Never Summer Warlock 2017 Review
The Never Summer Warlock is a new board this season, which is made up of the best parts of the Evo and the Proto HD.
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Features of the Never Summer Warlock
- Matte Topsheet
Nothing fancy, it’s just matte, not shiny. - Carbon WXR Laminate Technology
- Original Rocker Camber Profile
Their original hybrid camber design, which has 3 main pressure areas on the board. There is a rocker section between your feet, which changes to camber underneat your feet, then back out to rocker on the tip and tail of the board. You end up with a playful ride, but it still gives you a stable and solid ride when you need it.
- Vario Power Grip Sidecut
There are a few different radiuses, which are combined to give the board extra contact points, so you get better edge hold. Out towards the nose and tail, there are deep radius sections, which change to shallow radius sections, then to a straight section in the middle of the board.
- Low Profile Tip / Tail
Low profile (thinner) tip and tail keep the highest amount of board touching the snow – which helps for float, pop for ollies and nollies and gives you more stability when your landings aren’t perfect, while keeping the weight down. - STS Pre-Tensioned Fiberglass
Never Summers description – The world’s best snowboard fiberglass, period. Our STS Pre-Tensioned Fiberglass is an advanced, pre-hardened, pre-tensioned, layered laminate that has added elastomer stringers, between the 9 degree and 0 degree glasss fibers (the length of the effective edge). This produces a stronger bond between the individual glass laminates giving our snowboards unmatched strength, edge hold and performance. - Bi-Lite Fiberglass
This has some of the strength features of the STS fiberglass, but is much lighter. - Press Flex Wood Core
There are 2 softer flex points between your feet, which give a hinge point to help your presses and ollies. - FDS Damping System
The freestyle daming system has a thinner rubber foil, which gives a lighter snappier feel, but still gets the smooth feeling ride. - Elastomeric Underfoot Stabilizers
Under the bindings are areas that are made to absorb vibration, keep the board stable at speed and help reduce foot fatigue (by getting rid of vibrations). - Sintered P-Tex Sidewall
P-Tex sidewalls have the advantage of being able to handle colder temperatures compared to ABS sidewalls, that can crack. - Durasurf Sintered 4501 Base
It is a high density base material that is fast and durable. - P-Tex Tip/Tail Protection
P-Tex surround the ends of the wood core to protect it against impacts, and help to reduce vibrations.
Sizes Available:
- 148cm
- 150cm
- 152cm
- 154cm
- 157cm
- 150X Wide
- 153X Wide
- 156X Wide
- 159X Wide
Like all the boards in the Never Summer range, if the model name has an “X” in it, then it is the wide version of the board.
How the Never Summer Warlock rides
I rode the a 154cm Warlock, with ThirtyTwo Tm-Two boots, and Flux TT Bindings.
I had a 22.5″ stance with the bindings set at +12 and -9.
I was riding the Warlock on very hardpacked groomers, which turned to soft slushy snow by the end of the day.
Flex & Camber Profile
The Warlock has the Original Rocker Camber Profile, which has that classic Never Summer feel when riding it.
There profile of the board is rocker under and between your feet, with smaller camber sections out towards the tip and the tail.
Overall it has a pretty soft flex, so buttering and pressing are both very easy to do. Even with the soft flex, the board still snaps back pretty well, so it isn’t too hard to get a good ollie.
Normally the soft flex on a board means that riding and turning at high speeds is a little more unpredictable, as you get bounced around a lot more.
Shape
Being a freestyle/park board, the Warlock is a twin shaped board, so it rides exactly the same whether you are riding it in regular or switch.
Speed
The Warlock has a sintered base, which keeps the board moving fast and soaks up wax well. Riding fast feels surprisingly stable, and even with the soft flex if you are on an edge you can cut through chopped up snow quite easily, without getting bounced around.
From what I am told, it is the sidecut design (of multiple radius circles) and the rocker section under your feet that makes riding fast on a flat base (which is normally not a good idea) quite easy and stable, without feeling too loose.
Pop
You need a lot more effort to get good pop out of the Warlock compared to something with a stiffer nose and tail, like the Proto Type Two. Once you get used to the board though, it isn’t too hard to get a decent ollie from it.
Overall
Overall the Warlock is going to be a good board for someone who liked the older Evo, and wants a soft fun twin board that is just as fun riding around the mountain as it is in the park.
If you mainly ride park, or want something that is easy to move around, it will be a good choice.
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| Size | Waist | Edge | Sidecut | Tip / Tail |
| 148 | 24.3 | 115 | Vario 705 | 28.7 |
| 150 | 24.5 | 117 | Vario 712 | 29.0 |
| 152 | 24.7 | 118 | Vario 723 | 29.2 |
| 154 | 25.0 | 120 | Vario 735 | 29.5 |
| 157 | 25.2 | 122 | Vario 749 | 29.9 |
| 150X Wide | 25.6 | 117 | Vario 713 | 30.0 |
| 153X Wide | 25.7 | 118 | Vario 724 | 30.2 |
| 156X Wide | 26.0 | 120 | Vario 735 | 30.6 |
| 159X Wide | 26.2 | 123 | Vario 749 | 30.9 |
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