Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

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.
 
See less See more
#823 ·
Yea, I was mentioning the 157 because that's what I ride in the regular CT.

You should keep in mind that since the CTX is a wide board, it will be more stable than it's CT counterpart in the 154.

You'll be fine on the 155 in other words. It's a true twin so obviously something directional would suit you better in the powder. But the it is rockered so that's definitely going to help. You can also set your bindings back on powder days if necessary.

You certainly could do the 158 so don't get me wrong here. It will be noticeable more stable and damp than the 155. At the same time, it will be less playful and lively.
 
#824 ·
Hmm, this is a hard decision. From the sounds of it, I should lean towards the 155, but I am just nervous doing that because obviously there is no going back... Would the 158 feel less responsive and take more work to ride but be more stable vs. the 155 which mainly just wouldn't float as nicely in the powder and would be less stable at speed?

Can someone that has tried both sizes chime in?
 
#825 ·
I've ridden a ton of boards ranging from regular widths to wide widths in the 147-165 range.

I currently have an Evo in a 157. Although I like it and it does very well for my purposes, I chose to go with a 154 next time around. This is because the more I rode other freestyle boards in the 154-156 neighborhood, the more I wished I went a size shorter.

I can do everything on a 156 that I can with a 158. It's just that I prefer the smaller size when it comes to all-mountain freestyle. In the end, the effort to compensate is minimal when sizing down. It's more effort to compensate when sizing up. I strongly dislike riding anything bigger than 158 unless all I am doing is bombing runs all day.

But at my weight, 158 is the normal range for me. 155 is the normal range for your weight. By going with the 158, you're actually sizing up.

And by every means, the blunted tips really do reduce the actual length of the board without reducing the effective edge. My 157 proto rides like a bigger board but handles like a normal 157ish board.

Edit: If I were 165lbs looking for a one quiver size, the 155 would be my choice. Especially if I already own a 158 size board.
 
#826 ·
If it means anything to you, I'm 5'10" ~180+ lbs and I have the 155 CTX. It's definitely not too soft by any means and decently stable from what I can tell. I actually expected it to be much softer than it is. I feel if you ride mostly groomed runs or steeper/quicker runs it might pay to get the 158, but it really doesn't bother me that much at all. I like the fact that with the smaller board, it can go on any area around the mountain with no concern. In all honesty, I think the difference will be small enough so that you will be happy with your decision regardless. My advice would be:
-Ride more park / trees: 155
-Ride fast / groomed / steep: 158
I had the same decision to make last year, but then the 158 went out of stock. lol made my decision a whole lot easier.
 
#827 ·
Thanks for all of the input thus far guys. I am leaning towards the 155 CTX now... My other option is last years Burton Custom Flying V since it is on sale, but I think in the end I might be happier with the CTX. I am nervous though, I have never had nor ridden a rocker-camber non-directional twin tip as mine is a camber Twin-Like if you want to use Burton's terms.

One last thing, those who have tried burton's Re-Flex bindings, how much of a difference is there? I currently have some Burton Cartels on my board that I could transfer over, but was thinking about upgrading to the Re-Flex version of either the Cartel, Malavita, or Genesis... Just not sure how stiff I want the bindings on this new board... Thoughts? Oh, and yes, I really do just want to limit myself to burton bindings.
 
#828 · (Edited)
Well, I ended up with the 158 only because the local shop didn't have it in the 155 like they thought. I went in there with the idea of buying the 155 per all of your recomendations, but in the end the difference probably won't be that noticeable. They said they could ship it out to Seattle for me for my trip if I wanted it, but that was a risk I didn't want to take. I paired it with some Burton Cartel Limited (limited edition hybrid of parts: Malavita bases, Cartel High backs, and Genesis straps) Re-Flex bindings. Oh man, I can't wait for that first run on Friday!!!
 
#834 ·
which would you guys recommend PROTO 154 or 155 or CTX 155?

im about 5'9 157-160lbs ish, size 11 boot, semi intermediate, i do all park and about a trip to mammoth once a year. i currently have mission bindings re:flex restricted want to pair it up with this board but not sure what size
 
#843 ·
In fact, with a size 9 boot should not go over 25 cm WW (depending on the sidecut radius, of course - in case of the Proto both the 25.1cm on the 154 and the 24.4cm on the 152 would work for the guy).



That. And the fact that it will be much more difficult to pressure the edge effectively, compromising edge hold.
im 5'6 185lbs. Would the 152 work for me or should I go with the 154?
 
