Never Summer Swift
| OVERALL RATING 4.5/5 | $619.99 RETAIL | SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SNOWBOARD SHOP |
Never Summer Swift Snowboard: Who Might Ride It
A month or so ago, one of my favorite humans asked my opinion about what kind of snowboard she should get. She recently moved to Italy via west-coast Portland, is surrounded by snowy slopes come winter, and still has her original snowboard setup from like twenty years ago. Which I have no doubt is sweet in its own retro kind of way. After discussing a few options and going back and forth over email and Whatsapp, we arrived at what she was most likely looking for: the Never Summer Swift.
““perfect for... big carves, powder, all-mountain, and pushing through the chop.””
Even though she can’t buy the Never Summer Swift in Italy, we’re working out the details to get her one. Why? 1. I told you, she is one of my favorite humans. Ever. 2. She loves Never Summer’s graphics, has heard good things about how they ride, and has kind of always wanted to try one. 3. She is a self-professed powder/steeps/all-mountain kind of rider and, after further consultation with the ever-sweet Harry over at NS headquarters in Denver, CO, we decided that the Never Summer Swift sounded like a solid fit.
Here’s the thing. I rode the Swift this past spring in conditions that were mostly slush under frozen slush under 2+ inches of wet fresh, and I loved it. I did, however, experience a slight delay in getting on edge—something I attribute to the wider width of the board (the 148cm Swift model has a 25.5 waist while, for comparison, the women’s Never Summer Infinity we tested has a 23.8 waist and the women’s Never Summer Proto Type Two has a 24.0 waist; both are 151cm).
While I am 5’7”, this friend of mine is tiny. She is fucking powerful (we met through bike racing and damn she can throw down), but she is also five inches shorter than me. So, warranted or not, I was a little concerned about her experiencing the same, if not slightly more, delay in edge-to-edge transfer. But given the fact that her sights are set on big carves, powder, all-mountain, and pushing through the chop, we (myself, Harry, and this powerhouse of a friend) have high hopes that the Never Summer Swift is going to suit her just fine.
If what you’re looking for aligns with the what we were looking for, then chances are the Never Summer Swift is going to suit you just fine, too.
On-Snow Feel
Hiking the cone at Mt. Bachelor (this little volcanic bump near the base that has a decent pitch to it and is just a dream come early mornings before the lifts awaken, or late-afternoons when chair churn heads back towards slumber), and then slipping down its face on the Never Summer Swift was a buttery experience. While the limited spring conditions elsewhere on the mountain didn’t offer the best litmus test for the Swift, I do feel like the steeper pitch and open face of the cone offered a good snapshot of where and how this Never Summer powder board is going to shine.
““I kinda cannot wait to ride this thing come powder time.””
The Never Summer Swift also has a surprisingly nice loft to it. I had not expected the Swift to offer a good pop off the tail, yet it delivered exactly that. Floating off wind lips was quite lovely as well. As mentioned earlier in this review of the Never Summer Swift, the board is maybe a little wide for getting on edge in firmly packed snow conditions. But, in the rest of the conditions I rode with the Swift (see infographic above) , it locked in and ripped through turns in a solid and and confident way. I kinda cannot wait to ride this thing come powder time.
Why Steer Clear of this Board
For some women, the width of the Never Summer Swift may or may not be a deterring factor. I remember riding the K2 WWW a few years in a row—when I lived back east and mostly rode park—which is fairly wide, though not as wide as the Swift. I had no problem with the waist width then, and mostly don’t have a problem with it now. But still, it’s a slower edge-to-edge sensation. Which some folx might not be into.
Why Buy the Never Summer Swift
The Never Summer Swift was originally designed as a mega powder board. But you know what? It also excels in other conditions and under different styles of riding. While I have a feeling it will take you to the moon and back on a power day, the Never Summer Swift is not “powder-exclusive.”
For a board that will let you float the float and loft the loft, and still rip through carves come non-powder days (wipes tear from eye), the Never Summer Swift is absolutely worth a gander.
Final Notes On The Never Summer Swift
In asking Harry, from Never Summer, to tell me his thoughts on the Swift, here’s what he had to say (grains of salt, people… he works for NS):
“The Swift 148… is the most radical board of all time! I may be very biased, but it rips so hard. It’s also SO SO much more than [a] powder [board], even though at first glance the shape will make you think "sick powder board". The Swift does ride powder exceptionally well, but the way it carves and holds an edge on groomers and your everyday conditions is where it truly shines for me.”
Thanks, Harry.
Tunes to Ride by With the Never Summer Swift Snowboard
Imagine floating fields of fresh powder to this Skinny Pelembe remix of Angry Fix by Otzeki.
Feels. So damn. Good.