The Never Summer Dilemma – Proto, Evo or SL?

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Since Never Summer brought the Proto CT to their line-up you may wonder where it fits in amongst Evo and SL – surely,  for one brand, the all-mountain freestyle range is getting a little crowded? If you’re at a loss as to which one to go for, we’ve tried to break down the differences between these three boards and show how, in fact, they’re all aimed at three different riders.

Which Never Summer - Proto, SL, or Evo?

 

 

SL vs. Proto

When I say the SL is best for everything, I realise this is a bit of a cop-out; but in terms of creating a ‘quiver killer’ ride Never Summer have achieved their goal with the SL, and then some. It’s clearly not the park and jib king that the Evo is, so the main comparison here is between the Proto and the SL – both all mountain machines, both perform all the snowboard roles well.

So which should you buy?

The SL is best for:

  • Those who are not into jibbing. You’ll hit the park, but rails and boxes are not really your thing, you prefer to ride on actual snow.
  • On-piste carvers. No, it’s not an all-out freeride speed machine, but it will rail a turn at speed and grip on hardpack like an F1 car in a corner
  • Versatility. Given its extra damping, the SL deals well with a wider range of conditions than the other two boards. Cutting through chop, carving on hardpack and surfing through pow, the SL deals with this in its stride; while providing a more stable ride than the Proto.
  • Me. I want one board, I don’t go in the park too often (but I still want something that can perform when I do), and I ride all over the mountain, from powder to piste and everything in between.
The Proto CT is best for:
  • Jumping – If you’re all about big air, then go for the Proto. The combination of increased stiffness and the same damping as the Evo means you can easily rescue a too-slow run in with a huge ollie.
  • You have a more freestyle slant to your riding than simply carving down a piste. The Proto butters, jumps and jibs better than the SL, thanks to its reduced damping. It’s also easier to throw around due to the blunt shape, which reduces the weight at the tip and tail, making it easier to spin in the air.
  • Riding switch. The true twin shape of the Proto compared to the SL’s directional twin construction, means landing backwards will feel a little more natural.
  • Durability. The Proto CT is the only board of the three with Never Summer’s awesome Carbonium topsheet. Essentially, the thing is pretty much scratch proof. Having said that, Never Summers in general are fairly indestructible; but the ‘CT will stay looking nice for longer. This is the main reason for that extra £25 over the SL and Evo.

Proto vs Evo:

This is a question of jib vs jump for me. The Evo is the board to go for for jibbing. If that’s your main type of riding, then you shouldn’t even still be reading this: Go buy a Never Summer Evo right now.  If you are a rider that literally spends the week abroad doing lap after lap of the park, and then heads to a fridge as soon as you arrive back home, then the Evo is the board to go for.
Between the Proto and the Evo, get the Proto if you:
  • Love the park, but it’s not a complete boarding experience for you. You want to do other stuff too, especially hitting natural features that you come across while riding the whole mountain.
  • Would rather hit kickers than grind rails. Simple as that. Both can do both, but the Proto jumps better and the Evo jibs better.
So hopefully that’s demystified the somewhat crowded arena of Never Summer’s freestyle line up for 2012. Still not sure? Never Summer are going to be at Avoriaz and Serre Chevalier in December offering board testing – find out more here: http://www.rockonsnowboardtour.com/

Posted in Infographics, Never Summer, Snowboard Knowledge | 11 Comments »

History of Snowboarding – An Infographic

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Ever wondered how snowboarding began? How we arrived at all the modern technology on our boards that we take for granted? Turns out, we never had it so good. Check out our infographic on the history of snowboarding. Click it to make it big.

History of Snowboarding - an infographic

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Five Alternatives to Snowboarding That Aren’t Skiing (mostly)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

None of us will ever claim to be board (sorry) of snowboarding (can you imagine?) but it’s always good to  know that there are alternatives out there, without resorting to twin planks. Here are five things you can do on snow that will single you out as ‘a little bit different’ on the slopes.

Snow Skate

Bridging the gap between skate and snowboards, this is seen by some as a novelty and by others as the natural progression of park snowboarding. It’s basically a skateboard deck with a p-tex base stuck on the bottom of it so it will slide on snow. No bindings mean it’s easier to come from a skate background than a pure snowboarding one, but obviously the skills are pretty transferable. They come in three types: single deck, bideck, and 4×4.

