Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

2014 Prospector Split Review

12K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  karkis 
#1 · (Edited)
They guys at Never Summer have been kind enough to loan out the 161X Prospector to me. I have had it for about three weeks, but due to life things I only have a couple of days on it. So I am just have some general impressions.

The conditions were squarely in the spring category. Very warm and soft snow. The Prospector has a flat spot under and in front the touring bindings to help with skin contact on the climb up. One of the short comings of the rocker camber splits has been that the rocker is right under the touring bracket. So you lose a lot of contact. In perfect conditions, deep pow, warm spring slush, not a problem, when it gets firmer it can be challenging. So I was pretty excited to try this improvement. Unfortunately, I had nothing but perfect skinning conditions. One day spent at Bert and another riding Grizzly Peak on Loveland Pass. Both days, when I put skins to snow, there was about a 2-3" slush layer that just grabbed the skis. I did get on one steep side hill where I usually have a challenge, and it was no problem. Again though, perfect skinning conditions.

The weight of the board was 7.9lbs with just tips clips and chinese hooks. Not the lightest, but not a heavy split either. Right in the middle. It has a set back stance, with taper. I want to say 14 millimeter, but it might be more than that. Perhaps Vman will drop the fine details on this thread. Obviously this is a free ride split. For those who like to spin, I'd look elsewhere.

Performance wise, I felt right at home on it. I thought the flat spot for skinning would change the lively feeling most boards have with rocker between the bindings. I did not notice much of a difference. If anything it made straightlining a little easier. The Never Summer damp stable ride is alive and well on this split.

As far as edge hold and turns, it railed them just like I would expect a board of this style to do. In other words it was great. Grizzly was a good test as the chute is in the 45 degree range for about 1k vertical. Snaps out of turns and locks into the next one with minimal effort.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is going to be a decent powder day to test this in the conditions that most of us would be aiming for. As a spring chuting split, this is definitely a fine choice for that style of riding. Then again I do see there is snow in the forecast up high, so if it looks decent I'll make it a point to get it out there.

A few photos.

Grizzly Peak 13,427'. We took the Chute just to the lookers right of the Summit.


The Prospector on the Summit of Grizzly. The Peak in the background is Torrey's 14,275'.


A closer look at the board.


and a pick of Jordan skiing Grizzly chute just to give you an idea of the angle. Otherwise, probably not a great pic for a snowboard review...


So far I am enjoying this board. Hope to get a couple more spring days on it.
 
See less See more
4
#2 ·
:thumbsup: Nice mini review. What day were you up on Grizzly?

I especially like the idea of the flat spot under the touring bindings. I was going to get a split board for my birthday coming up pretty soon but now I think I may have to hold out and wait for this one.

Do you know if this board is going to replace any of the two splits in their lineup or are they going to sell this alongside the SL and Summit split boards?
 
#3 ·
As far as edge hold and turns, it railed them just like I would expect a board of this style to do. In other words it was great. Grizzly was a good test as the chute is in the 45 degree range for about 1k vertical.
Grizzly Peak 13,427'. We took the Chute just to the lookers right of the Summit.
thanks man that is fucking radical.
and a pick of Jordan skiing Grizzly chute just to give you an idea of the angle. Otherwise, probably not a great pic for a snowboard review...
agreed lol :thumbsdown:
 
#4 · (Edited)
It is going to replace the Summit. The Prospector definitely shares characteristics of the Summit. It is a more versatile design though. Not as much of a pow specialist. The nose on the Prospector has a longer camber to help make it rise up above the snow. A feature I haven't been able to test.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Took the Prospector up Torreys yesterday. I think it is safe to say that the flat spot improves traction while skinning. I went for much longer than I expected in icy conditions before busting out the crampons. On a long slick side hill climb with crampons on I was rock solid. The last time I did this traverse was with my SL split with crampons in similar conditions and with the rocker under foot, I was still having struggles in spots. This was more relaxed. I wouldn't call it a huge difference, but just a little easier. Over a thousand vertical this is a lot of energy saved. Especially when climbing something like a fourteener.
 
