Hello and welcome to my Never Summer Proto Ultra review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Proto Ultra as an aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Proto Ultra a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Never Summer Proto Ultra
Price: $699
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 86.9/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 15 men’s aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Proto Ultra’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Proto Ultra’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
AGGRESSIVE ALL-MOUNTAIN-FREESTYLE
PRICE:
$699 - BUYING OPTIONS
$699 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
HYBRID ROCKER
HYBRID ROCKER - But with an extra camber section in the middle (so not quite like the image above). Never Summer's "Triple Camber"
SHAPE:
setback stance:
Centered
BASE:
Sintered | Never Summer's "Durasurf XT Sintered 5501 Base"
weight:
a touch heavier than normal
Camber Height:
5mm - but harder to measure on a hybrid rocker board
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
154 | 260 | not available | n/a |
157 | 262 | n/a | n/a |
160 | 264 | n/a | n/a |
Who is the Proto Ultra Most Suited To?
The Proto Ultra is best suited to anyone looking for a twin that they can get aggressive on. Ideal for those looking to hit big jumps and spins and want something that can handle high speeds well and can lay down a good carve, in between tricks.
Not for beginners and even intermediate rider's might struggle to tame the Proto Ultra. More of an advanced to expert board. Also not the most suited to lighter riders, unless you were to size down quite a bit, due to it's stiffer flex.
If you do like to ride aggressively, it's certainly a one-board-quiver possibility for the right rider, with powder being it's only real weakness.
The Proto Ultra in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Proto Ultra is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Never Summer Proto Ultra 2024, 154cm (260mm waist width)
Date: March 8, 2023
Conditions
Overcast to start with, but not snowing. Slight flurries later in the day.
Temperature: 0°C (32°F) - and -4°C (25°F) with wind chill. Both morning and afternoon. Wind was 10kph (6 mph) Easterly both morning and afternoon.
24 hour snow: 0.4" (1cm)
48 hour snow: 0.8" (2cm)
7 day snow: 21" (53cm)
On groomer: Nicely groomed to start and stayed pretty decent, just a bit rougher later in the day. Good and fast but not icy.
Off groomer: A little crunchy in places but not to bad. Doable.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 545mm (21.5″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 271mm (10.67")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Response ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Weight: 3120grams (6lb 14oz)
Weight per cm: 20.26 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.71 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 250 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. So the Proto Ultra was very close to average - and felt that way when testing.
Powder
Nothing to test in on the day. But based on specs, the Proto Ultra wouldn't be the best board in powder - being a centered twin, with a camber dominant profile.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Felt really good on a carve. Could really dig the edge in at higher speeds and let the sidecut do its thing, without washing out. Could hold a deep fast carve nicely - one of the better twins I've carved with.
Turning: It's not super easy to slash on and initiating turns isn't completely effortless, but for it's flex and how aggressive you can ride this board, it wasn't too bad.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: It's not effortlessly lightning edge-to-edge at slower speeds. It's not a board that's been optimized for slower speeds. But it's OK, given it's more aggressive nature. When you throw your weight into it correctly, then it can move pretty quick edge to edge at slower speeds.
Catchiness: There is some risk of catching edges. It's on the more technical side and wants to be ridden with good technique. But you can get away with some skidded turns. There is consequence if you're getting too lazy - it's not catch free - but you can get a little lazy at times.
Speed
The Proto Ultra is pretty fast and decently stable at speed too.
Uneven Terrain
Crud/Chunder: It's pretty good at smashing through crud and doesn't get bucked around too easily. It's not immune to it but when you do get thrown off your line, it's not too difficult to maneuver to correct it. It's also not effortless to correct it either.
Trees/Bumps: When you put your weight into it, it can get between bumps and trees fairly swiftly, but it does take some effort.
Jumps
Really good jumping board, particularly if you're looking to go big.
Pop: You gotta work it a bit but not super hard to access or anything. When really winding it up, it does give good total pop.
Approach: Nice and stable but also decently good at making adjustments.
Landing: Really solid and not too unforgiving of errors.
Side-hits: Not up there with my favorite side-hitters, as I personally like a board with really easy access pop and great maneuverability. The Proto Ultra isn't bad at those things though and I did find I enjoyed it for sidehits, but just not as much as some others.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Really well suited to big jumps with its stiffer flex. If you like to go big, then this should treat you well. Fine for small to medium, but really excels when you need some speed and a really solid landing platform.