The single deck is the simplest, and looks just like skateboard without wheels. They have grooves cut into the base and can really be used as a ‘winter skateboard’ – going to the same skatepark you do in the summer, but it’s covered in snow. They’re not ideal for going down your local ski resort, though some snow parks have a dedicated section for them (but many resorts ban them outright).

The bideck (Also known as a Snowdeck – a type of bideck made by Burton) has a skateboard top to it, attached to a ski-like base. It comes in different lengths, and as you might expect, longer is better for cruising around, shorter is better for tricks.

The 4×4 snow skate is a rare thing – they have a small ski at each corner where the wheels would be on a skateboard. Because of this, they have the most skateboard-like feel to them.

 

No Board

Similar to the snowskate, the No Board is a lot more snowboard-like.  It’s meant for one thing, and one thing only: Powder. Back when snowboarders were  seen as a fad that would die out soon (and yet another thing for skiers to scoff at) snowboards weren’t allowed in resorts. On the upside, that meant powder. Every. Single. Run. On the downside, you had to hike for it. The first snowboards were, in fact, No Boards – they had no bindings and were designed to emulate surfing in powder. Then bindings came along (started by a guy named Jake Burton…) and everyone switched to snowboards (pretty much) as we know them today.

The No Board is an old skool throwback to that time. It comes with a leash, you pull on the leash to keep the board attached to your feet. For the ultimate powder surfing experience, take your favourite powder board, attach a No Board kit, and you too can literally surf down the mountain

 

 

Snow Bike (or ‘Ski Bob’)

Don’t let the word ‘ski’ in the name put you off – you’ve probably seen these at resorts, and either thought “Whoa, that looks cool! Can I rent those somewhere?” or “What a dick! He probably rides snowblades the rest of the time”

If it’s the latter, then this article probably isn’t for you. Ski Bobs, as they’re officially known (perhaps the worst name for any snow-related sport – at face value even ‘snow blade’ sounds better) are simply a bike frame with small skis in place of wheels. They tend to have some form of suspension, front and rear and often riders wear snowblades (I know, I know, bear with me here) on their feet for extra stability.

Once you get good though, you can ride without the ‘blades. It’s certainly fun, easy to pick up, and you find that after a day of it, you’re doing drops and jumps you would think twice about doing on a snowboard.

 

 

Approach Skis

Admittedly not the most adrenaline-charged of snow activities in this list, but it’s what approach skis can lead to that makes them fun. An approach ski is a short, lightweight ski (usually around the 100-140cm mark for a normal male adult) that is used for hiking in the backcountry.

An alternative to the splitboard, approach skis mean you can take your favourite powder board into the backcountry without compromising by splitting it. They beat snowshoes too, each step is a ‘glide’ rather than lifting your whole foot and stomping it down again – saving you at least some energy for the way down. They can have snowboard bindings on them (again, similar to a splitboard) meaning you only need one set of bindings for up and down – saves a bit of weight.

You can even make your own – take a short pair of skis and an old pair of climbing skins, mount splitboard toe pieces and pins onto it and you have an approach ski with the ability to swap out your snowboard bindings from ski to board.

See: http://www.mtnapproach.com/ for more info

 

Teleboard

This is the most niche sport I’ve come across in a while. As the name suggests, it combines telemark skiing and snowboarding. Yeah, that’s what I though too.

So apparently, it’s kind of like an alpine board in that your feet are angled forward. But obviously your heels are free, like telemarking. And they carry poles. I’ll be honest, to me it looks more like a mono-ski, crossed with telemarking, and a pinch of alpine snowboarding added (only a pinch, mind). The guys that make them talk about ‘improved weight distribution’ and how it ‘lends itself to carving’. I’m not convinced though – the smallest board they offer is a 168 cm  – for pipe and park(!)

 

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What size snowboard do I need?

Monday, January 31, 2011

I’ve created a chart to help you work out what size you need. To use it, simply follow through the flow chart to find out what type of rider you are, then read your size from the relevant table based on your height and weight. To find out why you need a board that length, read on further down (or click here). Click the graphic to make it bigger.

What size snowboard should I buy?


So how long does my snowboard have to be? It’s a question we’ve all taken shop staff’s word for at some point in our snowboarding lives.

