2023-2024 Proto Ultra Review

The Never Summer Proto Ultra 2023 kept the shape/specs of the 2022 but changed the camber profile. It really mellowed out the ride. That isn’t good or bad but just different.

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 157
Days: 2
Conditions: Pretty good mixed spring conditions. Hard, firm but fun, soft and a touch messy
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Never Summer Protosynthesis, Yes Greats, Stone Message, Prior Wildcard, Marhar Darkside, Lib Tech Box Knife, Capita Outerspace Living, Yes Basic, Stone Message, Rossignol Jibsaw, Yes Jackpot, Never Summer Protoslinger, Ride TwinPig,

Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +15/-15. Centered.

How It Was Tested

Each day I rode the Never Summer Proto Ultra I rode the Proto Synthesis and Proto Slinger just to see how they all compared. I put way more time in with the Ultra each day though to get used to Tripple Camber.

Approximate Weight

The Never Summer Proto Ultra is a little wider than the other Proto’s so it felt a little heavier but it is still pretty normal in weight for it’s surface area. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The Never Summer Proto Ultra is mostly a mid/wide but it can also be used as a drag free solution for people like me with size 9 boots. It felt a little wide for me but I was surprised at how well I was turning a 26.2cm waist with a pretty wide nose/tail. The 157 felt fine for my 185lbs and I think NS is one of the better brands out there for heavier riders.

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.
154: 9.5-10
157: 10-10.5
160: 10.5-11
163- 11-11.5

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Never Summer Proto Ultra has a true twin shape that is very similar to the Proto Synthesis but more in a mid/wide profile.

What makes this a lot different from the Proto Synthesis is the Tripple Camber Tech. It has camber between the inserts, rocker after the inserts and then a camber that doesn’t come all the way back down before the tip/tail. Then there is a little early rise before the nose/tail. Lots of bends happening here. This profile is not as stable as true hybrid camber that goes well past the bindings but it is much more stable than Shockwave and Ripsaw (other hybrid rocker profiles in the NS Line). What that means is it tracks easier one footing and flat basing. In the past, Triple Camber felt more technical and locked in. This time around the Never Summer Proto Ultra felt less locked in and more on par with the other camber profiles in their line. Despite the stiff flex, it is easy to skid a turn for intermediates.

Flex Personality

The new Camber profile makes the 2023 Never Summer Proto Ultra easier to butter than last year with their Shock Wave camber. The pop is a little less though vs. the 2022 but it is a little easier to access. Don’t get me wrong. This is still medium-stiff.

Speed

The Never Summer Proto Ultra tracks better but I felt like the 2022 model was a little more damp. Again that might just be the camber profile.

The base glide is really good but NS always does an excellent job with their bases.

Edge Hold

There is a little bit more grip than the 2022 Shock Wave. That camber between the feet helps to provide a little extra grip than their Ripsaw and Shockwave camber profiles. There is a minor disruption but it is very mellow

Turning Experience/Carving

The 2022 Never Summer Proto Ultra was an absolute carving beast that provided as much or more spring out of the turn than most full camber rides. Not mellow full camber either but boards with a healthy bow of full old school camber. The new Tripple Camber 2023 Never Summer Proto Ultra isn’t as good as the 2022 but it is far from being boring. You can still rail out a really hard carve. The overall turning experience is a little on the turny side but it is very balanced.

Powder

The Never Summer Proto Ultra is good for a true twin if you ride centered but it is pretty weak if you like to set it back. I wish they put in set back inserts like they do with the Shaper Twin and did with the Peace Maker. That would really round out the ride for directional powder riders. As it stands now you can only get 1.125” back from center of board at a 22.5” stance width. That is pretty weak. So get this if you don’t plan to set it back or plan to get a better directional powder floater.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

The only board I like better switch is the Proto Slinger due to its asymmetry. Very good going either direction. This is a great pipe board for mid-wide boot riders. It is very stable taking off and landing jumps of any size as well.

Conclusion

So you loose a little carving power and pop but you get more stability. On top of that you get a board that butters a little easier and feels a little more well-rounded. So some will be stoked on this and others will prefer the 2022 model.