#8 ·
I did the North West Couloir aka the Tuning Forks yesterday. I've done Dead Dog four times and I have been meaning to do the NW Couloir for awhile now. The Tuning Forks looked great from Grizzly last Saturday, so I figured it was time to get after it. I was able to ride right off the Summit which was great. A ton of vertical on that one too. 2500 maybe more? I need to look. It is 600-800 vertical longer than Dead Dog, so you get a lot of bang for your buck. IMO though Dead Dog is the better line. There is just something about that one.

The last major line for me to do off of Torrey's is Emperor. The line looks very steep on top and then snakes down the North face to Grizzly Creek. Looks nice, but I still think Dead Dog is the trophy line from Torreys. It is definitely one of my favorite fourteeners to play on in the spring.

I am currently going through my photos. I only shot 727, fml...

I did shoot video too, I actually think I'll have a good edit out of it. It was just from my helmet. I seriously didn't feel like holding the stick cam for that long of a drop.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the Stoke!

Hey Kill, thanks for the stoke as we get further into summer :thumbsup:. Only six more months before I shred again, sigh :(. Who knows, one of these days I just might get good enough to join you on a bc jaunt :bowdown:.
 
#10 ·
You're the man doode. I may not be into the avy scene and wildness of winter bc stuff but maybe some summer stuff? Is it more mellow in terms of conditions/life threatening....? Seems like it gets more solid like the west coast this late stuff...:dunno:

I've seen some pics/discussion lately on the Tuning Forks on 14ers so its nice to have a point of reference.

good stuff....
 
#11 ·
There is an avalanche death recorded in every month of the year in this state. Grant it, the mid summer, early fall ones tend to be injury related versus full burial. Still, if it kills you it kills you.

It is safer, especially right now. These are some of the best conditions to get out there and go big. Dangers exist, but are much easier to recognize and take appropriate measure, whatever those may be.

As far as a safety stand point goes, it is also probably best right now. If you lose it on a line, the aprons are covered in snow versus rocks. Yeah a long slide sucks, but a long slide into rocks sucks more.

Probably going after another high peak next weekend. A thirteener or fourteener if you are interested in learning a little...
 
#12 ·
Man thanks for the offer but aside from being pretty out of shape, I'm all of a sudden working like 60hrs (weekends for sure) - its my seasonal snowcarnie life - but I feel like I can aspire / concieve what you got going there .... Thanks again :thumbsup::thumbsup:

And I will definetly be taking you up on the offer sometime eventually. I go.
 
#17 ·
Ha! I do have video, I just don't know if it is interesting enough. I shot all of it from my helmet for the most part. Holding the camera on a stick in spring conditions, just doesn't seem like anything great to me.

I might try to put something together, but my gut feeling is that it won't be that interesting. The only thing I go going for me is I am riding off of high peaks.

We'll see, I should have some time to edit and see if I can stitch something decent together over the next few days.
 
#21 ·
Just wanted to add a little to the review. I took the 167X Prospector out in full on powder conditions on the Fourth.

Damn, this thing floats just fine. The extended rocker on the nose planes up on top of the snow rather quickly and at pretty low speeds. Overall it is a perfectly capable powder board. I won't hesitate to take it in the deep. I have a hunch this will be much improved in a Maritime climate like Washington. I'll be bringing it with me on my annual trip out to that region.
 
#22 ·
another take on it....

2014 Never Summer Prospector 167X

set up with Phantom Splitboard bindings (Phos and dual heel risers), Dynafit LoTech Race toe pieces, Coltech 140mm skins (mohair/synthetic blend), dynafit boots tlt5 mtn (mondo 29)

rider - me, 6', 175# plus gear, 24.75" stance (reg), front+20, back-5, 25+years snowboarding, expert/haywire.

