Never Summer Insta Gator
| OVERALL RATING 4.75/5 | $549.99 RETAIL | SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SNOWBOARD SHOP |
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Never Summer Insta Gator Snowboard: Who Might Ride It
I swear this is a review of the Never Summer Insta/Gator. Just bear with me for a minute while I set the scene.
So my brother’s kid (that fucking sweetheart) “had allergies” while I was back east visiting three weeks ago. I called bullshit but drank her unfinished hot cocoa anyway. The marshmallows were chanting my name, cheerleader style, and I knew better but down it all went. After I got sick, and my brother got sick, and my niece shit her pants (not a regular occurrence mind you, she’s five), we found out that allergies, in this case, actually meant Type A Influenza. Cool.
Fast forward three weeks and yesterday was my first day back on snow since contracting that shit you’re supposed to get a shot for at the beginning of the season. It was a storm day (my absolute favorite) and oh, sweet reunion it was fucking glorious. I spent all day on the sweetest Psychocandy from RIDE, and then switched over to the Never Summer Insta/Gator for today, my second day back on snow since the onset of sleepless nights filled with seemingly endless coughing (and states of codeine-laced delirium in which I may or may not have Googled symptoms of Tuberculosis).
““I was shitting myself. But not like my niece. The Never Summer Insta/Gator performed beautifully out the gate.””
Although today saw a brief recess in the storm cycle, the skies still sagged with imminent moisture and a lift that was closed during yesterday’s whiteout was opened (for those of you that are familiar with Mt. Bachelor, they opened Northwest—you know what that means) and there were bags and bags of dry fresh, followed by slightly thicker PNW cream at lower elevations, to be experienced. I was shitting myself. But not like my niece. The Never Summer Insta/Gator performed beautifully out the gate.
Now, who’s it for? Well, the Insta/Gator is part of Never Summer’s Shaper Series. Which is something Tim Canaday (one of the brothers who started Never Summer in 1991) created for the boards shapes that were about “recapturing the feeling that made us all become snowboarders.” That is: the reason/s we all got hooked in the first place. And so, with this in mind, the Shaper Series became a thing. Every board in the series, including the Swift and the Insta/Gator, comes with a tapered shape and fusion rocker camber profile, both of which aim to please regardless of snow conditions.
When I think of the Shaper Series, I think of riding in the trees, creating sweeping pow lines, and laying deep carves. And the Insta/Gator, well, it feels like it was built for all of these things and then some. It’s immensely agile (way more than expected), especially when it comes to navigating tighter trees. It pops easily off of side hits and wind lips, and offers a certain predictability in landings (maybe it was just the storm-cycle juju, but I stuck quite a number of bigger, unbeknownst to me until I was in the air, landings today). Plus, it floats like a boss. So… if you like all or at least some of these things—if they make you smile—then the Never Summer Insta/Gator will probably make you smile too.
On-Snow Feel
Yeah, it’s got a neat geometric nose, a slightly swallowed tail, an alligator graphic between the feet. But what does the the Never Summer Insta/Gator feel like on snow? While results may vary depending on rider, ability, and conditions at hand, I will say this: I rode the Gator in variable spring conditions AND fresh, dry powder AND thicker PNW fresh. I laughed, I ate shit, I left the ground a lot. The constant through it all? Agility, lightness, and loft. Goddamn.
““I had expected the Insta to feel somewhat slower when initiating a turn or getting on edge, but no. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not the case here.””
All of which is to say, the on-snow experience for the Insta/Gator thus far is pretty fucking great. This board is responsive underfoot but not twitchy. And as noted earlier, I was blown away by how nimble it was through powdery stands of trees. I had expected the Insta to feel somewhat slower when initiating a turn or getting on edge, but no. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not the case here.
When I look back at my testing notes from when I rode the Insta/Gator this past spring, I have the following written down: “Very light and agile. Great to spin and do alley oops on. Awesome through the wet inch atop cement atop slush conditions. Great down the cone and navigating trees. Sweet pop.” You can’t make that shit up! The consistency is in the pudding! Icy, bulletproof, or harder conditions, though? Ooh, right. I have a feeling the Insta/Gator wouldn’t be my stick of choice for that kind of riding. I mean maybe? But I can’t see that being the case.
Why this Board Might Not Be For You
I bet the Never Summer Insta/Gator can slide a rail (most boards can, to varying degrees of satisfaction), but that doesn’t mean it should. Which means this board would not be my go-to stick for the park. Yes, it’s a great board to spin around on, but I prefer something more… park-y for park riding. Like the Never Summer Shade or even the K2 Cold Shoulder.
Also, I love riding switch and landing switch, and I don’t feel 100% confident doing either on this board. While you can ride the Insta/Gator switch on groomers (though your mind is all what, bitch? when you look at the tail and envision such a thing), riding it switch in powder or tracked-out powder is as you would expect: no bueno. I tried it today, just to see what would happen, and went ass over kettle immediately. So, if you like landing and riding switch as much as I do, the Insta/Gator might not be your daily rider.
Why Buy the Never Summer Insta/Gator
In thinking about the impetus behind the Never Summer Shaper series—to remember why you fell in love with riding in the first place—I see how the Gator reflects that sentiment. For me at least. Why? Well, I know yesterday’s and today’s storm conditions—my beating heart—contributed greatly to this sentiment. But… the Never Summer Insta/Gator is joyous. It’s the bullshit pushed aside and the hard things in life muted, if only for a blip of time. It’s something that somehow makes sense, when so much does not.
Basically, life is fucking hard. The Insta/Gator isn’t.
OK… I’m crying now.
Final Notes On The Never Summer Insta/Gator
Yesterday, as I was sliding up to the load zone for Northwest, my board still covered in snow and almost unrecognizable, one of the lifties blurted out how you like your Insta/Gator? Wait, how can you even see what kind of board I am on? It’s maybe my third run down on it in this kind of snow I replied, and I can’t believe how this thing floats (mimics popping off of powder pillows with mittened hand). It’s fucking awesome. The liftie, obviously pleased, seemed like he understood the way of the Gator. He then asked if I’d ever ridden a Never Summer before. To which I replied ohyes as the lift caught my bottom.
What am I getting at here? Before commencing testing with Never Summer boards this past spring, I had never before ridden one. Now, I get it. I get why they have this kind of cult following. Why they are so… revered? I’m certain there will be a few boards in the NS lineup that don’t suit me (I think I just found one, but more on that later), and believe you me I’ll tell you when I don’t like something and why, but for the most part: I’m on board and I’m a believer. Do with this sentiment what you will.
Tunes to Ride by With the Never Summer Insta/Gator Snowboard
The work of Frank Ocean is one of my loves, and the layered beat of In My Room is a like a metronome for you to keep time with as you bop through the trees, take that stump drop under the lift line, or make your mark across a fresh fall line. Or… just listen to the snow, and the hoots and hollers of others as they feel their way through winter. Either way: enjoy.