Never Summer Snowboards

As far as all-mountain goes, the proto FR stands up to the best. I had some preconceived notions of what I would like about this board when I demoed it, and quite frankly, it was all that and more. I didn’t realize how well it would preform in pow. It’s a surfy carve, and while it’s stiffer, the early rise and tail transition allow it to be a bit more nimble.
I bought the new model, then found an older version, used, that I bought so I can ride it in low coverage. Now I got a Proto FR for every condition imaginable. It’s a quiver killer, so I made a quiver of proto fr’s!

Truly awesome board. I rode my old board for a very very long time and was a little skeptical on the new camber profiles and board shape but the easy rider killed it in about every condition. I had a dozen days on my local Michigan ice hills and a week in the powdery mountains. This board is a thrill at all times. Probably made me a NS for life kinda rider. Get this one if your shopping.

Straight up, this is the best powder board I've ever ridden. There isn't even any competition. This board wants to "surf". I don't know how else to describe it but a very playful powder junky. It drives into quick and agile turns, allowing me to charge through narrow trees. The only reason this isn't my new daily rider is its lack of triple camber tech. There were a few occasions where I couldn't hold a good edge in the crud or on an icy run that was skied out. As a Midwest rider, I don't see enough powder to truly enjoy the needs of this board 😭

Hands down, this is my new daily rider. The tip is super fat, allowing this board to float in powder. The triple camber locks into any condition. The shape and stiffness of this board screams to be ridden aggressively. I had a ton of fun laying out hard carves on groomers and just as much fun ripping through trees with knee to waist deep powder. I can't stress this enough, but the triple camber just locks in. I felt very comfortable riding any condition with this board. Yet somehow it has enough playfulness to hit those natural kickers you occasionally find. For me, this board is a game changer. It gives me the confidence to do all those stupid things that I will one day regret. 😂

I have been snowboarding for 22 years.
Started riding ND borads 5 years ago with Proto type 2. Right there I was hooked. Got the proto synthesis when it came out and saw the improvement.
Last year I got FR and man, I sold all of my boards. I was blown away by how this board rides. If you know what you are doing, this board will give you the ride of your life.
It handles ice, groom, powder, jumps, carving, and I even attack moguls with it. That is how confident I am riding this board.
I used be extremely uncomfortable on moguls but I attack them now days.
For me it's one board that can do it all .
I have to thanks NS and feel fortunate to have this technology available to me to have fun out there.

I absolutely love this board, or should I say these boards! I say these because after riding the 158 for the week and having more fun than I have in years, I went back and bought the 161!!

Oh man, where do I begin with this baby? even when I'm gliding my way to the gondola and I have one foot in the binding it's so easy to control, and while I'm shredding down the mountain the board is effortless to control, it feels more like I'm riding a skateboard rather than a snowboard, and I feel that's the most important part of a board, control.

I demoed the board and went home and ordered it. That’s how much the board changed the game for me. I have since taken it out and absolutely love it more with each run. It allows me the confidence to attack harder runs and lines and the control and response from the board is second to none.

I have been riding 25 years and the Valhalla is my favorite snowboard to date.

Just took it to Steamboat Springs, Colorado and agree with the other reviews that you can turn incredibly fast in the trees and it's easy to maneuver in technical trails.

Great float in deeper powder (better than my Proto FR).

All in all I wanted a board like my Proto FR with a more directional shape and a little more set back to be better for out West riding and it delivers.

Great edge hold on black steep trails, solid edge on long flat traverses & felt great all over the mountain.

After testing half a dozen aggressive top shelf traditional camber boards at an industry demo event I thought this board might feel too loose on the hacked hard pack snow. Man was I blown away when the V Twin offered more edge control than all the trad-camber boards I just rode while still being effortless to get edge to edge without any of the grab of the camber boards. Nothing less than magic…

I’ve been riding a NS Heritage for about 5 yrs and couldn’t imagine any board being more fun But the triple camber is an absolute game changer and pushed this old guys riding to whole new level! It got better everyday or even every run. The harder I pushed the better it got. It’s hard to put into words how great this board responded Thank you all at NS SO much.

I wasn’t even in the market for a new board before I demoed the ‘24 Women’s Proto Synthesis. But after test riding one I couldn’t imagine my life without it! To my delight I received the board for Christmas. My first day on it I nailed a 180 front side nose roll that I had been working on since last season. I quickly mastered that, added board grabs to my repertoire and now I’ve started landing jump 180s consistently, regular & switch. I’m even getting cheers from the chairs when riding under lifts. Those of you who have been riding for a while know what incredibly high praise that is. I don’t want to speak poorly of another brand but my last board was one of the consistently best rated boards on the market but I don’t think I’ve ever progressed as fast as I have since I started riding my Proto Synthesis. I have nothing but praise for this board. She responds like a good dance partner and I’m able to quickly maneuver as needed. It turns, pivots & spins like an extension of my own body, yet I am still able to carry my speed over cat tracks without the board trying to squirrel into a turn or try to fishtail. I am also able to butter without the tail trying to swing around.

This has not been the best snow year for the Summit County Colorado resorts. I’m a very good rider but my last board had slipped out from under me on ice several times earlier in this season, even with freshly sharpened edges. I was starting to become a bit fearful and my love for the sport was beginning to decline. I was interested in the ‘24 over the ‘23 because it has slightly better bite on ice. I wanted anything that would help prevent further bruising to my rear end. I am please to report that I haven’t slipped on ice once since this lovely lady came into my life. This went from a horrible season to one of the best I’ve had because of this new board!

The Never Summer customer service has been amazing as well. Joey at the demo stand did a fantastic job of qualifying me for the right board according to my skill level and riding style. Vance has been incredibly responsive and helpful when I ask questions through the web page chat. Never Summer has rightfully earned my loyalty and I am happy to be supporting a local, home grown company. Ladies, do yourself a favor and demo one of these boards. I’m 5’3”, 120lbs and riding a 139.

Holy (insert your own word here)!!!! This board is unreal!! I have been riding NS for over 20 years and have loved every board (5) I have had. But this is a game changer. I have never felt anything that carves and grabs like this. I'm a "born from the ice" Northeast shredder and this board is the end all. I'll be honest, this board was purchased for the graphic, and I don't think there will be any other boards in my future. Best irresponsible purchase I have made.

I really love this board. I was on a Westbound before and I didn't think I would like this board much more than that - I was wrong. This is a real step up. It's better in almost every way. It's a great carver, handles icy conditions with confidence and is just overall fun to ride. The westbound was a back foot dominated carver - this board is more balanced and rewards front foot initiation - especially on the heelside. This is especially nice after riding powder if your back leg is tired. However this boards floats better than the westbound and doesn't take as much of a back foot weight bias - so less back leg fatigue to start. It rides switch very well especially considering it's taper and directional profile. I'm 215, 6'5", size 12 boots and I'm happy with the 161DF. The extra width of the DF series is a game changer for carving - I boot out with normal wide (~265 waist width) boards. I'll never go back to standard wide boards.

Once you go triple camber, you will never consider any other shape profile again.
The easy rider loves everything you throw at it, from park to the backcountry, big air tricks, carving, and even the kitchen sink. Just be careful, You might break the sink...