They probably gave an answer partly based on what was in stock, partly based on the size of board you liked the look of, and partly based on some vague idea that it should come up to your chin. Or the top of your chest. Or your nose. Or something.

Snowboarder on rail

"I want a board that's about...THIS big!"

So how can you go in to the shop armed with the knowledge of the size of board you need?

It all depends on ability, riding style, your weight & height, and camber.  Unfortunately, there’s no simple formula that links the three, but with some knowledge you can get something that will work for your particular build, skill and style.

Height & Weight

The one that everyone usually bases board size on is your height. Without getting too technical, this is how it works: Height affects the length of board you buy because of your centre of gravity. If you’re more Peter Crouch than Maradona, your centre of gravity is higher, and therefore it’s easier to topple you over (it’s all to do with levers – a long pole is easier to topple over than a short, squat block). For this reason, a longer board for a taller person makes sense, as you have a wider, more stable platform.

Weight plays a large part in board height too. In powder, there’s the simple ‘float or sink’ thing going on – basically if you’re a fatty you need to spread the weight with a longer board. There’s another, better reason that heavier people should have longer boards though, since you could argue “I never ride powder anyway, and I’m hardly gonna sink while on piste!”. As you turn, your edge is in contact with the snow. If you’re heavy, that same area of edge has to take more weight and is liable to ‘wash out’ from under you. It works the other way too: if you weigh very little but ride a 167 board, you’ll struggle to initiate turns. This is because your weight won’t be enough to flex the board into  a carve.

Ability

When you’re first starting out, a shorter snowboard is easier to control. There’s less weight, so it requires less strength to turn. Less edge in contact with the snow means you’re less likely to catch an edge. Often,  from lack of confidence, beginners often have trouble getting their weight forward – a shorter board means that any weight they do get forward makes more of a difference, so they’ll notice the techniques the instructor is telling them are actually working!

Obviously, the better at riding you get doesn’t mean longer and longer boards. Once you have a base level of ability and you’re looking to specialise in the type of riding you enjoy, you then need to look at the ‘Riding Style’ section to determine your board length.

Beginner Snowboarder

Learning on a shorter snowboard = a shorter learning curve

Riding Style

 

Snowboarding is such a diverse sport – one person’s idea of it is going as fast as possible down a 50º slope in powder up to your chest; whereas someone else’s is to be spinning, sliding, and jumping over everything down a run that’s more plastic and metal than snow. Because of this, you’ll need an entirely different tool for the job depending on what you’re into.

The basic and well-known rule is: Park board = shorter than normal, freeride board = longer than normal, powder board = even longer still, all mountain board = normal. This is pretty much true, and can be applied even if you ‘do a bit of everything, but mainly like park’, in which case you’ll go just a couple of centimetres less than usual.

Why is this the case then? A shorter board is easier to spin, easier to butter and generally better for throwing around. A freeride board is there to carve and go really, really fast. A longer effective edge is partly what allows it to do this – more edge contact means more stability when carving. The extra surface area of the board helps with floating on powder too.

Powder board

When riding in powder, size matters.

Camber

 

So nowadays, snowboards can come with a traditional camber, reverse camber (or rocker), dual camber, and flat base. There are advantages and disadvantages of all of them (which we’re not going to go into here), but these newer types of boards do affect what length you should (or can get away with) buying.

The area that this effects most is if you’re buying a rocker pow board. It doesn’t mean you should buy shorter, just that if you want something that’s equally good in powder but want to be able to throw it around more, you can get a shorter board for the same amount of float-ability.

For reverse camber park boards, going shorter is not really necessary (you’re probably going pretty short anyway for a park board, the reverse camber shouldn’t affect this over other styles of park board). For rocker all mountain boards, your effective edge is already reduced, so you should not go any shorter  (unless your version of ‘all mountain’ is mostly powder – you probably live in Alaska).

Manufacturers Recommendations

The manufacturers will usually give a weight range or height range for a particular size of board. This is useful, but the sizes all overlap – to the point that you can be of average height and weight, and fit in all the categories from a 154 to a 162. So how do you decide which to buy? A handy rule of thumb is:

Size Up If:

You’re above average height for your weight

You’re buying a board specifically for pow

Size down If:

You’re below average height for your weight

You want a park/freestyle snowboard that is easier to spin and generally throw about.

