that one. Just my normal riding. We still have the season to get more footage of each other. This helps a ton though to see myself since I've never taken lessons. I get to pick out some bad habits.

Thanks for the upload!
 
#712 ·
This is the rebound that we feel and something many people miss about riding their cambered decks.
I know people say if you're really as good as you think you are you can ride anything, but man after riding cambered boards for 20 years I really can't do the high speed serious verticals as well on a rocker or hybrid style board. There is just something about that spring feeling on a traditional camber board and you transfer from edge to edge that is magical.
 
#725 ·
too be perfectly honest, i kind of regret getting the proto over the evo.

especially since i ride on the tiny hills in ontario (ice coast) and my usual routine consists of 2 laps on the slopes followed by fuck this shit... this is boring i'm going to the park..

the proto is great for jumps but i'm sure the evo is too.. proto is brutal for jibs lol
 
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