Two heavy weights hit the floor, which one takes it all?  Well it’s not exactly a fight, but I’ve had a lot of people asking me about which board would be better, the Legacy, or the Heritage X.  I wanted to take a minute or so of your time (maybe more like ten minutes) and talk about the differences between the two boards, to perhaps provide some clarity for all you riders torn between the two boards.


Let’s start off with the Legacy.  I’ve been riding the Legacy for quite some time.  It’s always been one of my favorite Never Summer boards, for everyday riding, cruising, or just destroying the mountain.  The Legacy is the wider version of the SL, and it’s undergone changes over the past few seasons.  It went from a camber profiled deck to having Never Summers R&C tech, and now it’s had it’s weight reduced a bit by the new Never Summer core and lower profile.   I’ve always felt at home on the Legacy.  It’s the big guys board, a destroyer of souls, that won’t buck you off.  Still quick into turns and out, without an overly aggressive sidecut, the Legacy is somewhat like a Cadillac; it’s kind of a gentle ride, but can get up and go when you want it to.   The Legacy comes in a bigger size selection than the Heritage, but does not have the Carbonium tech, the Heritage is sporting this season.  In the park, the Legacy can still hold it’s own, although in larger sizes, you’re going to be swinging around a beast, so alert people ahead of time, so as not to lose any limbs.   Let’s take a quick look at specs.

Legacy Specs:

Dampness: [ 5 out of 10 ] Flex: [ 5.5 out of 10 ]

Size          Waist           Edge       Sidecut           Tip/Tail

156            26.1              121         Vario 749         30.5

159            26.4              123        Vario 753          31.0

161            26.5              126         Vario 769         31.1

163            26.9              130        Vario 788         31.6

166            26.9              130        Vario 805         31.7

170            27.0              134         Vario 825        31.8

174            27.0              136         Vario 830        31.8

The Legacy shares the Carbon VXR technology with the SL, Evo, Revolver and Infinity boards. What is VXR?  It’s essentially dual carbon ‘V’ stringers in the boards.  Although there are two ‘V’s they are not positioned the same, and do not perform the same function.  The smaller V is placed from the tip/tail down towards the binding insert in a smaller more narrow fashion, providing pop.  The larger V is set from the binding inserts out to the edge, making the board a bit stiffer where it’s needed to provide power from the bindings to the edge. (More Control)

What you get is a board with pop, that’s softer between the feet, while still providing edge control.

Let’s talk about the Heritage now…

In the past the Heritage was the board, everyone either loved, or hated. Most people didn’t find a middle ground with this board, because honestly it would kick your ass if you didn’t respect it.  The Heritage for this season has been vastly overhauled, and is a whole different machine.  It’s still sporting an aggressive sidecut, but with a whole more forgiving flex, core design, and of course the new carbonium topsheet!

Heritage X Specs

10-11 Heritage X

Flex: [ 5.5 out of 10 ]  Dampness: [ 6 out of 10 ]

Size          Waist           Edge       Sidecut           Tip/Tail

156             26.0               121           Vario 740          30.5

159             26.1              124            Vario 743          30.7

163             26.8              127            Vario 770          31.5

166             26.9              132            Vario 780          31.2

The Heritage X uses the Carbonium Laminate Technology.  The Carbon strings in the Heritage are set differently, and are incorporated on both the top and on the base.  The base configuration includes the addition of carbon X strings placed at the beginning of the binding inserts, and the top configuration includes the addition of a very mellow carbon V, (identical to the top of the X on the base) set at the beginning on the binding inserts.  Essentially what this does is provide better torsional flex, and provides strength in the design and build.  Never Summer changed the core in the Heritage this year to be a much lighter core, which shows in the weight of the board.  Don’t however think they’ve sacrificed any durability in the design.

What you get is a board that’s damper than the Legacy, more aggressive (sidecut), and slightly more unforgiving, but insanely fun to ride. Oh, and it’s got pop and snap!

So now that’s we’ve covered some tech and background, which board is better?  That all really depends on you and your riding style.  I’ve personally decided to go with the Heritage X over the Legacy this year.  This in fact will be my first year  in multiple years, that I won’t pickup a NS Legacy.  My reasoning?  I love the Carbonium topsheet, and tech.  The Heritage is fast into turns, and responds quick.  It has enough snap/pop to be playful when I want it, but is damp enough to still destroy the mountains at high speed.  Don’t get me wrong, the Legacy can bomb runs, and can definitely hold it’s own, but the combination of the Carbonium tech, with the new core on the Heritage just makes that board a bit more fun for me (bigger guy) to ride.  I will caveat this with the sizing of the Legacy.  The Legacy comes in a wider range of sizes, including a 27.0 waist width, at 170, and 174 sizes respectively. I also love the understated graphics on the Legacy this year as well.

Tough choices this year from the fine people over at Never Summer.  It really comes down to how you ride, and what you’re looking for.  If you’re looking for a everyday cruizer (more mellow sidecut), where you don’t really have to think much, perhaps the Legacy is a better buy, but if you’re looking for a board to take out and make aggressive turns, while bombing the mountain, then perhaps the Heritage X is a better board for you.  If you’re confused, and can demo either boards, definitely get out and do it.  If you don’t have demo’s coming up, check your local shop, to check out both boards.