Never Summer Hammer Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Never Summer Hammer Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Days: 5
Conditions: Good Spring Conditions
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers, F.I.T. Gameghangers LP
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket,
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith IO Mag, Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Pick Your Line,  Burton Flight Attendant, Burton Cartographer, Burton Instigator, Korua Otto, Jones Frontier, Ride Wild Life, Tahoe Labs Directional Twin

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3,+18/-9. Close to Reference.

Approximate Weight:

The Never Summer Hammer is not too heavy or too light. Felt just right. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
156: 8.5-9.5
160: 9.5-10.5
164: 10-11
157x: 10-11
161x- 10.5-11.5
165X- 11-12

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Never Summer Hammer has a 5mm of taper and a it is on that all mountain border of the freeride side. It has a bit of that tapered feel but not too much to need a lot of back foot weight on groomers.

The Camber profile is camber from the tail going well past the front binding with a little early rise in the nose. The overall ride is pretty locked in and it isn’t a chill board for skidding turns. It tracks super well though.

Flex Personality

The Never Summer Hammer is not quite as stiff as the Tripple Camber Proto Freeride (have a very similar shape) but with the different camber profiles the Hammer feels a bit stiffer and harder to butter than the Proto Fr.

Never summer does damp and poppy really well and that is super hard to do. This board pops really well on an ollie but also has this damp quality to it that really makes for a great uneven snow/all condition ride.

Speed

Base glide is up there near the top. When well waxed the Never Summer Hammer keeps it speed really well. If I would have sized up to the 160 I would be bombing with this. It feels so good when you put the base flat and point it.

Edge Hold

More than competent in hard snow. Never Summer Hammer doesn’t grip in really hard to icy snow like the Proto Fr but it is really competent for most conditions you want to ride.

Turn Initiation

Even though the Never Summer Hammer is a touch on the wide side for me and my size 9 boots it turned pretty quick edge to edge. I never felt like I needed more.

Turning Experience/Carving

Once I got this edge set into a turn it had a very carvy turning experience that leans a little more on the turny side of things. It is fine for those that like long drawn out S turns that are close to a straight line but it is a little better at across the groomer carves and is more than fine doing a circle carve.

Powder

I would like to see the Never Summer Hammer powder as well as the Proto Fr but didn’t get any. With a 2.625” set back from center of board at a 22.25” stance width you have a little more than your average all mountain board like the Snow Trooper and Ripper but a little less than most freeride boards. You have 5mm of taper and some early rise in the nose so that should make for a competent powder ride as long as it’s not super deep.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

Very doable switch. Pipe is really fun if you size down one size. This is great for those that like to get air. Especially for those that don’t take off or land switch as much but it’s still very doable for a tapered directional board.

Conclusion

So overall I really like the Never Summer Hammer and would love to own one. Having that damp/poppy Never Summer personality in Directional camber is really fun. It would be fun to see a board like this in Shockwave too and I like to see NS mixing it up with a wide variety of Camber Profiles.