Hello and welcome to my Never Summer Women's Proto Synthesis review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Proto Synthesis as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Proto Synthesis a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Never Summer Women's Proto Synthesis 2024
Price: $609
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5.5/10)
Rating Score: 88.2/100
Compared to other Women’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 23 women’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Proto Synthesis's Specs
Check out the tables for the Proto Synthesis's specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
ALL-MOUNTAIN-FREESTYLE
PRICE:
$609 - BUYING OPTIONS
$609 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
feel:
DAMPNESS:
SMOOTH /SNAPPY:
Playful /aggressive:
Edge-hold:
camber profile:
HYBRID ROCKER - Never Summer's "Shock Wave Rocker Camber"
SHAPE:
setback stance:
Centered
BASE:
SINTERED | Never Summer's "Durasurf XT Sintered 5501 Base"
weight:
Felt normal
Camber Height:
4mm*
* but hard to really tell on a hybrid rocker
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
139 | 233 | not available | n/a |
142 | 235 | n/a | n/a |
145 | 237 | n/a | n/a |
148 | 239 | n/a | n/a |
151 | 241 | n/a | n/a |
Who is the Proto Synthesis Best Suited To?
The Proto Synthesis is most suited to anyone who has a slightly more playful, creative freestyle approach to riding, but still wants to be able to explore the whole mountain and not be restricted to the park.
It's not an overly technical ride, but it's still not beginner friendly. Works well for anyone intermediate and up, looking for a versatile freestyle leaning ride.
The Proto Synthesis in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Proto Synthesis is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Never Summer Women's Proto Synthesis 2024, 148 (239mm 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: +12/-9
Stance width: 500mm (19.7″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 248mm (9.8")
Weight: 2640g (5lbs, 13oz)
Weight per cm: 17.84g/cm
Average Weight per cm: 17.38 grams/cm*
* based on just over 40 women's boards that I've weighed in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024 models. The Proto Synthesis was about average and felt normal on snow too.
Tester: Meira
Rider Height: 5'4 (163cm)
Rider Weight: 130lbs (58kg)
Rider Boot Size: US Women's 8 (Burton Limelite)
Bindings Used: Union Milan
Powder
Nothing on the day, but based on feel and specs, it should be OK in shallow powder but would struggle in deep powder.
It's got some rocker which helps, but it's true twin and centered, which will limit how well it floats.
Carving & Turning
Carving: It's not a carving monster and can get a little washy on higher speed, more aggressive carves. But for moderate speed carves, it's pretty good.
Ease of Turning/Slashing: It's not ultra easy to initiate turns and slash, but it's certainly not hard either.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Good edge-to-edge quickness at slower speeds.
Catchiness: Feels pretty un-catchy overall. A little more catchy at higher speeds, but less so at slower speeds.
Speed
Decently fast but not a bomber. Glides well. Stability at moderate speeds is good, but when going faster it can start feeling a little looser/more unstable.
Uneven Terrain
Crud/Chunder: It's not a crud/chunder crusher, but it's decent enough.
Trees/Bumps: Felt good in trees, that quick edge-to-edge maneuverability made it really enjoyable.
Jumps
A great mix for all aspects of jumps.
Pop: Nice and easy to access its pop and good overall pop.
Approach: Stable on approach up to a point and nice and easy to make adjustments/speed check.
Landing: Can stomp landings and don't need to get it 100% perfect - forgiving of errors.
Side-hits: Nice pop and maneuverability for side hits.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Best for small to medium.
Switch
Really good for switch. Transitions weren't completely effortless but not hard either.
Spins
Nice and easy to spin with this board. Great for setting up and good easy pop. Setup and landing switch also really good.
Jibbing
Good balance and control for jibs, easy to adjust over jib features.
Butters
Flexes nicely into tip and tail and can lock in butters well.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 4.5 | 18/20 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
SPEED | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SPINS | 4.5 | 9/10 |
BUTTERS | 4.0 | 8/10 |
JIBBING | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TREES/BUMPS | 4.0 | 4/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 88.2/100 |
The Women's Proto Synthesis is a versatile ride that can handle the whole mountain. It's weakest point is powder, but should be fine in shallow powder. You'll want something else for deeper powder though, if you see it a fair amount.
It's got a distinctly freestyle flavor to everything it does, but can be used to explore anywhere you want to go and anything you want to do.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Proto Synthesis, 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 women's all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare the Proto Synthesis to other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
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