Nothing beats trying out a board. If you can find a place to test the board you want out, (often manufacturers do test days in different resorts, or at some of the better rental shops, you can rent various ‘high end’ boards) you’ll soon figure out whether that size is right for you.

Posted in Infographics, Snowboard Knowledge | 1 Comment »

What should I do with my old snowboard?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

If you’ve been riding a few seasons, there’s a good chance you have an old snowboard lying about, gathering dust and feeling generally unloved. Rather than cart it around season to season, or keep it in the back of your parents garage, there are ways it can be put to good use.

Keep it and lend it  to your mates who don’t have boards, save on rental costs.

There are definitely upsides to this, but in reality, are your mates who don’t have boards really going to appreciate a 2007 freeride board that has lost all its spring? They’d be better off getting a rental board designed for beginners, (assuming your mates who don’t have snowboards ARE beginners) on which they’ll have a much better day’s riding on. However, it is a useful thing to have when you’re really in a pinch – someone’s board has broken and they need something to tide them over for the rest of the week, for example.

Sell it on a popular auction website.

This seems like a good idea right? You’re getting money back on that three hundred quid you dropped two seasons ago; when you walked into a shop in the alps, a little tipsy from the night before. So in order to get a good price, you’ll need to take a few pictures and…wait – is that a coreshot? Well, you’ll need to get that repaired before you can sell it – that’s twenty quid, more if you give it a full service. And you’ll need to write a description, do you put on a reserve? Start the bid from zero or £50? Auction or Buy it Now? Or both? And how are you going to send it to the buyer – do you have a snowboard box? Oh, and the winning bidder is in Nigeria. Was it all worth it for the £83.24 you received?

Use it as a rock  board

If you’ve ever ridden in Scotland or anywhere very early or late season, you’ll understand the importance of  having a rock board in your quiver. Something that you can ride without worrying about the horrific scraping sound coming from underneath you. It depends on what kind of rider you are though. If you’re the once-a-season, week in Val d’Isère type then a rock board is probably not worth it. For the hundred-day-plus-a-season rider who’ll willingly do literally anything just to live in a resort town, having a snowboard you’ll quite happily trash is a must.

Trade it in!

Up until now, there has been nowhere that you could trade in an old snowboard. Here at ReRide, we wanted to change this, and we now allow you to trade in a snowboard to get a new board on the cheap. We’re not bothered by brand, you can trade in what you like – from the big names like Burton, Rome and K2 all the way down to the lesser known brands like Jones Snowboards, Yes, and Dinosaurs Will Die.

It’s easy to do, we’ll even provide the packaging to send us your old board in, pre-addressed. There’s no taking pictures, no writing descriptions, no servicing it beforehand. All we ask is that you read our page on what’s acceptable, then if you’re happy, fill in our trade-in form and we’ll send you out a discount code to buy your new snowboard. As soon as we get your old board, we’ll send you the new snowboard. Simples.

Cut it up

If you’ve ever hiked in snowshoes and attempted to keep up with skiers (especially if you consider beer to be a diet) on touring skis, then this one is for you. Take one circular saw (or similar) and one $300 kit from Voile and you can make yourself a splitboard. Essentially, you’ll have a pair of touring skis that you can turn into a snowboard to ride down. Sure it’s a little daunting taking a massive spinning blade to your once pride and joy, but if powder is the only thing that gets you up in the morning, then it’s a great project.

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Getting the Knowledge

Monday, December 6, 2010

The thing with the ski and snowboard industry is everybody thinks they know everything. I’m certainly guilty of it. You go into a snowboard shop and the season-worker who’s coming to the end of an alcohol-fuelled first week in the mountains tells you “Dude, you should get a Burton Air. Burton make awesome snowboards” You’re thinking, well okay I’ve heard of Burton, they must be doing something right. “It’s got so much pop” he adds.

Pop? Well, it certainly sounds like something you’d want lots of. It sounds fun, and that’s what riding should be about right? “Okay I’ll take the one with lots of ‘pop’ – it looks sick”

And just as that shop assistant did when he learnt his first fact about snowboarding a week earlier, you’re now suddenly an expert. “Yeah I went with the Burton Air. Have seen the amount of ‘pop’ this thing has? Totally gnarly pop, man”. Then the person who you said that to then recommends to his mate to get a Burton Air, the claims become exaggerated (“Yeah my mate just got one, he’s been riding for years, nearly turned pro. Says it’s the best board he’s ever rode. So much ‘pop’” *Flexes board with his hand for effect*).

