Never Summer Proto Type Two Review: All-Mountain Freestyle Snowboard

Hello and welcome to my Never Summer Proto Type Two review.

In this review I will take a look at the Proto Type Two as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Proto Type Two a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.

NOTE: The 2020 model was the last model of the Proto Type Two. It has been replaced by the Proto Synthesis

Overall Rating

Board: Never Summer Proto Type Two 2020

Price: $589 (USD recommended retail)

Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle

Flex: Medium (5/10)

Rating Score: 87.6/100

Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards

Out of the 23 men’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:

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

Demo Info

Board: Never Summer Proto Type Two 2019, 157cm (252mm waist width)

Date: March 3, 2018

Conditions: The snow had a great medium feel to it. Relatively firm but certainly not hard and not overly soft. Off groomer was nice too and there were a few pockets of untracked powder from snow from a couple of days previous. Sunny and perfect visibility. Temperature was -7 with wind.

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Width at Inserts: 260mm (10.2“)

Powder

The biggest weakness of this board is its ability in powder. But that’s not what it’s made for. If you don’t need a board that will go in powder – or if you only go in there occasionally – or if you have another board for that, then the Proto Type Two will do everything else.

And it’s not like you can’t take it in there. Just not going to be as good as some others in there – it has a true twin shape and a centered stance which doesn’t make it ideal. It does have some rocker in the profile so it will have some float, but the tip and tail are pretty short and it’s not overly wide.

Carving and Turn

This board is awesome for carving. For a board that is so good for freestyle riding, this is one of, if not the, best at carving.

It’s also really quick from edge to edge for when you need to be doing tight turns.

Speed

Again for a freestyle oriented board, the speed on the Proto Type Two is more than you’d expect. It’s really very stable when you get up to good speeds, especially given the type of board.

It’s also got good glide for those flat spots.

Let’s Break up this text with a Video

Uneven Terrain

I found the Proto Type Two to be very good over bumpy terrain. I found I could really hug the bumps and that quickness from edge-to-edge really helped to.

Jumps

The PT2 is awesome over jumps. It’s got pretty good pop for ollies, has great maneuverability for the approach to jumps and really stable on landings.

From anything from the smallest hop to large jumps, this board can handle it well.

Switch

It feels the same in both directions. It has a true twin shape and a centered stance and has that asymmetrical side cut (deeper side cut on the heel side) which also really helps to make this board feel natural when riding in your other direction.

This board was really fun and easy to ride switch.

Jibbing

Not a jibbing specialist but if you like to hit the jib line every now and then, it will do a good job.

It is great for the approach to jibs and this board spins well – just not as good as some more jib specialized boards when it comes to riding jib features.

Pipe

Though I didn’t take it into a pipe it would be an awesome board for the pipe, IMO.

It’s got good edge hold in hard snow, it’s centered and true twin and it’s got enough stiffness and speed to be able to charge between the walls. The camber sections in the profile would also help to drive the board up the walls.

Changes from the 2019 Model

As far as I can tell the 2020 model is exactly the same as the 2019 model, except for the graphic.

Changes from the 2018 Model

From what I can tell the 2019 model is identical to the 2018 model apart from the graphic. This board is essentially the same as it was when it made it’s debut in 2017 as an evolution of the old Proto HD.

There is no 153X for the 2019 model, which there was for the 2018 model.

Changes from the 2017 Model

The 2018 model is essentially the same as the 2017 model, except for the graphic.

Changes from the 2016 Model

This board was new for 2017 so there were no changes to speak of between 2017 and 2016 models. It is the evolution of the Proto HD but it is a quite different (and improved, in my opinion) from that board.