#846 ·
Would love some advice from you guys. I have a 2013 Proto 157. I'm 5'9" @ 200 pounds. Have always ridden traditional camber boards and been riding for 20+ years. I love everything about my Proto but at SPEED/straight bombing runs it feels, for lack of a better word, sketchy. I'm much more of an all mountain rider than park and at times feel I have over powered the Proto in turns as well. When I bought the 157 I had a Premier 165 which I have since had to sell. So my question is should I go Proto 160 or SL 161. I LOVE the pop of the Proto and how light and playful it is. Would I lose that with a 2013 SL?
Thanks in advance for your time and feedback.
 
#847 ·
Hey guys, im fairly new to the sport and need some advice.

Im trying to decide between the Evo and the Proto. I weigh around 180-190lbs ,size 10.5 K2 Ryder boots and 5ft 10in tall. I am more inclined towards the freestyle spectrum of things however i am just learning small jumps in the park, ideally i would like to ride 60% all mountain and 40% park.

I would prefer a board thats more fun than a straight out charger.

The main questions I have are , how much harder is it to butter and press on the Proto compared to the evo?

and how much more unstable is the evo at high speeds compared to the proto?Will the evo be sufficient as an all mountain board to go down black slopes and stuff?
 
#852 ·
I'm actually asking myself the same exact question as you. I'm leaning towards the Proto for my quiver-killer, but I want to consider the new evo as well just in case.

It may be best to hold out for extremo and leo's reviews of the new evo and proto and then make a decision from there.
 
#853 ·
Unfortunately I cant wait too long cos I have a trip planned real soon, and my friend is gonna help me pick it up in the states early march,haha.

It would be really sick if the new evo retains the flexibility and butterability of the old one but gains the stability of the Proto at high speeds.
 
#856 ·
Never been on the east coast, but I ride similar mountains here (Big Bear, Mt High). The Evo is fine for that.

I rode the Evo at Loveland and Breckenridge. It was fine but when pushed it did chatter. I'll leave the HD stuff to those who actually ride it, but I'd be very impressed if they stopped the chatter.

Honestly, what was it about the SL you didn't like?

I jumped on a Coda and so far it's the most fun I've been on (which includes the SL and Evo). Jury is out on the Cobra as I've only had a couple days in Seattle on it. I need to take it to Mammoth to really know.

I'm not swaying you away from the Proto. I'd love to jump on one to try. Trying to get my buddy to buy one so we can swap Cobra/Proto whenever we want.
 
#857 ·
Honestly, I love my SL, just thought the blunted tips, more pop, and true twin would be a better fit for me. I love hitting all the natural features on my little hill here, but you can only do that so much before you get bored here. An average run here takes 30 seconds with a 5 minute lift ride. I'm just torn as whether to get something I can butter and press a little easier than my SL
 
#863 ·
Hey guys, I have decided to go for the Proto as long as I can still learn how to butter on it.

I weigh around 180-190lbs ,size 10.5 K2 Ryder boots and 5ft 10in tall,
will the 157 Proto be a good fit and will I be able to butter on it? or will I be able to pass on the 154 as shorter boards are easier to press right?\

I have also decided to pair it with the Flux TT30 bindings.Is this a good choice?

Thanks so much for the help.
 
#864 · (Edited)
Soyza I'm a little lighter than you 5'9" 170-180lb and I ride a 157. It's pretty easy to tail press even at my size. All depends what kind of rider you are between the 2 sizes though. Me personally, I love the balance of flex/stability in the 157. It's playful enough for me to mess around with presses/butters on my dinky home hill. But I've also taken it to Big Sky & Jackson Hole and it was great for free riding and a bit of pow
 
#873 ·
Leo, I know you said in another thread that you weren't a big fan of the Proto's changes. Has that opinion changed? My friend is on the fence about buying one right now. But at these prices he can certainly wait until next season and pick up a new one. I'll just loan him my boards for the time being.
 
#876 ·
I'm starting to grow into it. It's really a great jump board. And on good snow, the thing glides like a champ. I was still riding through flats while my friends were unstrapping to skate.

I need to ride it more. I think my initial dislike came from the combination of added dampening (I truly felt the Proto was already damp enough for the style) and brand new board feel. It's breaking in nicely now. Spending the day hitting jumps helped. Especially knuckling a few times lol.


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top