I don’t usually get right to the point, but I will. Just go get this board. No need to read any more of this, just get it and thank me later. Still reading? Well then, let’s get into what makes the Never Summer Swift Splitboard all that amazing. I tested out the Never Summer Swift snowboard at SIA 2016 and it was one of my favorites, so I had pretty high expectations. Then I tested out the Never Summer Twenty Five Splitboard(to commemorate 25 years of NS making snowboards) and loved it. So again, I had very high expectations for the Swift Splitboard. I stopped by the Never Summer warehouse and Vince handed me the setup and let me know that Engearment would be the first to ever review it. So the bar was set very high and the stoke was off the charts.
The Swift belongs to a new group of boards called the “Tim Canaday’s Shaper Series” – as in one of the founding brothers’ dream creations. Never Summer has been making boards for 26 years now, so when one of the founders brings his dreams to the public, you better take notice. All the boards in the Shaper Series feature NS’s new Fusion Rocker – a best of Rip Saw and Original RC. Basically its Ripsaw in back and OG RC in front – liquor in the front and party in the rear. (Ed. Note – Mullet snowboard would be business in the front, not liquor.) Something like that…. Back to the specs. The Swift has an early rise nose that helped keep the board afloat in pow and wind crust and run over chopped up cat track ice chunks.
The Swift is designed to be a pow board, but had absolutely no problem handling crap snow and chatter was non-existent (thanks to RDS 1+ Dampening system and Elastomeric Underfoot Stabilizers). The Swift Split actually had more dampening than the Swift snowboard! I knew it would be a great powder board, but the flex and dampening really blew me away. I am used to riding big, stiff boards and having to work to initiate a good turn. Turns came easy on the Swift and kept the stoke high. Vario Power Grip sidecuts held an edge in hard snow and kept me from washing out.
NS pulled out all the stops to make the Swift Splitboard an incredibly fun board that can handle anything you can through at it. It tours well, the top sheet is durable and the board brings a smile to your face on every run. Through in the NS 3 year warranty and the fact that it is hand-made in Denver, Colorado, and you have a solid splitboard that should be at the top of your list. It will be available in 157, 162 (what we tested) and 167. The waist is 26, 26.3 and 26.4 respectively and all feature at 20mm taper. The Swift will be available August 2017. When it is, jump on it!
See also –
2018 G3 Universal Splitboard Skins + Awesome Upgrade for Backcountry Snowboarding
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