An Un-Paid, Un-Biased Written Review Of The Never Summer Nokhu Review by The Good Ride

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An Honest Breakdown Of How the Never Summer Nokhu Rides And Who It Is For

How the Never Summer Nokhu Was Tested:

We borrowed the Never Summer Nokhu for an extended demo and sent it back.

Ethics Statement:  We were not paid to do this review and this comes from an honest objective perspective with no brand oversight.

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Size: 155 (James) 161 (Davey)
Days: 4 for James and 5-6 for Davey
Conditions:Everything from hard uneven to good groomers to soft messy snow and some pow
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards
Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”) (He’s Tested Close to 50 boards)
Boots: Ride Deadbolt (James), Burton Ion (Davey)
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas (James), Union Force (Davey)
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout, Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/+3, +18/-9. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.
Davey’s Set Up: 23” Wide. Stance Angles +18/+3. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):
Amplid Souly Grail, K2 Alchemist, YES PYL Uninc, Weston Backwoods, United Shapes Cadet, Burton Gril Master, Jones Flagship Pro,

Approximate Weight

(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

I was surprised at how easy it was to ride the Never Summer Nokhu 155 and it made me 158 curious. I think it’s because most of the boards contact with snow is only between the bindings so it can work with a smaller boot size than you would normally ride. It’s not ideal for my size 9’s and more of a mid/wide but it’s doable if you aren’t.

Davey felt the 161 was too small for his specs listed above, especially his weight. I think the DF 161 might be worth a try, but if they had a 164 or 167, that would be best for Davey.

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size and your weight for how you like to ride. If your boot is too wide, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. Your weight is a close second to boot size because it determines how the board will feel under your foot.  Height comes in a distant 3^rd. Some prefer control, so matching the boot size is the priority. Others prefer dampness over control and like to size up.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Never Summer Nokhus.
152: 8.5-10
155: 9-10.5
158: 9.5-11.5
161: 10-12
161 DF: 12-14

I would stay close to Never Summer’s recommended weight ranges, but NS handles bigger riders better than many other brands, so it’s okay to go over the max weight. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape

There is a pretty directional shape but it has a very centered non tapered feel for 13mm of taper on groomers. You only really feel that taper when in pow.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

Never Summer’s triple camber technology is unique in the industry, and it isn’t for everyone. The Never Summer Nokhu’s very small camber between the inserts sometimes feels like it takes the camber near the tip/tail out of play, or all three fight one another. This is most noticeable in harder snow and less so in softer snow.

The feel is somewhat similar to their hybrid rocker profiles, such as Rocker & Camber, Ripsaw, and Shockwave. It feels a little loose between the feet compared to hybrid camber but a little more stable compared to hybrid rocker boards. There is a little bit of a hooky/catchy feel to it, though.

It’s a new feeling but pretty easy to get used to.

Edge Hold

The 3 cambers work well with the mildly disrupted sidecut to create excellent grip in hard snow. You could ride the Never Summer Nokhu out east no problem.

Flex Personality

The Never Summer Nokhu has a medium/stiff flex with many bends. There are ways to engage this board’s three camber profiles to ollie and pop out of turn. In our opinion, this is almost too much, and it can be a little confusing. I will say that it has that nice balance between being poppy and still not being chattery, and I love that feel with NS boards.

You can butter pretty easy in the nose and tail as well.

Uneven Snow

All the bends can make the Never Summer Nokhu clown shoe in the nose/tail more than many other boards, but it quiets down a lot before it gets to your feet. Overall, it’s a pretty good all-day ride.

Speed

I’m not that comfortable pointing to the Never Summer Nokhu. The 3 camber profiles can fight one another going straight and feel a touch hooky, especially if you want a flat base when straight-lining. It needs to be slightly on edge to feel more comfortable.

Base Glide

Never Summer always has very good bases that glide well when waxed, and the Never Summer Nokhu is no exception.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Never Summer Nokhu was very quick edge to edge, especially being a mid-wide with nine boots. My 9’s never felt overmatched by this board in any condition. When I got it on edge, the sidecut had a pretty turny feel, but it’s still more balanced.

The Tripple Camber tech didn’t have that rewarding spring out of the turn I’m used to, and it doesn’t like front or back foot weight turns. It likes most of your weight centered on the turn. When I tested this same day against the Cougar with the same boots, bindings, setup, and runs, it paled in comparison. The Cougar had so much more pop and drive out of the turn.

I’m not saying the Never Summer Nokhu can’t carve, but it just doesn’t have that resistance going in and hard spring going out like the Recurve Camber Cougar or 2025 Proto Ultra boards have. It feels more on par with Never Summer’s old Rocker & Camber Profile and maybe a touch less. I also preferred Ripsaw and Shockwave Camber as they were easier to lean into the camber in the nose or tail. The Camber between the feet in Tripple Camber seems to hinder your ability to access the mellow camber in the tip/tail.

Powder

The tapered shape and wider width plane work well in powder, but it’s not for low-angle powder, with its limited setback for a board this tapered and directional. It didn’t float as well as we hoped on a legit low-angle pow day at Mt. Bachelor.

With a 21.75” stance width, I could get -2.875” back from the center of the board. That isn’t much compared to most freeride boards. It’s good for all-mountain but not freeride. It’s better as a steep terrain with big mountain boards. The Never Summer Nokhu could greatly benefit from some setback inserts like the Shape Shifter. That would make this a much better deep-to-low-angle pow ride.

Switch

I was impressed at how well this rode switch for 13mm of taper and having such a directional shape. The grip is there for Pipe, but neither of us was into the feel of hard snow to want to ride Pipe. I think it would be easy to get used to, though.

Final Thoughts

Davey and I both felt that the Tripple Camber Tech on the Never Summer Nokhu has some positives and negatives. Many riders will like this, but the Never Summer Nokhu might not be your board if you prefer recurve camber like Davey and me.

This is our humble opinion, but Davey and I would love to see this done with Recurve Camber and Set-Back Inserts. If that happened, this would be a dream board for our riding style.