Never Summer Proto Type Two
| OVERALL RATING 5/5 | $519.99 RETAIL | SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SNOWBOARD SHOP |
OR BUY THE NEVER SUMMER PROTO TYPE TWO USING THE LINK BELOW & SUPPORT GOLD SNOW.
Never Summer Proto Type Two Snowboard: Who Might Ride It
With the Never Summer Proto Type Two women’s snowboard, you don’t have to feel pressured to commit to just one style of riding or one type of terrain. Want to hop in the trees? Fifty-fifty some rails? Lap the summit steeps? The Never Summer Proto Type Two is like your polyamorous winter mistress. She lets you keep your options open, shop around, and wiggle where you want without having to wonder whether or not your board will perform. Because: it will.
Asymmetrical and progressively shaped, with a deeper heelside than topside cut, the women’s Never Summer Proto Type Two rides like a fucking champ. Backwards, forwards, and side-to-side. As one of the best women’s all mountain twin snowboards we rode this year, and one of Never Summer’s finest overall specimens (much like the Shade, for which I am over the fucking moon), the Proto Type Two is all about adaptation, multifaceted functionality, and adventure.
““Take this all-mountain twin through all manner of terrain, and you’ll encounter stability, dependability, and the opportunity to sow your wild, wintry oats at every turn.””
If you want a women’s snowboard that feels equally stable riding up a pipe wall, transitioning to switch, and chasing friends through trees on an inch of thick new over spring slush, the Proto Type Two is a superb option. Take this all-mountain twin through all manner of terrain, and you’ll encounter stability, dependability, and the opportunity to sow your wild, wintry oats at every turn.
On-Snow Feel
Having ridden the Never Summer Proto Type Two through quite the gamut of conditions this past spring—including hard and soft groomers, thick new snow over a slushy mess, and lovely corn—I have a few notes about its on-snow feel across varied conditions.
““Over changing terrain and unexpected conditions, the Proto Type Two is a dependable constant.””
While I don’t seem to take to many asymmetrical twins right off the bat (I know folx love them, they just mostly feel awkward to me), the Proto Type Two is a different story. Where I usually meet a rather forced turn-initiation sensation with most asym twins, I did not with the women’s Proto Type Two. I almost never even thought about the fact that this board has a deeper heelside cut (which is supposed to allow for a more stable, ripping heelside turn… one equal to the toeside, which we can often dig into much more easily). In a world of subjectively awkward asym twins, I consider this a win.
So… overall on-snow feel for the women’s Proto Type Two is playful, buttery (not room-temperature butter, but fresh-out-the-fridge butter), and reliable. Over changing terrain and unexpected conditions, the Proto Type Two is a dependable constant.
Why Steer Clear of this Board
I cannot say with any definitiveness, because there was no powder in sight while testing out the Never Summer Proto Type Two, but I really don’t see this board being your powder stick. It isn’t marketed or designed or talked about as such, and so this comes as no surprise. For a Never Summer women’s board that’s built to float the cold float, definitely check out the Never Summer Aura.
Why Buy the Never Summer Proto Type Two
No, there isn't any one board that promises to excel in every type of condition, over every kind of terrain (if this is the promise you’re being sold, I call bullshit). But. The Never Summer women’s Proto Type Two does come close. With the Never Summer Proto Type Two, you can pretty much have it all and eat your cake, too. Especially if by “all” you mean all-mountain riding versatility and the option to ride switch without thinking twice about it.
““...so much of the engineered sweetness of the women’s Proto Type Two will probably go unappreciated if experienced by anyone other than an intermediate or more advanced rider.””
Final Notes On The Never Summer Proto Type Two
In addition to not being a powder-specific board, I also wouldn’t call the Never Summer Proto Type Two a beginner’s stick. Its ability to hang is more than a beginner snowboarder will be able to access or tap into, and so much of the engineered sweetness of the women’s Proto Type Two will probably go unappreciated if experienced by anyone other than an intermediate or more advanced rider.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one more thing: my experience of the women’s Proto Type Two in the place where I most often find myself come the close of the riding season. The pipe. Even though my pipe riding is mostly about below-the-lip transitions ad oft-failed inversions, I can’t get enough of the feeling of going back and forth in the u-ditch. There are many words I could use to describe such a feeling, but the one that most comes to mind is addictive. And taking to the pipe with a women’s Proto Type Two is nothing short of that.
Tunes to Ride by With the Never Summer Proto Type Two Women's Snowboard
IDK About You by Fever Ray. Yup, they’re music videos are generally creepy. But just turn up the volume, Fever Ray is rad.