Never Summer Shaper Twin 2021 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.

How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened: Thanks to the Covid-19 shut down we didn’t get the time we wanted. We borrowed this for an extended demo and will send it back after we get more time on it in better conditions.
Size: 156
Days: 1
Conditions: Late spring wet messy snow after Bachelor re-opened for a few days after the Covid-19 shut down.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  F.I.T. Gameghangers Low Profile , F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas

Set-Up: 22” Wide. 18 front -9 back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

Similar Boards (but not the same): Capita Kazu Pro

Sizing

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these again are just the ideal sizes.
151: 9-10

153: 9.5-10.5

156: 10-11

159: 10-11

161- 10-11

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Never Summer Shaper Twin doesn’t have much that reminds us of a twin when riding. It is a tapered directional shape but the Twin in the name comes into play with the centered stance. For 2021 it added setback inserts and it is a real fun way to ride this board. It is mainly made to ride centered but its fun to ride on the setback inserts to get more weight over the extra camber on the back insert. The hybrid rocker has a very familiar semi-stable feel underfoot that auto spins/feels loose in harder snow but feels pretty stable in softer snow. Anyone can ride it.

Flex/Pop/Buttering

There is a pretty medium flex between the feet that bends pretty easy but the tip/tail feel more med/stiff. It wasn’t the easiest NS board to butter but its very doable without much overall effort. There is a lot of energy/spring on the tip and especially so in the tail of the Never Summer Shaper Twin. So it might be loose/auto spiny in some conditions but it really pops hard off the tail.

Speed

The Never Summer Shaper Twin is a pretty damp ride. However with the tip/tail off the snow it can vibrate in the tip/tail a lot. The good thing is all that dampening tech in the ride doesn’t pass that up into your joints. The base is fast too.

Uneven Terrain

Great for all day resort riding. NS does uneven/messy/micro bumpy snow incredibly well.

Edge Hold

Pretty solid grip that works really well in all but pretty icy snow. The Never Summer Shaper Twin has the same disruption that most boards in their line have. You just need more weight on the back foot to have it hold like other NS boards.

Turn Initiation

So for me, the Never Summer Shaper Twin didn’t turn fast but I’m a size 9 riding a board that is probably best for size 10-11 riders so for me it was medium but for the right boot it would probably be med/fast.

Turning Experience/Carving

With the older models it took a lot of back foot weight to leverage that extra camber on the tail and keep it from washing on a carve. However, with the 2021 Never Summer Shaper Twin you can use the set back inserts if you were in a carvy mood, get more weight over the camber and get a much easier less washy carve. My back leg didn’t have to work as hard which was great.

Powder

So riding the older model in powder was pretty good for being almost centered on board compared to most twins I’ve ridden. There wasn’t directional float like other tapered boards but that isn’t what they are going for. But now with the set back inserts the Never Summer Shaper Twin has pretty strong directional float so if you want to get more of a freeride feel you can.

Conclusion

So overall, the Never Summer Shaper Twin’s addition of the set back inserts really rounds out the ride and gives it an extra dimension. I personally couldn’t get into the feeling of a centered tapered directional ride. I like my twins to be twins and my tapered directional boards to be set back. So I would probably ride this set back and then get on the Proto Synthesis when I’m in a twin mood. That being said, I can see someone who wants extra float than most twins in powder really loving this ride. It would compliment boards like the Proto Synthesis or Proto Slinger and be a good two board quiver for the freestyle ripper. Some might just also like this as their one board quiver.