About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in November of 2021.

My take

The Never Summer Snowtrooper is an all-mountain freeride board that allows surfy playfulness all over the hill. The graphics are a lot of fun on this board, too. This is a swiss army knife of a board that I would recommend to anyone.

About the snowboard I own

• Model: 2022 Never Summer Snowtrooper
• Size: 159cm

About me

• Height: 6’0”
• Weight: 190lbs
• Experience: 12 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought these: November 2021
• Days tested: 20
• Mount position: Recommended
• Boots: Ride Anthem 2015
• Boot Size: 11.5
• Bindings: K2 Cynch 2015
• Where I’ve used it: Midwest, Tahoe, Mammoth
• Terrain: Off-piste, groomers, double black, bowls, terrain park

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was on the hunt for new gear because my previous board was old, a bit small for me, and was starting to wear. I wanted a board that could handle big, all-mountain adventures and could go down any run I wanted on the hill.

Why I chose this gear

The profile of this board is able to handle what I was hoping for. There is a wide-powder band that allows lift when I'm off-piste, but the power grip sidecut allows me to carve on groomers. I considered buying the Capita Mercury or the Jones Flagship. The Flagship seemed a bit too stiff for how I ride. The Capita Mercury was a big competitor, but the downside was the price as well as the nature of the board. That board is more designed for all-around, whereas this is for big mountains as well.

What I love about it

• Speed: This board can pick up speed and hold it well due to its width and great stability. But I use this more for off-piste and big mountains, where speed is not as important.
• Edge hold: The sidecut on this board gives it excellent edge hold no matter the terrain. In groomers or powder, the profile of this board allows me to catch edges and hold them. The edge hold on the board is also great on steep terrain.
• Turns: The profile of the board, being camber-rocker-camber, is ideal for turning because the board wants to turn exactly in the middle. This allows me to move the tip when and where I need to go very smoothly.
• Groomers: This board easily goes anywhere on the mountain. The board has an extended transition zone under the feet end and a sidecut profile that allows grip on harder/corduroy snow.
• Powder: The powder band, the tip, and the width of this board make this a great sender in the powder.
• Trees: The rocker in the center makes this board turn on a dime and is easy to maneuver through trees.
• Durability: This board is a solid construction and is very durable through the conditions I have used it in. The polymer topsheet and the carbon VXR laminate are solid materials that hold up well.
• Weight: This board comes in at a light weight that does not feel heavy at all. The weight allows it to withstand impacts and makes it killer for all-mountain.
• Switch riding: Rarely do I ride switch, but the few times I have, even with the directional nature of the board, I do not notice much of a difference. This is because of the rocker in the center and the transition zones at the ends of the boards.
• Stability: I find no underfoot chatter and the width of the board provides great stability.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Park: I do not ride this board in the park, but looking at the profile and how it rides, this board is not designed for the park. Its mid flex could allow it to be used there, but the shape is a bit out-of-the-normal for a park board.
• Backcountry: This board is not a split board and would be hard to use in the backcountry.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment riding this board is when it dumped for days in Tahoe last christmas and I took this board out to try how it rode powder. I was all over the trees and runs in four feet of fresh snow; this board used the powder zone, edges, and sidecut profile so well that I didn’t even notice the ground wasn’t solid. It was so surfy and fun and made my day so much better.

Value for the money vs. other options

I purchased this board at a sale price, and it has been worth every cent. Even if I was to pay full price, I believe it would be worth the money. I have no complaints from this board. This board is very comparable to the Mercury Capita. They are both around the same price but this one seems to be able to send it better on the high terrain than the Mercury. I enjoyed the twin tip design of the Never Summer board better than the stiff directional style of the Jones Flagship. It allowed me the ability to ride long hours and still ride switch.

Final verdict

This board unlocks the whole mountain as a possibility—whether it is powder, groomers, or steep terrain. The solid construction and shape of the board prepare it well for anything I want to use it on. It’s suited for any rider.