sedition

A while ago I decided wanted a pure freestyle deck. I heard numerous good things about NS decks. Thus, I started eyeing the System. I found a 155cm on eBay for an absurdly cheap price. The seller didn’t ride, and had no idea what she was sitting on. I was looking for the 151, but just couldn’t bring myself to not by the 155 because of the insane price. I bought it.

The System is listed as a freestyle board, and also Never Summer's softest deck. Their park/pipe board, the EVO, is listed as one step stiffer than the System, yet has a lower dampness rating. The SL, which is NS’s “all mountain freestyle” deck, is the same stiffness as the System, but it has a higher dampness rating (i.e. won’t feel the bumps in snow as much).

NS’s decks run on the stiff side. The fact that my System is their softest board is rather telling. Despite the fact that System was supposed to my “freestyle” deck, I bought another freestyle deck (Rome Graft 151) because the System was too stiff for the park for my tastes. The fact that their “park” board (EVO) is even stiffer is odd. I am sure people much more skilled than me could kill the park on the System or EVO, but I like really soft boards to help with jibbing, presses, and messy landings. The System really was just not that board.

So, what happened to my System? Well, it blew my mind as an “all-mountain freestyle” deck. So much so that I sold the current all-mountain board that I had. That said, IMHO System is an all-mountain board that lends itself more towards the “freestyle” end of the all-mountain spectrum than the “freeride” end of the spectrum. When I bomb a black at full tilt, it keeps me on my toes because it is not as stable as it could be. But it gets the job done. However, the System is SO solid, and SO perfect, and SO fun when freestyling off natural / groomed trail features. This is where the board really seems to excel. It is a little out of its element in the park, and a little out of it’s element on demon-speed runs, but it is heaven anywhere in between. I love mine to death, and will never get anything other than a NS deck again for non-park riding (Rome has me sold on that one!)

What is the point of this digression? Never Summer boards are stiffer than you would think. If your not expecting this, you may be in for a surprise. That said, and depending on what type of riding you do, you may want to be mindful of that fact when looking at what NS lists as their really stiff boards. Also, as someone already said, their decks do NOT have a weight limit on them. They are produced such that someone who is 220lbs could ride a 151.

Other than that, they are rock solid decks, handmade in the USA, and have a 3-year warranty (The System only has a 1-year, for some reason).

Hope this helps.

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Tom

Thanks very much, man.

I'm currently looking at their website... and since you've had your suggestions, I'm reevaluating my options. I'm pretty light, and since you said their boards are so stiff, it seems that System and SL are the only boards from NS that I can handle.

Oh yeah, and what exactly is the difference between flex and damp? You said that damp was the smoothness of the ride, but isn't that the same as flex (for the record, I don't know terms that well)?

sedition

Don't get me wrong, NS boards are not like over-the-top doom-stiff, they are just run a little stiffER than other boards. I ride switch a lot. I do a lot of flat land butters. I like hitting jumps off rolls on trails. Hence, I ride a lot more toward the "freetsyle" end of the specturm. The System is GREAT for this type of riding. However, if someone was more into speed, I would recomend something a bit stiffer than the System. It really depends on what you want to do with it, and what the majority of your riding style is like.

Dampening: the reduction of vibrations that occur when a deck is in motion. The damper the board, the better it will hold in the snow and provide edge grip to the snow. Decks that are overly damp, will lack rebound.

Flex: That is how much the board will, well, flex! A board could stiff, but not reduce vibrations (damp). Think of a block of solid glass. This will shatter with severe vibrations. Now think of a block of wood. It is also "stiff," but will "absorb" vibration much better.

Take a look at the tech link on the Rome web site (below). While it does not per se define or explain flex and damp and all that stuff, it does give some interesting diagrams of their laminates which can help understand the ways in which a board cen be designed to flex/bend/damp/etc.

Laminates | Rome Snowboard Design Syndicate 2008

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"Nancy Ninja Nabs Nefarious Nymph. Pays Price Per Pissed Pants!" -Flick

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-The White Rose Society

KaOTiKM3

Hmm this sounds just like my style of riding, so you would say the System is more suited for me because I was looking at the SL. I have a Premier now, but that was before I knew what I was getting, and that board is a super stiff directional freeride board. I ride a Skate Banana now but looking for another deck that can handle more all mountain freestytle.

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