Never Summer Proto Swift DT Snowboard Review

An In Depth Breakdown of the Never Summer Proto Swift DT Rides Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

Overview

How the Never Summer Proto Swift DT Was Tested

Testing wasn’t easy, but I rode the Never Summer Proto Swift DT with my Union Force bindings and Nitro Team BOA boots. It was one of the worst seasons on record at Mount Bachelor, but I still got this out in three days. Mainly firm, but fair to firm and uneven.

The NS Proto Swift DT was compared against the Jones Frontier, United Shapes Horizon, Lib Tech DPR, and Armada Sicko. You can see those comparisons on Patreon and YouTube for paid members.

I borrowed the Never Summer Proto Swift DT for an extended demo and sent it back, but asked for a 160

Size: 156
Days:3
Conditions:  and some early morning Slackountry pow time with Drift Boards & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9 E, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 850+ boards, 200+ bindings, and 120+ boots
Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”)
Boots: Nitro Team BOA, Nitro Team TLS
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Force, Union Atlas Step On
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse Jacket, Jones Mtn Surf Anorak
Pant: Skyline Fase 3L Bib Pant, Skyline Faze Pant, Jones Mountain Surf Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag Low Bridge Fit
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove

James’s Set Up: 21” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +18/-9. Close to Reference on groomers and set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Amplid Souly Grail, United Shapes Cadet, Jones Flagship Pro, Burton Counterbalance, Weston Gnarnia, Nidecker Megalight 2026 or later, Stranda Descender Evo, Lib Tech Son Of Birdman, Lib Tech Ejack Knife

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Design

Sizing

How it Fits Me

As for sizing, this 156 fit me much better than I expected for my size 9 boots, handled my weight no problem, and was a good size for my height.

Here’s the thing though: the 160, even though it’s four centimeters longer, is only one millimeter wider overall, so I think this 160 would fit me really well too. This is a very easy board to turn.

How It Might Fit You

Sizing is highly subjective and personal, and many factors come into play when choosing a board. I rarely use “all caps to emphasize something, but NEVER TRUST ANYONE who just references their height and weight. Here are all the factors to consider

Boot Size

Always start with your boot size. If your board is too wide for your boots, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded toe and heel drag. This is the most important part of sizing a board, which is why so many snowboards come in widths like Narrow, Normal, Mid-Wide, Wide, and Ultra-Wide.

Most brands don’t include a recommended boot size because it’s very complicated and time-consuming.

Here is the sweet spot for easy turns with mid-response bindings/boots without booting out. You can go wider if you carve really hard or have very responsive bindigns/boots.

156: 9-10.5
160: 9-10.5
161x: 11-12

This Proto Swift DT has an easier/quicker turn than most boards this wide, so it can fit a smaller boot.

Weight

Your weight determines how the board flexes underfoot, giving you more or less pop, speed, etc. An easier-flexing board can also be easier to turn. Never Summer always can handle bigger guys better than a lot of brands. Their suggested weight reflects that, and they are OK with you going over.

Height

Board length affects swing weight/control. If it’s short, it’s easy to spin, and if it’s longer, it floats better and can help with speed. I would size the Swift DT at a normal All Mtn Height to a mediumish Freeride Height. For example, the 156 for my specs feels more all-mountain, and the 160 will feel more freeride.

Boots and Bindings Response

Always factor in your boot and binding’s responsiveness to determine how well you can turn and control a board. You don’t need a lot of response with the NS Proto Swift DT.

Stance Width

Check your stance width against the reference and/or the set-back stance to see if it fits you. The Proto Swift DT is more on the narrower side, which is good for riders with shorter legs like me.

Personal Preference

Some prefer control, so they match boot size to board width first, with weight second. Others prefer speed over control, so they size up to a wider/longer ride and have very responsive boots/bindings.

Base / Construction / Weight

Let’s talk construction, starting with the base here. Never Summer always makes pretty good bases. They have good glide. They have pretty good wax retention. Not the best, but better than a lot out there.

Then, from edge to sidewall, there is excellent construction here.

