Expert Review: 2024 Never Summer Easy Rider Snowboard [with Video]
Curated Snowboarding Experts Mike Leighton & Will Cabral got their hands on the 2024 Never Summer Easy Rider this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Easy Rider or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding Expert here on Curated.
Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.
Brand Claims
What does Never Summer claim about this board? [Mike] The Never Summer Easy Rider is a 5 out of 10 flex featuring the triple camber. It’s a true twin. They said people had been asking for it and finally gave it.
[Will] This is a new board for Never Summer ‘23-’24 Line. The brand claims that it’s an all-mountain resort ripper. It’s a mid-flexing board, and taking it on more intermediate runs was fun.
Overall Impressions
What is your overall impression of this board? [Mike] I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve ridden a lot. I’ve ridden the Proto, Valhalla, and the original triple camber. I wasn’t sure what to expect when they said, “Hey, it’s a 5 out of 10 flex and true twin.” I said, “Okay, let’s go and see what happens.” And immediately from run one, it felt fun, approachable, and familiar. Many Never Summer boards, especially those that feature triple camber, tend to be a bit stiffer. It’s designed for a higher-level rider. This is an easy rider. It lives up to its name. It's intended to be the more approachable introduction to triple camber.
[Will] It thrived as a go-anywhere-in-the-resort type of board. It’s easy to turn. It's a true twin. Riding switch was super fun. It was great.
Carving
How does it turn? [Mike] It held an edge. It carves really well.
[Will] It was easy to initiate turns. It’s a mid-flexing board and was a sweet spot for not having to put too much energy and effort into getting it to turn.
What is the edge hold like? [Mike] It’s not the stiffest board in the market. Still, it also features, you know, some of Never Summer’s premium technology, so it’s going to hold an edge with the triple camber.
[Will] Once you got it on edge, the triple camber technology and the profile helped to hold onto that edge.
How damp is the board? Do you feel any underfoot chatter? [Mike] I wouldn’t say it’s as damp as some of the other Never Summer’s offerings, so there is a little bit of chatter, but it’s not a ton.
[Will] It didn’t feel too chattery when we got through uneven terrain and chopped-up snow.
How does it perform at speed? [Mike] With the 5 out of 10 flex, it’s not your hard-charge-straight-line-don’t-make-a-turn-till-the-bottom, but it’s still a little damp, so it feels pretty comfortable at speed. Maybe in the conditions we were riding in, we didn’t find the top end of the speed. It’s not a flat-out speed demon, but it can handle its own.
[Will] We brought this up to super-high speeds, but it held its own, playing around on more of the intermediate runs, popping in and out of some bumps, and hitting some sidehits.
How is its energy/acceleration? [Mike] It holds a really nice edge carving. It's really quick and nimble.
Freestyle
How is it for freestyle snowboarding? [Mike] It's a blast. It's super-playful spinning around and buttering around.
Could you speak about playfulness and pop? [Mike] It also has a ton of pop, which really surprised me. It turned out to be a really fun board.
[Will] You could put some energy into it, and it felt like it came back in, and the pop was pretty solid.
Is it good for riding switch? [Mike] It’s one of those boards you want to ride just as much switch as you do regular. So, if you’re interested in getting better at riding switch, this would be an excellent option. It lands switch well. It lands regular well. Either way, it’s uniform in both directions.
[Will] It’s a true twin, so riding switch was a breeze.
How is it on jumps? [Will] I would say stable and confidence inspiring. There was a lot of predictability in this board coming up to jumps, staying pretty balanced, and the tail was there for you on landing.
Freeride
How is it for freeride snowboarding? [Will] It’s a type of board that I would like to take on normal conditions at a resort.
How is it in uneven terrain and chunder? [Mike] It handles uneven terrain pretty well. It won’t be best of class, but it’s also not a bucking bronco.
How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? [Mike] It’s really maneuverable. It's really quick. It was really fun. We did take it on a tree run. I was playing around the trees and crashed on a tree jib. That wasn’t fun, but that was a user error. That was not the snowboard’s fault. I was having too much fun, which is why it happened. It really encourages you to push your limits.
[Will] We took this board through a fun tree-jib section, and it could surf through the trees. This is going to excel in the trees at mid to lower speed. This isn’t going to tear through the entire forest, but it will be there for you to slalom through the trees.
What terrain is this board good for? [Mike] It’s a great all-mountain resort snowboard. Whether you are looking to get into the terrain park, you’re already in the terrain park, you want to get out of the terrain park, or you want to ride a little bit of everything, this will be a great option.
[Will] I would say the Easy Rider will thrive in most resort conditions. This is something that you could take all over the mountain, and you could put it in some steeper, more technical terrain. It’s not exactly designed for that, but this is something that holds up, and I see this board as the daily driver, the board that you always go to as an intermediate rider.
What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? [Mike] Really deep snow, probably the bunny hill, and some of the more steep and technical terrain. I would want a stiffer board in those conditions, personally.
Recommendations
Who would you recommend this board to? [Mike] This is an excellent board for an intermediate rider who may be getting their second snowboard. This could be someone’s first snowboard. This is a great board for anyone looking to play around. An advanced and expert rider could have fun messing around on this. This might be an excellent board for a dad who wants to get out and rip around with the kids. The audience for this is pretty broad.
[Will] This board is approachable to many different groups of people. As an advanced rider, it was still fun. It’s at home for the intermediate rider and has room to help an intermediate rider progress. If you’re an athletic beginner starting to love snowboarding, you could reach for this board.
Who should avoid this board, are there other better options out there for them? [Mike\ A true beginner. It has three separate sections of the camber, but it will hold a lot of edge. It’s not super slidey. It’s pretty locked in. If you’re a super-hard charger or bigger rider, this might not be your best option. You might want something more directional, a little bit stiffer. Also, if you’re riding a lot of big terrain-park features, you might want to look at Proto Slinger or other Proto series with the triple camber.
[Will] Maybe not for somebody who's a true beginner and only going out a couple of times a year.
Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Mike, Will, or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.
Never Summer Easy Rider Snowboard · 2024
- We price match
- Returnable