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2022 Review

Turn Ons/Swipe Right: Stiff, fast, hard carving aggressive all mountain twin.
Turn Offs/Swipe Left: Not easy to butter. Mid/Wide only.

Summary

The Never Summer Proto Ultra has a stiff freeride flex in a twin shape. It makes for a very hard carving, damp, hard charging ride.

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 Proto Ultra Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size:154
Days: 3
Conditions: Good Spring Conditions
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket, Burton Banshee Gore-Tex 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 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt, Drop Cascade Glove, Drop Web Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Never Summer Protosynthesis, Yes Greats, Stone Message, Marhar Darkside,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +15/-15. Close to Reference and Centered.

How It Was Tested

I took the Never Summer Proto Ultra out with the NS Tripple Camber Twin and then realized they weren’t that similar. Then I compared it to the Stone Graham. Another stiff but full Camber Twin. All boards had the Union Atlas on em.

Approximate Weight

The Never Summer Proto Ultra feels pretty normal weight wise.

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

Sizing

The Mid/Wide sizing of the Never Summer Proto Ultra was not ideal for my size 9 boots but despite that I had a really fun time on the 154. Even the weight was fine for my 185-190 lbs.

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.
154: 9.5-10.5
157: 10-11
160: 10.5-11.5

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Never Summer Proto Ultra is a true twin so it has a very centered ride.

The camber profile is called Shockwave. There is a mellow short rocker between the feet that quickly transitions to two very healthy bow’s of camber. This is a step up from Ripsaw. It has the pop and drive that is equal to a full on camber board but at the same time has a feel underfoot somewhere between hybrid rocker and camber. The Never Summer Proto Ultra doesn’t feel as locked in as triple camber rides like the Tripple Camber Twin or Proto Fr but it does feel more stable than ripsaw. It is only a touch auto spinny in hard snow when one footing or flat basing.

This is not super easy to skid a turn compared to other hybrid rocker boards but felt a bit more forgiving compared to Tripple Camber or Directional Camber like the Proto Fr or Hammer.

Flex Personality

The Never Summer Proto Ultra has the stiff flex of a freeride board in the shape of a twin. It was not easy to butter. It isn’t easy to pop for a board with rocker in the middle. That being said it popped pretty hard when I put in the effort.

It is a very damp ride for a stiff 154. It didn’t feel dead or lacking pop which is a very hard thing to do at this flex. This does incredibly well in all conditions for a board this stiff. It handles uneven snow very well.

Speed/Base Glide

This little mid/wide 154 can bomb and I felt like it was capable of higher speeds than I cared to discover. The tip/tail barely chattered.

The base glide of the Never Summer Proto Ultra is very good. Even when the base got dry it had good glide in spring conditions that can be grabby and slow.

Edge Hold

So strangely enough I had better edge hold from the Tripple Camber Twin. That I would be comfortable committing to the edge in hard snow. I would be a little more tentative with the Never Summer Proto Ultra in the same conditions but it still does a very good job.

Turn Initiation

So my perspective of riding a mid/wide with a size 9 boot would not be a fair way to rate this. It was medium to me but to the right size boot like a 10 or 10.5 it would be medium/fast.

Turning Experience/Carving

What a fun board to turn. I got so much spring out of the turn with all kinds of turns. The twin shape of the Never Summer Proto Ultra didn’t need your knees to send pressure out to the tip/tail to keep it from washing. There is soo much camber you can lean back or forward into it with your knees together and really get it to carve hard.

Powder

I got no powder but this seems better than a camber twin but not a board I’d like to be on in powder. I prefer floaty directional twins or really set back directional rides.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

When riding switch the Never Summer Proto Ultra was great either way. I had fun making old man turns through the pipe and can feel the potential for going super big when it comes to kickers.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed the Never Summer Proto Ultra. I enjoy the Proto Synthesis a little better just because it can carve hard but is still mellow enough to play around and butter with. It also comes in a width better suited for my boot size. If you want an aggressive but not too unforgiving stiff carvy twin this is an excellent choice.