And then this top sheet is one of my favorites in the industry, and it’s such a long-lasting board.

It’s also not super heavy either.

Shape & Setback

Now let’s talk shape. This is tapered and directional with five millimeters of taper in the tail. This has a more tapered feel than you would think.

You’re riding this a little setback on board, but overall pretty centered when you set up on the normal inserts. But when you set it all the way back, that’s starting to get into that freeride realm.

And this is right on the border between all-mountain and freeride. I’m calling it freeride just because it feels a little more tapered and directional and has more setback than most Never Summer all-mountain boards.

On Snow Performance

Camber/On Snow Feel

And when it comes to the camber profile, you have Never Summer’s Recurve Camber that is basically camber from just a little bit before the tail, going well past the inserts, and then starts to early rise up a little bit before the nose.

And then in between the feet, there are these passive camber bends that don’t come back all the way down to the board. So it feels like there’s more camber, but it still feels pretty forgiving.

It’s not that locked in. An intermediate on up to an expert could ride this, and it won’t feel too technical, too catchy, but also won’t feel boring.

And of course, this tracks super well one-footing and flat basing and has a very stable, predictable, easy-to-get-to-know feel in all conditions.

Edge Hold

When it comes to edge hold, it has a multi-radius sidecut that also seems to have a mild disruption.

And when you put it into play with this camber profile, when you’re weighted down, you have more contact points. They engage with the snow more, so the grip is near excellent.

And what I like about the DT is that I never felt it grab in soft snow, or at all. One thing I forgot to mention in the vid is that in some semi-hard snowment like snow that’s still porous and somewhat edgeable, the Proto Swift DT can grab a bit. If you give it a slight de-tune, that problem will disappear.

Flex Personality

Let’s talk Never Summer Proto Swift DT flex. It’s more on the medium-stiff side, but there’s a little more give where the camber ends, and it’s okay to butter on the tail.

The nose is a little softer, and the same thing happens as you come in past the rocker. You feel it start to stiffen up.

And it’s got a very good ollie to it. It really pops easily.

Uneven Snow

And when it comes to uneven snow, Never Summer makes a damper board than most other brands out there.

So while this doesn’t have a super high dampness rating, the Never Summer Proto Swift DT handles that hard, micro-bumpy, uneven snow incredibly well.

And if you get this into soft, uneven snow, it can handle it no problem.

Switch, Air & Park

And when it comes to riding switch, if you’re set up more centered on board, you can take this either direction really well. There is a little bit of that tapered feel in here, but it’s very easy to get to know.

This is a great board for getting air. There’s a lot of tail behind you, a lot of landing gear. If our pipe was open, this would be the kind of board I’d like to ride in the pipe.

And if you like to jib, there are much better boards out there.

Turning/Carving

Turn Initiation

When it comes to turning, the Never Summer Proto Swift DT is really quick edge to edge, especially at this width.

Even though you’re not super setback towards the tail, this is the kind of board that I could ride in a tight tree line, in steep, tight critical spots, and feel very comfortable with.

Carving/Committed Turns

And then when you get this edge committed, and you really engage into a harder turn, this camber has such good spring.

I could front-foot, center-weight, or back-foot weight my turns really well. I did feel a little bit of that taper sometimes, but overall, I think you can turn this board any way you please.

Turning Experience/Sidecut

The turning experience is more on the turny side of balanced. You can circle carve if you want. Across-the-groomer carves are super fun. Medium-radius turns are super fun.

And then when you start going into more down-the-line, longer, narrower, drawn-out S-turns, it’s not its strong point, but it’s very comfortable.

Speed

And if you want to point it out, there are better boards out there because this is a bit of a turny sidecut. But it still won’t fight you if you want to just flat base it and go all out.

Powder

And for powder, I love these setback inserts. You need a full-size disc binding to use these, but if you have one, you can set it back and get really good directional float at a very useful 21.75-inch stance width.

This is better than most all-mountain boards and about there with most freeride boards.

Final Thoughts

And overall, I think this DT is really special. My only real criticism is that I wish there was more sizing.

I think Never Summer did a great job with the DT.