Review: 10-11 Never Summer Raptor X

Oh yeah, choices are definitely abundant this year. The Heritage is a really great board this year, and another solid choice. It's definitely a bit more versatile than the Raptor. I'll be running around at various local demo's this year, so if you see me give ma shout!

Kevin,

Thanks for the comment/question. That's a great question, and both boards are incredibly great boards. They are however, very different. The largest waist on the Burton Flying V Custom is a 26.4, whereas the Raptor X goes up to 26.9 on the 169 model. Having that size 15 boot, you definitely want to make sure your waist width is wide enough, although your stance definitely helps dictate the fit as well.
The Flying V Custom is going to feel a bit looser, and more playful on the hill than the Raptor X. If you're wanting to just carve runs, and play in the powder, I'd lean towards the Raptor. The Raptor has the NS 3 year warranty, and the Carbonium tech on the board, not only looks good, but adds to the flex, and the durability of the board. It's not going to feel loose or overly playful like the Custom Flying V will. On the Raptor check out the 165, or 169 in store if you can, to see what you think about the waist width. The 165 has 26.8 and the 169 has 26.9. The Custom Flying V you would want to look at the 169Wide with the 26.4 waist. I think the Raptor would be the better purchase, especially if you're not planning on buying another board anytime soon.

Peter,
Thanks for the comment. That's a great question with no exact answer. The Venture Zephyr is a great all mountain board, if I recall correctly, it's flat between the bindings, and incorporates rocker out to tip/tail. The Zephyr ranks about a 7 on a flex scale, and the Raptor comes in at about 6.5 so not much difference in the generic stiffness of either board. Both boards are stable, and have great edge hold. I do tend to prefer the Rocker Camber design of Never Summer over the Flat/Rocker out to tip/tail design. Both boards are great choices though, so that's a tough decision to make. The Carbonium on the Raptor is also a slick tech to consider. Definitely don't feel like you absolutely have to size down with a rocker board, I just mention it because a smaller board can be easier to slash through trees etc. I think on the Raptor you could go with the 161 or the 160 on the Zephyr with no problem. If it's any consolation I picked up a Raptor X 165 for my POW board this season.

Justin,

Thanks for the question. I think with the T6, and how it rides, it's going to be in the same caliber as the Raptor. The biggest difference of course is the Rocker Camber on the Raptor, and the Carbonium. Both boards are freeride rippers, great edge hold, fast and damp. While both boards are designed to be big mountain rippers, they won't ride the same way, seeing as the Raptor is a Rocker Camber board, and the T6 is simply a camber board. I think you'd find the Raptor is probably a little more forgiving than the T6 due to it's setback R&C profile, although it'd be just as aggressive into and out of turns etc. If you did want to nab a Raptor, the 159 size should be just fine. So I guess to sum it up, they'd definitely ride a bit different, but both boards are designed for hard charging.

Samber,

Thanks for the comment. I ride the Raptor X 165, and I'm slightly bigger than you are this season. I just rode the Raptor X 165 in waist deep pow, and it performed just as I'd expect it to (awesome!). I think you'd be fine with the 165.

Shaun,

Great question, and one I've been asked a few times. I've thought of writing up a comparison between the two boards, but haven't had time to get to it yet. I'll break it down for ya here in a comment.

The Raptor is the replacement for the Titan, although they are two very different boards. I love the Titan, and it's still one of my all time favorite boards period. With that being said, NS took the Titan, and expanded on it's design. They designed the Raptor with setback R&C, giving the board much better float in pow, and quick turn initiation in powder, and holds carves like it's on rails. You can see the setback design in the pictures above.

This years Skunk Ape finally received the Lib Tech C2 technology. C2 is very similar to Never Summers R&C tech.. C2 incorporates "banana" (rocker) between the feet, and camber points out from the bindings into tip/tail for added control. So this years Skunk Ape rides much different than last years model, which only had "banana" rocker. You'll find the Skunk Ape, has some playful tones due to the rocker, but still holds a carve really well with the addition of the C2.

So how are the two boards compared:: The Raptor X has better float in Pow, and in my opinion is much quicker in turn initiation in deep powder. The Raptor is a much damper board, and tends to handle high speeds better ( In my opinion) The Skunk Ape, is a quick board, and handles high speeds pretty damn well, although it's not nearly as damp as I'd like it to be through some chop. I own both a Skunk Ape, and a Raptor this year, and the only board that I've spend more than three days in a row on has been the Raptor. I'll try to get a write-up posted soon with both boards in a detailed comparison.

James,

Thanks for the comment, and kind words! I think the 161 would be fine for your size. The R&C allows the rider to scale back on the size of the board.

Noah,

That's a great question. The '10-11 Skunk Ape has the C2 BTX tech on it, so it's going to have that similar Rocker Camber feel of a Never Summer board you're used to riding. The Raptor X has the Rocker Camber design setback to added float and control. Both boards are great boards. You're slightly taller than I am, but I'm not far off from you in the weight area. The Lib has the magna traction, which on the icy slopes works well, but tends to slow the board down (in my opinion) , and the Raptor has the vario, which holds an edge incredibly well. I ran across this same decision this past season, and opted for the Raptor X for a few reasons. I really love the Carbonium topsheet, it's incredibly durable, and my boot tends to stick better to it, when skating, or such. I also liked the dampness in the Raptor better than the Skunk Ape. Also while the Raptor is a stiff board, it's nowhere near as stiff as the Titan, so it's dare I say a little more playful. The Skunk Ape was a bit softer than the Raptor which I didn't care for on hard charging runs. You really can't go wrong with either board, I think the Raptor is a quicker damper board in my opinion, but both boards as I said are great choices.

Edit: If you’re into switch riding at all, you’ll want to look at the Skunk Ape a bit more, as the Raptor is pretty much a directional board, whereas the Skunk Ape, is a twin board, so switch is going to be much easier and forgiving. Also if it matters, the Skunk Ape has a TNT (extruded) base, whereas the Raptor has a sintered base.