About this review This review is my own honest opinion of the snowboard, which I bought with my own money in October 2018. I was not paid by the manufacturer to write this review.

My take

The Never Summer Proto Type Two is a free ride all-terrain go-anywhere board for intermediate to advanced riders.

About me

• Height: 5’8”
• Weight: 165 lbs
• Model: 2017 Never Summer Proto Type Two
• Size: 157 cm
• Boots: Vans Verse
• Boot Size: 9
• Bindings: Union Contact Pro (Vans Custom House)
• Experience: 25 years

Test conditions

• When I bought this: October 2018
• Days tested: 50+
• Where I’ve used it: British Columbia, Montana, and North Carolina
• Terrain: Backcountry, Chutes, Trees, Double Black Diamonds, Parks and Groomers

How it performs

What I love about it

• Edge hold: The rocker/camber hybrid provides awesome edge hold, tons of pop and a really fun, responsive ride.
• Turns: This board is hands down the most responsive board I have ever ridden due to the asymmetrical sidecut. The asymmetrical shape is truly the best I have ever ridden.
• Powder: I was shocked how well this board performed on a powder day despite being more of a twin shape. Normally I would reach for a directional or powder-specific board on a day with deep snow, but I’ve taken this board out on deeper days and I’ve been really surprised by the float and performance.
• Trees: The asymmetrical sidecut really comes in handy for quick turn initiation in the trees.
• Durability: One of the most reliable and well built boards I have ever owned.
• Stability: This board has tons of pop and just the right amount of stiffness with its medium-stiff flex. I prefer to ride boards with a little extra stiffness that will hold up on steeper terrain when riding aggressively. I can take this board anywhere on the mountain.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Speed: This is not the fastest board I own due to the twin shape. I can ride it aggressively, but it’s not built for speed. It’s more geared toward precision and performance.
• Weight: This is not the most lightweight board I have ever owned. On average, I would say this board is just a bit heavier than other similar boards, but the other features incorporated more than make up for the extra weight.

What I was looking for

I needed to upgrade my older all-mountain board to something that would allow me to ride bigger and steeper terrain. I like to throw a few tricks in every run whether I’m in the backcountry, lapping groomers or hitting up the park so I wanted something that had great flex with plenty of response.

Why I chose this gear

I was already a fan of Never Summer due to the high quality construction of their boards so when I saw this deck with its hybrid rocker camber profile and all-mountain capability I was sold.

I had a hard time deciding between this board and the Never Summer Funslinger, but my future plans to ride bigger mountains in British Columbia motivated me to go with something that was less park focused and more all mountain capable. I didn’t realize at the time that it would also perform so well in powder also!

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment riding this board was in the slack country area of Ozone and Whitewall at Kicking Horse mountain in British Columbia. On the same trip I also summited Terminator peak and this board took me through all of this terrain with ease. The same section of the resort was set as the route for the free ride world tour that season so navigating terrain suitable for some of the best free riders in the world felt like a huge accomplishment.

Value for the money vs. other options

This is not the most inexpensive board on the market by a far stretch, but it is worth every dime. Snowboard gear is just like everything else in that “you get what you pay for.” If you buy a quality board you get a quality board that will last.

Final verdict

This is hands down the best all-mountain swiss army knife of a board I have ever owned. It will be my go-to model from Never Summer as long as they produce it. If you have questions reach out to me at my profile.