Never Summer Swift 2024 Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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

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 rider’s perspective.

A Breakdown Of How It Rides And Who It Is For

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 158
Days: 4+
Conditions: Ok pow, pretty good pow, a few groomer days and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Fuse, Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same): Korua Dart, Korua Café Racer, Weston Japow, Moss Jellyfish, Gentemstick Barracuda, Soul Shift, Nidecker Beta

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6. Close to Reference on groomers, set all the way back on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

How It Was Tested

I often rode the Never Summer Swift against the Valhalla but also compared it to the Burton Straight Chuter. Used the same bindings and the same boots and took the same runs. Yeah, it’s a touch boring for me but it’s better for you.

Approximate Weight

The Never Summer Swift is pretty normal in weight. (We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The 158 fit me really well just like the old Never Summer Swift 157 did. I don’t really need more for my weight, and my size 9 boots could turn it. It matched up well with my height too. I could go 162 if I was riding super deep snow a lot and was ok with a little slower turn initiation but this 158 felt right as a daily driver.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course, go bigger or smaller depending on your riding style and boot’s footprint, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
153: 8-9
158: 9-10
162: 9.5-10.5
For weight, I would stay close to Never Summer’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second. That said, NS makes a very well-built board that can handle more weight than they say, so you can go over, and it’s not as bad as some companies.

Shape

The new shape of the Never Summer Swift was very similar to the old one but its just a little wider in the nose/tail and 1cm longer. It feels very similar, but I prefer this a little better. It’s very directional vs. most freeride boards but not compared to many snowsurf boards. What gives it that snow surf feeling is how much it likes you to really lean back into that tail like you do when you turn on most surfboards.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Never Summer Swift is very forgiving with this directional hybrid rocker. It feels loose in harder snow but tracks well enough in softer snow. If you don’t like that auto-spinny feel boards with a rocker between the feet, this might be a pass.

Flex Personality

The Never Summer Swift is medium stiff, but I would say it has the easiest flex point right in the middle. It feels medium there where, with most, that is the stiffest place on the board. If you are center-weighted when turning through slightly uneven snow, the Swift will flex in a way that scrubs speed. If you lean back into that camber in the tail, though, it performs better. That is where all the pop is on this board, anyway. There is good pop, too, and this butters rather easily.

Uneven Terrain

The Never Summer Swift is a damp ride. NS just makes damp boards that absorb chatter despite all the slappy/clown shoe occurrences from the tip/tail being so high off the ground. You can ride this all day in any uneven conditions.

Edge Hold

The Never Summer Swift doesn’t grip like the new Tripple Camber tech, but it is more than competent in hard snow.

Speed

The Never Summer Swift can point it well enough but keep an edge slightly engaged, and you are good to go. Laying the base down flat can make it feel a little loose.

Base Glide

Always been impressed with Never Summer Bases, and the Swift is no exception. Such an easy glide. Great for a long traverse when well waxed.

Turning Experience/Carving

So the Never Summer Swift only prefers back foot weight to keep it from washing and drive out of a turn. Front foot weighted turns kept washing out for me, but back foot turns came alive. After I initiated the turn, I would lean back into that tail and really engage that camber. When I did it carved very well and was super satisfying. Its interesting that I got rear leg burn on groomers but none in pow.

The overall turning experience was more turny despite that 8m sidecut. I think the rocker in the middle makes the sidecut feel tighter than it is.

Powder

I didn’t get that super easy, super set back off the tail feel from the Never Summer Swift like I do with some dedicated pow boards or snowsurfers, but it floated very well. It also had a more slashy nature than any NS board out there while still not feeling like you are so back on the tail you don’t want to get air or ride steep terrain. For me, it felt a little like a forgiving big mountain snow surfer.

With a 21.75″ Stance width, you can set the Swift back -4.75″ on board. That is pretty good, but not totally riding back on the tail. You have 20mm of taper, though, and a lot of early rise before the nose, helping this float well.

Final Thoughts

So overall, the Never Summer Swift had a nice design tweak, and I felt I picked up where I left off with the old shape without missing a beat. I would say that this is a great choice for those who want to dabble with the snowsurf world but want something more forgiving.

If this review helped, we’d appreciate if you:

• Become a Patron and get early access to reviews well before they are published.  https://www.patreon.com/thegoodride
• Donate to https://venmo.com/TheGoodRide (@TheGoodRide) or https://paypal.me/thegoodride
• Follow Us: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodride​
• Like & Subscribe on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thegoodridesnow