Never Summer Proto Slinger

Never Summer Proto Slinger Review

The Never Summer Proto Slinger is a medium soft, asymmetrical twin board with the Shockwave Rocker Camber profile.

It has been around for a few seasons now, and it was originally a combination of the older very soft Funslinger and asymmetrical but stiffer Proto Type Two.

While the Funslinger was very soft and playful, outside of the park it was hard work. On the other hand, the Proto Type Two was very solid and stable, but not playful.

The Proto Slinger being the middle ground between the two, is a combination that I think gets the balance right. Stable enough for riding most terrain, but still with a playful feel.

How the Proto Slinger Rides

Board size: 156 and 153

Boots: Salomon Launch Boa SJ

Bindings: Burton Cartel / Salomon Highlander

Height: 6ft / 183cm

Weight: 155lbs / 70kg

I have ridden the Protoslinger a couple of times, I rode the 156cm model with Burton Cartel bindings, and the 153 with Salomon Highlanders.

As a rough rule I ride around the 155cm length for quite a lot of boards, so both of these were pretty suitable sizes for me.

Camber Profile

Although there are a few Never Summer profiles that sit “above” this one now, the Shockwave Rocker Camber is my favourite so far. Although they all keep a similar overall feel, I find a nice upgrade when changing from Original, to Ripsaw, to Shockwave. Each one of these upgrades (for me anyway) are better because they have less or smaller rocker sections, with larger and more pronounced camber sections under your feet.

I can count on any Never Summer board having very good edge hold, compared to the effort that you need to put into the board to get it. Sure, you can’t beat a traditional camber board for stability and edge hold, but you can get very similar grip on icy snow, with only a fraction of the effort on a Never Summer board.

Flex and Pop

The tradeoff that you get with any board that has rocker between your feet – is less pop. It doesn’t matter what brand makes it, if there is rocker between your feet, the board can’t naturally spring back as hard as camber. You can make up for that a little with the camber sections outside of your feet, but there is only so much it can do.

Edge Hold

The edge hold, and overall predictable feel of turning a Never Summer board is hard to beat. No matter the profile, I find them easy and smooth to start a turn, with especially strong grip in the middle of a turn. Normally you would want to keep your weight nice and centered to get strong edge hold, but you can be messy with bad form and the board will still grip well.

Speed

The Proto Slinger is stable enough at speed, but the softer flex and rocker between your feet mean it is never going to feel like stiff cambered board.

If you keep your weight centered and balanced over the board, you can still have a stable and comfortable feel when you ride fast.

Overall

Overall, the Proto Slinger has the features that I think would make it a “fun” board for a pretty large amount of riders.

It is going to suit intermediate or above riders well, who want a board that will ride well in the park, but can still comfortably ride all over the mountain. If you aren’t fussed at riding fast all of the time, it will have the stability you need.

It has enough flex that you can press and twist it without much effort, but it never feels too soft.

If you like the sound of it, but are a heavier rider who likes to spend a lot of time riding fast, then look at the Proto Synthesis intead.

Never Summer boards aren’t the lightest, but the tradeoff for the weight is they are tough – you can count on them lasting. They aren’t cheap either, but you do pay more for boards made in the US.

Pros:

• Great edge hold
• Very fun to turn
• Useful medium flex

Cons

• Expensive

Features of the Never Summer Proto Slinger

Asymmetrical

Asymmetrical boards are unique because they have different sized sidecuts on each side of the board. The sidecut on the heelside of the board is smaller than the sidecut on the toeside.

This is made to balance out the feeling of swapping edge to edge.

Twin

The twin shape of this board (even though it is asymmetrical) means that it will have the exact same ride, in both the regular directions and switch.

Shockwave Rocker Camber

This profile is one of the more aggressive hybrid profiles that Never summer offer. Compared to the others, it has a smaller rocker section, with longer and more exaggerated camber sections under your feet.

4/10 Flex

Just a little bit under a medium overall flex rating.

Co-Extruded Polymer Topsheet

Carbon VXR Laminate Technology

This has carbon V shapes, the extend out from the near the binding inserts, out to the edge.

Extended Transition Area

Power Grip Sidecut

The sidecut is made up of a combination of multiple different radius circles, with the goal being extra edge hold without a catchy feeling ride. In between your feet the sidecut is flat, which then blends into some shallow radius, then a deeper radius out towards the contact points.

Low Profile Nose/Tail

STS Pre-tensioned fiberglass

Bi-lite Fiberglass

Press Flex Wood Core

This core has 2 main softer flex points between the feet, which is designed to help make the board easier to press, and flex for ollies.

FDS Damping System

This version is mainly used on their freestyle boards, this has a thinner rubber foil that is designed to dampen vibrations and keep things smooth, but still keeping a snappy feel.

Elastomeric Underfoot Stabilizers

These site under your bindings, which absorb vibrations.

Sintered P-Tex Sidewall

Never Summer claim that these sidewalls aren’t able to crack under cold temperatures, when compared to ABS.

Harmonic Tip/Tail Damper

These are in the tip and tail, and are made to calm down the vibrations, keeping the board more stable at high speed.

Durasurf XT Sintered 5501 Base

A fast, durable sintered base material.

Full Wrap Metal Edge

Nothing that special about this, it just means that the edge runs the whole way around the board.

Where does the Proto Slinger sit in the Never Summer line?

Never Summer Proto Synthesis Technical Specs

Length	Edge (cm)	Nose (cm)	Tail (cm)	Waist Width (mm)	Sidecut	Taper (mm)
149	113	29.2	29.2	247	Vario 735/657	0
153	117	29.5	29.5	250	Vario 783/701	0
156	119	29.8	29.8	253	Vario 818/736	0
154X	117	30.3	30.3	258	Vario 786/703	0
157X	120	30.7	30.7	262	Vario 823/737	0
160X	123	30.9	30.9	264	Vario 863/772	0

Previous season graphics