Of all the boards in the Never Summer lineup, I believe the Heritage can be considered the most interesting.  Most people have a “love it” or “hate it” attitude towards the Heritage, but I think those days are now gone.  With the introduction of the 2011 Heritage and the Carbonium tech, Never Summer has take a board that was once considered “cumbersome” to ride by some, and turned it into a pure freestyle machine.

Cabonium!

I spent several days riding the Heritage X , and wow, what a difference this revamp makes for this board.  The profile of the board hasn’t really changed, but what’s inside the board is what counts.  I rode the Heritage X in the 159cm size with both Union Force L/XL bindings and the Flow NXT FSE XL bindings. All riding was done with Flow “The One” boots size 12 in spring conditions. Much like the Raptor, the Heritage gets facelifted to the new Carbonium topsheet, and Carbonium Laminate technology.  Essentially this means the board is more playful, poppy, and fun to ride.   With regards to the graphics on the Heritage, I feel they are some of the strongest I’ve seen in quite some time, and are sure to be a favorite, especially among the Colorado contingency.

'10-'11 Never Summer Heritage X Topsheet

My first run on the Heritage X was an eye opener.  Gone was the day of the “unforgiving”  2010 model, and hello pop!  I found myself launching off of everything I could.   The board loads very easily, and pops into ollies nicely.   It’s really a completely different animal.    The 2010 Heritage, which I own, and love, is a bit more damp (although just slightly) but also stiffer feeling both torsionally, and generally flex wise.    I can’t stress enough how happy I was with the  snap/pop  of this board while riding.  The real beauty is that although it’s a poppy, it’s still a very stable and aggressive board for big mountain charging.   I took it out over some nasty spring ice to test chatter, dampness etc, and was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no compromises made in the new design of the Heritage.  It still retains a big mountain feel, just now providing a lot more playful undertones.

I found myself buttering the board with ease, almost too easily in some cases.   It spins easily, and didn’t feel like I was going to catch an edge while playing on the flats with it.   I found myself going from turns into 360′s while riding on the flats without even trying really. I  enjoyed the fact that the board is so playful, and on another note a board that reps Colorado so hard!

'10-'11 Never Summer Heritage X Base

So I’ve established the new Heritage is much more playful than the previous models, but what about charging the mountain?  I bombed down runs on the Heritage with ease.  It’s still a really aggressive carving board (not nearly as aggressive as the Raptor).   It holds an edge really well, and didn’t feel washy while railing into and out of turns.  In fact, I was actually quite surprised at how much quicker the 2011 Heritage X feels edge to edge, than my 2010 Heritage X.  The board still has a slightly unforgiving ride if you’re not paying attention.  I always like to tell people, big mountain boards (the Titan) will ride you if you’re not riding them.   This is true of the Heritage as well.   At speed the board is stable, and quick to initiate turns.  In the spring slush I did find it a little washy, but in a really fun way.  I would expect this behavior though in some of the 60 degree days I was riding in.  The back end of the board feels much faster on this newer model, than the ’10 model.  Sometimes it literally felt as if I was surfing.

So really, what’s changed?   Well we’ve talked about the Carbonium topsheet, and of course the graphics, but the mad scientists over at Never Summer have also changed the Laminate tech between the ’10 and ’11 models.   With the Carbonium, of course comes more carbon in the form of a carbon matrix  and stringers providing increased torsional response and of course making the boards even more durable.   The  Heritage still uses a Carbon V X stringer scenario, the Carbon X stringers are placed along the outer portion of the binding inserts on the base, and the gradual V stringers are placed in the same spots on the top.

Really, I was pleasantly surprised with the Heritage this year.  I expected changes, but I wasn’t sure I really expected this much change, and in such a positive direction.  Not only is the board a bit lighter, but the Heritage X can still handle bigger riders, providing the support and response I look for in an everyday big mountain freestyle board.  During all of my riding, I never felt as it the waist wasn’t wide enough, nor did I feel any toe or heel drag.   All in all, definitely one of my favorite boards in the Never Summer lineup this year, directly behind the Raptor X.

SPECS:

Flex: 6 out of 10   (same as the previous year)

Dampness: 6 out of 10  (09′-’10 Model was 7 out of 10)

Sizes Available in (the X denotes Wide)

155 (25.2 Waist)

158 (25.4 Waist)

160 (25.6 Waist)

162 (25.7 Waist)

165 (25.8 Waist)

156X(26.0 Waist)

159X (26.1 Waist)

163X (26.8 Waist)

166X (26.9 Waist)

Comes with the Never Summer Three Year Warranty.

Additonal Pics:

Heritage X with Flow NXT FSE Bindings

Close up of the new Colorado Base

*Disclaimer:  I got this board as a demo from the insanely great people  (Thanks Vince!) over at Never Summer*