Never Summer Proto Type 3 Snowboard Review

An In Depth Breakdown of the Never Summer Proto Type 3 For Average Riders Review by The Good Ride

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

How The Never Summer Proto TYPE 3 Was Tested:

I borrowed the Never Summer Proto Type 3 for an extended demo and I liked it so much I asked to keep it (only do this with favorites).

Size: 157
Days: 8+
Conditions: Everything from hard to varied spring snow to clean pristine mid-winter groomers to a little pow to 2 feet plus of thick tracked up pow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-195lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards and close to 1,000 if you count different versions of the same Model over the years.
Boots: Nitro Team TLS
Insoles: Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Bindings: Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse 3L Jacket, Skyline Fuse Light 3L Jacket
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/+3, +24/+6, +27/+9 back, +18/-9, +15/-15. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Korua Otto, Ride Algorythm, Ride Shadowban, Salomon Highpath, Yes Standard Uninc, Jones Rally Cat, Cardiff Crane, Cardiff Lynx

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Construction / Durability / Weight

The Never Summer Proto Type 3 has a great balance between being durable but on the lighter side of medium. Never Summer makes some of the most well built / durable boards in the industry and the PT3 a perfect example of their construction. It’s got a very durable top sheet and the flex holds for a long time. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

As far as sizing goes, this 157 Proto Type T3 felt great.  I don’t really want to size up, especially for a twin, and I definitely don’t want to size down. I’m a little on the smaller size boot wise but it was still manageable in all conditions and terrain.

How Never Summer Sizes Their Boards

Never Summer is pretty liberal with their boot sizing range and they are pretty on point with their recommended weight but you can go over if you need to.

There are often up to 2 or 3 sizes that will work for your specs. Size down for more control and size up for more speed/stability/carving power. Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Good Ride’s Safe / Conservative US Boot Size Recommendations

151: 8-9
154: 8.5-9.5
157: 9-10
160: 9.5-10.5
158x 10-11
161x 10.5-11.5
164x 11-12
159DF 13-14 or 10-12 who want drag free carving
162DF 13.5-14.5 or 10-12 who want drag free carving

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size (most important), weight (second most important) and height (third most important) for how you like to ride. Too wide and it’s hard to turn. Too narrow and you might boot out which often slams you into the ground.

Shape / Set Back On Board

When it comes to shape, this is a true twin with a centered stance. Now if you want to use the set back inserts and get all the way back, you can get 2.75 inches back from center board with a 22-inch stance width. This really changes up the ride from being a ride centered all the time mountain freestyle twin. It’s now a board you can set back on a powder day and get much better, easier directional float and less rear leg burn.

Camber/On Snow Feel

This new recurve camber profile is one of my favorites out there. It’s camber past the inserts with a good bit of early rise. I didn’t say this in the video but I wouldn’t mind a little more camber height and a touch more length. That being said the passive bends help give it more camber than you would think.

It’s excellent one footing and flat basing down a long, flat cat track, but it has the forgiveness that camber doesn’t. It’s a very easy board for most people to ride. Committed beginners could do this, maybe take a lump or two, but it’s stable and pretty forgiving. I’d say only a shade behind their most forgiving original Rocker & Camber profile.  Intermediates and experts will both have a blast with the Never Summer Proto Type 3.

Edge Hold

The edge hold is excellent. It grips like full-on aggressive Magnetraction from Mervin (Lib Tech / Gnu). However, it does not grab in soft snow. This is because of two things: the multi-radius sidecut that allows leverage in the right places, and the camber past the inserts with passive bends that help with grip when weighted.

If you live on the East Coast, head out west, and you want a board for both, this is an excellent choice. This is much more than just a hard snow favorite—this is a do-anything board, but it rips in hard snow too. Other than really deep powder, there isn’t a condition this board can’t handle.

Flex Personality

The Never Summer Proto Type 3 has a pretty poppy but medium flex to it. It’s pretty soft in the tip and tail transition areas, stiffer in the camber zone, and the stiffest between the feet.

New Carbon Mapping

This new construction has carbon inlays in the nose and tail, plus two strips of carbon that run from tip to tail throughout the center. This makes the board a little softer torsionally and easier to twist, but still gives it lots of pop and drive.

Butters and Ollies

The mellow nose and tail lock in on a butter and feel very stable and easy. I really liked that the tip / tail didn’t give out on a butter but held and even had a little snap back, which isn’t as common for boards with rocker before the nose / tail.

This recurve camber loads up more than you would think between the feet for what seems like such a mellow camber profile. The passive bends really help with ollies. While it’s not the poppiest of boards, it balances forgiveness and pop really well.

Switch & Park

This was so fun on side hits all around the mountain. If you want to go into the park and throw down on any size kicker, the Never Summer Proto Type 3 is fine. I didn’t say this in the video but even tracking into messy / catchy / complicated side hits was pretty easy. Especially vs. the Proto T3 Ultra for me.

Since it’s a true twin, riding switch is effortless when centered. It’s also a solid pipe board, though not the best jibber, but capable if you want to do it.

Uneven Snow

This is a great board for hard, uneven snow. It handled tracked-up powder, messy snow, and rough conditions really well. While it won’t hammer through chunder like an ultra-stiff freeride board, it’s an excellent all-day ride. Never Summer understates their dampness compared to the rest of the industry, and this board proves that. Bottom line, this is a great all day ride.

Turning/Carving

Turning on the Never Summer Proto Type 3 is really fun. As the day progressed and conditions got more challenging, it held its form. It has great spring out of turns and more response than you’d think for its mellow camber profile. It makes excellent medium radius turns, solid carves, and even holds its own with longer drawn-out down-the-line turns or straight lines.

Speed

This board can track into kickers of any size and handle a sustained straight line very well.

Base Glide

The base glide is pretty good. The base can get a little thirsty and dry, but it holds wax well enough. It’s also not as sticky as many dry bases can be. Depending on conditions, a good wax could make it through a week before needing to wax again. I’m not a huge fan of the die cut, but they do it so well I don’t feel it.

Powder

I got this in all kinds of powder, including deep and heavy snow. With the setback inserts, I could survive where the old Proto would’ve caused me to cartwheel. This changes the game, making the Never Summer Proto Type 3 truly a one-board quiver.

The setback inserts allow you to taste freeride board float, and this board even has more setback on board than the Proto Freeride and Never Summer Eclipse. While those still float better due to their taper and shape, it’s impressive how close this comes. The nose and tail rise and angle help it plane and keep speed in powder.

If you prefer centered riding in powder, it still performs well as a true twin. The setback inserts just add versatility.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I asked to keep this ride because it wasn’t great at any one thing but very good at everything. It has such a predictable easy feel underfoot that didn’t need a manual. I could have done a review on this after one run because it was love at first turn. That being said, I never found any weak spots as I rode it more in all conditions.

I’m not a ripper, but I love to do a little bit of everything, and this is the kind of board I can do it all with. If I’m traveling with just this board and catch a powder day, as long as it’s not too deep, I’ll be okay.

Where before with the Proto Synthesis I always felt like I needed another board, with the Never Summer Proto Type 3 I don’t. This is one of my highlights for 2026.