25/26 Never Summer Benchmark Snowboard Review Now Live

The Never Summer Benchmark is a playful, forgiving all-mountain board that excels in trees, side hits, powder and cruising, but isn't a charger.

In this review, I will take a look at the Benchmark as a mellow freeride snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Benchmark a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow freeride snowboards.

Overall Rating

Board: Never Summer Benchmark 2026

Price: $599

Style: Mellow Freeride

Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)

Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)

Rating Score: 84.4/100

Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards

Overview of the Benchmark’S Specs

Check out the tables for the Benchmark’s specs and available sizes.

Who is the Benchmark Most Suited To?

The Benchmark is best suited to riders who want an easygoing, playful all-mountain board that’s more about quick turns, side hits, trees, powder, cruising and messing around than bombing at high speeds or laying down aggressive carves.

It could work as a one-board quiver for someone who likes to ride a bit of everything but prefers a looser, more forgiving feel over something stiff, damp and locked-in. It’s particularly well suited to riders who spend a lot of time in tighter terrain, like making quick adjustments, slashy turns, natural hits and playful powder lines.

It wouldn’t be my first pick for hard chargers, bigger jumps, icy high-speed carving or rough chopped-up snow, but for low intermediate riders and up looking for something fun, maneuverable and confidence-inspiring, it makes a lot of sense.

TEST/REVIEW DetailS FOR THE Benchmark

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Benchmark is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Never Summer Benchmark 2026, 156cm (259mm waist width)

Date: April 4, 2025

Carving

I found the Benchmark to be a board that was way more at home laying down slower to moderate speed carves than it was trying to rail aggressive high-speed carves. At those more relaxed speeds, it actually felt really fun to carve on - more so than I was expecting. It had a nice, fluid feel edge-to-edge and I could really lean into turns without feeling like I had to fight it.

But once I started pushing the speed up, that’s where I noticed its limitations. It began to feel like it wanted to let go a bit earlier than I’d like, and I couldn’t quite commit as hard into deeper carves. It wasn’t sketchy or anything - just not built for that locked-in, trench-digging style at high speeds. Definitely more of a “fun cruiser” carver than a charger.

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing:
From the first few turns, I could tell this board nice and easy to initiate turns on. It felt quick to respond and super easy to slash the tail out. There was a looseness to it that made it really fun to throw around without feeling like it was going to punish me.

Maneuverability at slow speeds:
This is where it really shined. It felt very agile edge-to-edge and required very little effort to maneuver. I found I could make quick adjustments effortlessly, which made it ideal for tighter terrain and just generally playful riding.

Catchiness:
Really minimal. I didn’t find it catchy at all unless I was really looking for it. It had that forgiving feel that let me relax a bit and not have to focus too much.

Speed

When it came to speed, I found the Benchmark sat pretty comfortably in that middle ground. It wasn’t unstable to the point of being sketchy, but it definitely wasn’t something I’d want to straight-line all day either.

At moderate speeds, it felt fine - stable enough and predictable. But once I started pushing it, I noticed it lost a bit of composure. It got a little more wobbly and less confidence-inspiring compared to more aggressive boards. Glide was solid though - I didn’t feel like I was getting bogged down or anything.

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder:
In messy snow, I found it handled things decently but not exceptionally. It absorbed smaller chatter fine, but in rougher, more chopped-up conditions, I definitely felt it getting knocked around more. It wasn’t super damp, so the terrain feedback came through quite a bit.

That said, it was easy to correct when it did get thrown off line, which helped keep things manageable.

Trees/Bumps:
This was a strong point. The quick edge-to-edge feel and easy turn initiation made it really fun in tighter spaces. I felt really comfortable weaving through trees and navigating bumps.

It just responded so quickly and predictably, which made it a great option for technical terrain and more playful lines.

Powder

I got this board in some fresh snow, and it definitely had a nice, surfy feel to it. It floated well enough and felt intuitive to ride in powder.

It’s not anything super directional or specialized, but it handled itself well and gave me that loose, playful powder experience rather than a locked-in, drivey one.

It does have 10mm of taper, a small setback and a nose that’s a little longer than its tail, plus a fairly generous amount of rocker in its profile, so it’s certainly not a big surprise that it felt good in pow.

Jumps

Overall, I found it to be a really fun board for jumps - especially smaller to medium features and side hits.

Pop:
The pop was easy to access, which I always appreciate. It didn’t take much effort to load it up and get off the ground. Total pop wasn’t massive, but it was definitely respectable - kind of middle-of-the-road.

Approach:
Approaches felt stable enough up to a point. I was comfortable lining things up and making adjustments on the fly, which was a big plus. But for bigger jumps that required higher speeds, it started to feel a bit less stable.

Landing:
Landings were forgiving and predictable. It handled slightly off landings well and didn’t feel too punishing. For its flex and overall personality, I thought it struck a nice balance here.

Side Hits:
This is where it really came alive. Super easy to pop off natural features and mess around. One of its more enjoyable characteristics.

Switch

I found it pretty decent riding switch overall. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t feel overly awkward either.

Transitions were smooth and easy, which made riding switch less intimidating. Once I was riding switch, it felt relatively comfortable - just not completely identical to riding regular. Solid, but not standout.

Spins

One of the more surprising aspects was how easy it felt to spin. It actually felt lighter and more maneuverable in the air than I expected.

Setups felt forgiving, and I didn’t have any fear of catching an edge on takeoff or landing. I did notice a tiny tendency for spin continuation after landing, but it was manageable and didn’t throw me off too much.

Overall, it gave me a lot of confidence for spins.

Jibbing

Not a dedicated jib board by any means, but I felt pretty comfortable taking it into the park.

It had enough forgiveness and playfulness that I didn’t feel out of place on rails and boxes. I wouldn’t choose it specifically for jibbing, but it handled it well enough for casual park laps.

Butters

Butters and presses felt good on this board. The flex made it accessible without feeling overly soft or unstable.

It struck a nice balance where I could hold presses without feeling like I was going to over-flex it. Tip and tail felt fairly consistent too, which helped with overall control.

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

I found the Never Summer Benchmark to be just a super fun board to ride. It leaned more toward the playful side of the spectrum, but still had enough backbone to handle a bit of aggression when I pushed it.

Its biggest strengths were its maneuverability, ease of turning, and overall forgiving nature. It really excelled in slower to moderate speed riding, trees, side hits, and just cruising around having fun.

The main trade-off was at higher speeds and in rougher conditions, where it lost some stability and that locked-in feel. It wasn’t the board I’d pick for charging hard or carving at full throttle all day.

But for a rider looking for something lively, easygoing, and super fun across a variety of terrain - especially if you like to keep things playful - I found it absolutely delivered.