background - i've been riding NS boards for the past 15 years, mostly due to their quality bombproof materials and construction. I really enjoy riding my SL split, but i guess i was a bit spoiled by the Blaho Bros custom offerings, and when NS took over the splits production, they inherited a customer who was used to getting exactly what i wanted (Titan splits, mostly). I ride a Raptor 169X solid and it's always been a bit of a switch for me, from charging around the resort, to the slower, more playful style of the SL. So i guess i kind of harassed them a bit, they took my feedback very well, and they responded with the Prospector. This board was given to me to review, based on my relationship with NS product development.

specs: 167 cm, edge 130, tip 31.8, waist 26.4cm, tail 29.8, sidecut 'vario 890', damp rating '8/10', flex rating '6.5/10', weight 8.31# with hooks and clips

BOARD FEATURES
Carbonium Topsheet
Carbonium Laminate Technology
Extended Tour Rocker Camber Profile
Low Profile Tip/Tail
STS Pretensioned Fiberglass
Bi-Lite Fiberglass
NS SuperLight Wood Core
Harmonic Tip/Tail Damper HDT
CDS Dampening System
Elastomeric Underfoot Stabilizers
Sintered P-tex Inner and Outer Sidewall
Durasurf XT Sintered 5501 Base
Full Wrap Metal Edge

review
my first impression of the Prospector was that it is a very classy offering from NS. Craftsmanship is typical - flawless, graphics are classic - Mt Shuksan, colours are great - clean cool shades on the Carbonium top sheet, and safety third! on the base with the bright red.
Looking at the specs, i wasn't sure exactly what to make of it, i'd asked for a Raptor split and the Prospector was kind of... sort of... almost.. the Summit!! reworked... was it??
well, yes and no, the specs show the Prospector as having the taper and the flex of the Summit, but a longer sidecut, longer edge, wider size, and a new RC profile....

the 'tour' part of the ext tour RC profile is about 20cms of flat base underfoot in ski mode.


the nose profile


and the tail show a fair bit of camber from the feet outwards in ride mode, and the rocker sets up the nose and tail with about 8 mms rise before the low profile curves start.

looks good, yah, but the proofs in the shreddin!!

The Prospector shreds, no doubt. I've had it out the last couple months in conditions from bottomless pow, to blower pow, to settled pow, deep pow, sick deep pow and, for variety, some wind board, some upside down stuff, some cut up stuff, and some firm packed stuff on the out tracks. The board holds a rail and is confident at speed. Its also quite stable as split skis.
While i was concerned that the taper might loosen up the tail too much, it does a lot of good for the planing attitude of the deck in soft snow. The nose does not dive unless you really, really, definitely deserve it, and the burn on the back leg is much reduced. The tail is looser than on a twin tip, but in a good way: precise steering takes little effort, and the tail is still right there when its needed.
i was also worried that 6.5/10 flex sounds a lot softer than the 8/10 flex i enjoy on the Raptor, but its actually not much softer at all. When you crank on it, it rips the sh!t.
Durability is bomber as expected from NS; the board smashed some early season sharks in the water with very little collateral damage.
Tourability is fine. With the extended RC profile, as well as the flat 'tour' segment in the profile, i expect most people should have no problems going up hill. newbs might want to use ascension or high traction skins, and those with more skinning experience should be good to go with some slicker skins.
Honestly, this board is all i wanted and then some. The Prospector is a real all mountain charger, effortless to manoeuvre, stable at high speeds, powerful on a rail thru long and short turns, and durable enough to take some big mountain abuse.
2 thumbs up!
:thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
#24 ·
Phantoms are awesome! love em.
super solid bomber connection- the binding plate holds the board halves together very tightly. plates themselves flex a bit laterally, for a bit of softness side to side.
toe to heel they're super responsive and powerful, can really rail a turn.
transitions are typically fast, but if you get icing ya gotta scrape some off, mostly the inside edge and around the cleats where the plates attach
boots i use are the lightest softest AT shoes out there (dynafit ones, and tlt5 or 6), with some modifications, comfortable, durable, reliable and the system tours way better than soft set ups, waaaaaay better, like really a lot. Shreds great too, same same but you can really power the rails.
the one drawback is the cost. spendy!!
 
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