Never Summer has been making great snowboards for 25 years now, and to celebrate a quarter century of top-notch craftsmanship, they are creating a the Never Summer 25 splitboard – a freeride board! Sean had a chance to test the splitboard out for 2 weeks before it went off to Outside magazine for their review. After several tours in the Rocky Mountains, he quickly fell in love with this amazing splitboard. Read on to find out why!
At first glance, you will notice the unique tail. This bat tail (as they call it) allows the rear of the board to sink into the snow and let the nose pop up for a lively and fun ride. The 25 Splitboard also features the Ripsaw Rocker Camber profile. This is Ripsaw profile is different from the traditional Never Summer Rocker Camber profile by having more pronounced camber underfoot to allow for greater edge hold as well as pop. The enhanced camber was noticeable right away and was surprisingly fun.
The board was great at touring as well. We did not notice any issue with the rocker under foot (a common problem with rocker boards) and had a blast touring around the Colorado backcountry. One of the cool features is the new HexTech Topsheet that is a step up from the already awesome Carbonoium Topsheet in that it deflects snow and ice build up even better, as well as adds a more durable surface (not that a Never Summer board needs any more durability).
The construction is super burly but only weighs 1 pound more than a regular snowboard – pretty impressive! This is because they use NS Superlight Wood Core, By-Lite fiberglass, Carbon Max Laminate and STS Pretensioned Fiberglass. All, this plus the RDS 1+ Dampening System and Elastomeric Underfoot Stabilizers create one heck of a smooth and mid firm flex. Great for any condition we encountered – from pow tree runs to windblown crust – this splitboard handled it well.
The 25 Splitboard comes in one size – 162 – and has a mid-wide width of 25.6. Effective edge of 123 and tapers profile – nose 30.3 / tail 29.7. Of course, all Never Summer boards come with a 3-year warranty and are handmade in Denver, Colorado. Available for next season through Never Summer or any authorized dealer. Trust us, you want this splitboard!
See also –
Never Summer Swift Splitboard – The Powder Board for Colorado’s Variable Snow Conditions
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