Never Summer SL Rocker/Camber Snowboard - 2008 BCS

God bless Never Summer! GREAT company. Three year warranty testifies to the quality of their product. The SL R with the reverse camber/camber tech is rock frickin' solid. "All mountain freestyle" is exactly it. I come from a surfing/skateboarding background and I am so impressed with what this one board can do. It's almost a quiver in itself. It is LIVELY..... And because of that liveliness I will still use my regularly cambered 161 for motoring and laying it down on hardpack. Not that the SL R couldn't do it, it's just "lively"...BUT! That rocker, etc. is (and I'm not one for hyperbole)-AMAZING for everything else. It's ridiculous how good it is in powder. I'm 6', 185 lbs., riding the 158 and there's nothing it can't do. The board does NOT bury. Leaning back is a MEMORY. It has plenty of pop and I'm scared to think about what it makes me want to try. I never thought I'd be able to ride this short of a board, let alone have it perform better in the powder than ANY of my longer boards from before. And getting rid of the extra length lets you just rip it around so easily. Snowboarding just became even better. Get on a Never Summer! -LD

I have only used the board for an afternoon but... a very, very, nice ride. The best edge hold, quickest turning and most agile board I've ridden. I'm going to hurt myself on this board as I felt very confident on all the conditions I road on (from N.E. powder to almost ice). I had to decrease how much I effort I put in as (again) the board turns very easily. FWIW, I like carving & quick turns verses top to bottom speed runs.

I spent the morning on my other board ('03 Salomon Prospect) which I like and does a good job of what I ask. Also last year I rode a NS Legacy which although the 'right' board for my style of riding, and performed really well, it was too stiff for my likes. For me (160lbs) the SL-R (158)is easily better then either.

So my gear got stolen opening week so i had to get new stuff. i picked the 09 SL and an very pleased with it it is so responsive riding down the mountain unbelievable i forgot what the rocker thing is supposed to do but it is great the board turns on a dime and is FAST i cant say enough about it when i was shopping for it i mentioned that my buddy has the 08 SL and the guy said that this is a whole new design so... oh i am 220 and ride a 158 great board get it you want be disappointed

I own last years SL, so I can't speak for the new Rocker tech, but I imagine the board is mostly the same. That said, it is an amazing and versatile board. I personally like to ride big mountians but live on the east coast... so I fool around a lot while going down smaller trails and the SL is an amazingly smooth and forgiving board. Great for butters and catching some air, but also agile enough to take through thick trees. I also have taken the board out west and hit up a lot of the CO resorts, and it definitely holds its own in deep pow as well. The thing I stress most about never summer in general however is the quality of their boards. My friends and I are bigger guys weighing ~200lb (not fat, we lift :D) and we also ride hard and these boards def. keep up. I have seen never summer boards knock up against rocks pretty hard and keep going and looking new after a fresh coat of wax. If you are an intermediate rider who is stuck between a free-ride/freestyle board I highly recommend this board. While it is not the best at either, it is very good at both.