Until of course, you run into someone who actually knows their stuff, and you look like a dick. But then of course, the ‘expert’ corrects your knowledge, maybe they tell you about a smaller manufacturer who “… really concentrates on quality – they don’t make their boards in a factory in China. They’re handmade in Colorado, none of this Burton crap”. From this point, in your head at least, you know everything that the “expert” knows. And you start telling people how you used to be like them when you  first started, but you could never go back to a “mass produced board like theirs”. And then you go off on one about camber and sidecuts.

Of course, admitting you know very little takes balls. So you bullshit. Then you bullshit so much that even you start to believe it – Does this helmet really contain the technology to bounce you up the right way when you land on your head, or did I make that up to try and sound knowledgeable?

The situation is not helped by the assumptions people make. They assume because you’ve ‘done a season’, or you work in a rental shop that you know everything there is to know. But those people only know what their ‘expert’ (and so on, further back down the line) told them. Chances are, the only stuff they actually KNOW is what length board you should have and how to fit boots. Ask them about the advantages of having Carbon-Kevlar beams running through their snowboard, and they’ll claim it’s for stopping bullets. But it’s not because they’re some sort of dick, having a laugh at you. They have a role to fulfil as shop assistant – saying “I don’t know” is not an option.

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Camber and Rocker – What you need to know

Monday, December 6, 2010

So this is the New(ish) Big Thing.  Before, there was camber (Well, to be fair, there still is. It hasn’t gone anywhere, you can still buy most snowboards with regular camber). This means that when you lay the board down on the floor and get your head down to its level, you’ll see a gap between the floor and the base, under the bindings. This is what gives it that ‘spring loaded’ feeling. The pop you give just before a jump, the way your board flicks from turn to turn, this stuff is due to the camber.

However, the first time your face connected with a box? This too, is because of camber. When you ‘tomahawked’ (cartwheeled, as we say in the UK) down a powder run because your nose dug into the snow, this can also be blamed (partly) on camber.

So along came Reverse Camber or Rocker. We’re back to laying the board on the floor again. This time, there’s no gap between the board and the floor under the bindings, the gap has moved to the ends. It has become more banana-like. What does this do? Well firstly, it means that there’s less edge in contact with the snow, therefore less edge to catch (so less face/box encounters). It also means the ends of the board are pointing out of the snow (so less end-over-end nose-caught-in-powder incidents). So that’s two problems solved, right there. What’s more, as a bonus, initiating a turn is even easier on a rockered board, and buttering becomes, well, bread and butter.

But wait. No one can really claim that they ONLY ride powder or they ONLY ride boxes and rails. What about when you’re just messing about on the slopes, transporting yourself between bars, or dare I say it, freeriding? That’s where the reverse camber thing falls down a bit. With less edge in contact with the snow, carving becomes more difficult. Going along edge to edge on hard snow becomes a bit sketchy. Side-slipping down windblown, icy 60 degree mountainsides to get to the start of that awesome couloir becomes impossible. So they did the obvious thing, and combined rocker and camber into a single board. This is usually called Dual Camber.

Now, we have a board with a gap between floor and the board under EACH binding, a point in contact with the floor BETWEEN the two bindings, and the ends pointed up like a rockered board. In profile view, it appears as a kind of 1930s style curly moustache. The idea is that this offers the best of both worlds. The camber under each binding means you still get the ‘pop’ for jumping and flicking the board in and out of turns. You still get the powder performance from the rockered tip and tail. You get more edge in contact with the snow when carving than on a rockered board. And with rocker between your feet, you get the reduced edge contact on rails too.

You’d think that this argument was settled then? Dual Camber all the way right? In the same way you get people riding straight skis from the 80s who will never change their ways for whatever reason, regular camber will be around for many years to come. To be fair, camber does lend itself well to freeride and carving. It’s less forgiving for beginners in terms of catching edges (especially when it comes to your first time on a box in the park). I see this as a good thing – if you learn the hard way then you’ll be a better rider in the long term.

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