Never Summer SL-R Review

                After seeing the new technology and hearing all the hype, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a reverse-camber snowboard.  Tearing up my old board on some backcountry rocks gave me the excuse I needed to shop for a new board.  Reverse camber boards defy conventional snowboard craftsmanship. There are many variations of reverse camber, but one of the most sought after and innovative is the Rocker and Camber (RC) technology created by Never Summer Industries.  With reverse camber setting between the feet and traditional camber towards the tip and tail, NS has incorporated the best of old and new technologies.

When searching for a board, I knew I wanted a board that could handle just about anything; bombing groomers, slashing rooster tails in deep powder, quick turning tree runs, and park laps when snow is lacking.  Researching for a board that can do all this and more led me to the SL-R.  It has a medium flexibility, medium dampening and is rated for all mountain freestyle. 

                Having ridden on only traditional cambered boards for 14 years, I have to admit I was a little skeptical about this new RC Technology;  Would the board have the pop of a cambered board?  Would it handle high speeds?  Would the effective edge set right while turning?  After using the SL-R about ten times, I can honestly say that it put all the doubts I had to rest and has exceeded my expectations.

                Rider:  Male  5’10”  165lbs  Regular Stance

    The Ride:  Never Summer SL-R  158cm

                The Setup:  Ride SPi Bindings, K2 Darko boots size 9.5

                The areas:  Vail, Beaver Creek and Snowmass Colorado

The first day on the SL-R required a small learning curve, as to be expected for any new board.  The first thing I noticed was the ease in which the board handled.  Edge to edge response is quick and easy, but can catch you up when riding switch.  The first few times I rode switch on this board made me question the stability and direction of the board. Now after riding it more I feel more confident and have no problems riding switch.

During a couple of powder days, I noticed a huge difference compared to my old boards; the SL-R seems to float on top of the snow and the need to lean back is practically cut in half.  I felt I was able to concentrate more on slashing snow than putting all my weight on my back foot to get though the deep stuff.  But what about pop and high speed stability?  Popping off of rollers has never felt better and I can say I can Ollie much higher than with my last few boards.  Not only that, but the first time I pointed it down a steep run I felt like the board was barely touching the ground.  It felt smooth, predictable and very fast.  Although this board is not Never Summer’s version of a park board, it is still a freestyle board and can handle park laps better than I ever thought possible.  Big landings from kickers is no problem; the board dampens well and is stable even on hard landings.  As for rails and boxes the RC technology kills it!  My rail and box skills have dramatically increased since I have ridden the SL-R.  Everything seems smoother and feels like you don’t have to work so hard to get the board to jib and slide the way you want. 

     Riding the SL-R has made me a RC technology and Never Summer rider for life!  This is the best board I have ever ridden.  No Joke.  If you are into ripping up the whole mountain, ride an SL-R!

P.S. I am not getting any kickbacks from Never Summer to write this review (I wish). 

Check out the official Never Summer Website for more info!

Glenwood Canyon Now Open- March 11th, 2010

Weekend Warriors can rejoice and ski towns like and Glenwood Springs and Aspen can sigh relief; Glenwood Canyon is once again open! After four days of rock slide mitigation, crews have cleared up two lanes through the canyon allowing east and west travel on I-70. Repair work will begin sometime next week, which could take months. But the good news is that everyone can head to the Mountain of their desire. I admit I was a little worried that I might miss cookies at Beaver Creek this weekend. Now if it could just snow!!

Glenwood Canyon Rock Slide

Just when I thought the weather couldn’t get any worse, the warming temperatures cause a huge rockslide in Glenwood Canyon on Sunday night around midnight. Sunday was another warm day on the slopes with spring-like snow at places like Beaver Creek and Vail. It seemed like you could almost watch the snow melting away. Melting snow and thawing soils mean mudslides and run-off in Colorado. But when I drove through the Canyon on Sunday afternoon around 5:00pm, I never imagined 66 Ton Boulders crashing down on the highway! Thankfully no one was hurt when that actually happened.

CDOT is stating that they cannot estimate a time of when I-70 will re-open. Last time a slide this big happened it took nearly three months to clean up! What does this mean for all the ski resorts and traffic? Well for starters I doubt if Aspen, Powderhorn, Sunlight, etc. will be seeing many Front Range skier visits. Not only that, but people west of the Canyon (myself included) won’t be able to get to any of the Vail resorts without a ridiculous detour. Going through Meeker, up to Steamboat and back down is so far out of the way it’s not even funny. Man, I feel bad for all the truckers. I guess one could go up Cottonwood Pass and through Gypsum, but that doesn’t sound much better. All that people west of the canyon can do is cross their fingers and hope the road crews can clean up at least one or two lanes before the weekend. To check the status of the clean up click here. Pray for Snow and a quick clean up!