Switch
Felt good riding switch and has the specs to back it up. And transitions were fine too - you couldn't be too casual with transitions but so long as you were focused transitions were fine.
Spins
Good for setting up and landing switch and in general OK to get spin around. The extra weight made it require a little more muscling than ideal, but all round still really good for spins, particularly if you're looking to go big with your tricks.
Jibbing
Not my favorite board for jibbing. But I'm not a strong jibber. I prefer something that's a little easier to maneuver and more catch free. It's not like it's super hard to maneuver or super catchy as mentioned above, but for jibbing, I'd personally want a bit more to feel more comfortable jibbing on it.
Butters
Takes some effort to press tip and tail. Feels pretty stiff in the tips and tails. When you do really get your weight over it and get it pressing, it holds the press nicely, but it does take considerable effort to get it to press in the first place.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 4.0 | 16/20 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 16/20 |
CARVING | 4.0 | 12/15 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
SPINS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TREES/BUMPS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BUTTERS | 3.0 | 3/5 |
POWDER | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 86.9/100 |
The Proto Ultra is the kind of board that's at its best when you ride it aggressively. When you use good technique and make sure to be riding it on edge, it will return your work with some great performance.
But that said, it's not oppressively stiff or anything and you don't have to ride it ultra aggressively all the time. There is an element of forgiveness in there that allows you to get a little more casual riding it, so you don't have to be 100% on your game all the time. But you can't get super lazy/casual on it.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Proto Ultra, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Proto Ultra compares to other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hey Nate!
I’m at an intermediate almost advanced level of snowboarding and was originally looking at either a yes greats or a spring break resort twin, however after seeing the NS proto ultra it has caught my eye. I’m going to be getting a whole new setup so if need be I wouldn’t mind something a little more unforgiving such as this in order to iron out my bad habits/make me a better rider. I was thinking I could get this with some Union falcor bindings and maybe K2 maysis boots. What do you think?
Hi Kellyn
Thanks for your message. If you’re borderline advanced, the Proto Ultra suits your riding style and you’re looking to push yourself to improve, then I think the Proto Ultra could work, assuming you size it right. The Falcor would be a great match for this board, IMO and the Maysis would also work well (assuming they fit your feet well, of course).
Hope this helps
Hello Nate! What do you advise between Proto Ultra, Capita Mercury, and Standard UNINC to pair with an Orca? Plan to leave the Orca for deep days, and this one for groomers, sidehits, some switch (but no jib/rails) and overall resort riding, i.e. my daily driver.
Proto Ultra is the cheapest (last season) vs the other two (new models).
5’7
8.5 boots
163-165 weight
Kevin
Hey Kevin
Thanks for your message.
I would say that the Proto Ultra is the biggest contrast to the Orca and would work well as a daily driver and compliment the Orca well. But whether or not you’ll like it will depend on how aggressive you like to ride. It’s the kind of board that’s fun when you’re pushing it hard, but when you try to ride it more casually it can feel like hard work. The Standard Uninc is also quite aggressive but not quite to the same extent and the Mercury is certainly not what I would call playful, but a little less aggressive again vs the Standard Uninc. I would say that the Mercury offers the smallest difference to the Orca, but it’s still different enough to have in the same quiver and would certainly work for what you’re describing. If you ride quite aggressively, then I think the Proto Ultra would be a good bet. If you ride relatively aggressively, but want to be able to be a little more casual at times, I’d be leaning Standard Uninc.
Size-wise, I’d be looking 154 for the Proto Ultra and 153 for the Standard Uninc. For the Mercury the 155 is probably your best bet, but the 153 would work too. This would depend on what size your used to riding, but just based off your specs, those would be your best options, IMO. I would put your “typical all-mountain length” at around 156 but given the Proto Ultra and Standard Uninc are wider than normal, I would size down on those for sure.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Thank you Nate! You read my mind – I didn’t know which one was more aggressive.
I don’t want something super aggressive as I’m more of a rad dad and sometimes just want to goof around with my friends & family (mostly skiers), but want to have the ability to carve and get serious as needed.
Looks like Standard UNINC 153 is the best complement to my Orca, even though it’s a bit pricier than Proto Ultra. Thanks again – excited for next season!
You’re very welcome Kevin. I’m definitely starting to get that excitement brewing for the season now! Hope the board treats you well.