I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on the Heritage vs Legacy article, so I decided, at the request of several people to write up my thoughts on the differences between the Heritage and the Raptor.  While the two boards share the Carbonium technology, they are far from identical.  Let’s discuss the differences, and why you would choose one over another shall we?

Since we’ve covered the Legacy vs The Heritage, let’s take a look at the Raptor first.  If you’ve spent any time in the past riding the Titan, you’ve probably developed some pre-conceived notions about Never Summer’s flagship board.  You can pretty much throw all those thoughts out, because they don’t apply to the Raptor.  While the Raptor is an aggressive Big Mountain/Freeride board, it’s not quite the same beast as it’s predecessor the Titan.

First and foremost, let’s take a look at the new profile that Never Summer introduced on the Raptor this year.  If you’ve ridden the Rocker & Camber technology on previous Never Summer boards, you’re already ahead of the game.  There is however a difference on the Raptor.  While it does have R&C tech, it has a very unique profile.  The Raptor has a setback R&C profile, meaning, that the Rocker is rear biased, while a longer front camber section up further towards the nose, improves stability, and makes shredding POW almost effortless.  Never Summer refers to this profile as “Directional Rocker & Camber.”   Never Summer also developed a new core for the Raptor, which incorporate both softwoods and hardwoods, allowing them to reduce the weight of the Raptor, while still providing the same durability for their boards, that Never Summer is known for.

Raptor X Topsheet

The Raptor includes a unique carbon stringer configuration, that sets it apart from the Heritage, and the other boards within the Never Summer line this season. The Raptor includes two Carbon X configurations within the base of the board.   The top configuration includes includes two carbon V’s which are slightly longer than the V’s found on the Heritage model. On the base, the Raptor includes a second smaller V placed within the the larger V located near the tail.  These carbon stringers are designed to give the board more pop/snap out of the tail, but also are placed appropriately near the binding inserts, giving the rider more control and response over contact points.

The Raptor itself is a pretty damp board, and isn’t the stiffest board, but definitely isn’t a noodle.  While some people complain that Rocker boards lose the pop/snap that camber boards have, with the Raptor, you don’t have to worry about that.  You can load this board up, like you would any traditional camber, and it’s going to pop/snap nicely for you.  Never Summer has taken the best elements of the Titan, merged them with the Directional Rocker & Camber profile, to give riders a board, that’s not only still a mountain killer, but can be ridden as an everyday rider out on resort groomers too.  I would caution though, this isn’t a park board, nor is it aimed at those riders.

Flex: [ 6.5 out of 10 ]  Dampness: [ 7 out of 10 ]

Size          Waist           Edge       Sidecut           Tip/Tail

161             26.3               124           Vario 790          31.3

165             26.8              128           Vario 810          31.9

169             26.9              133            Vario 830         31.9

Taking a look at the  Heritage, and pulling some of the text from the previous article, the Heritage was the board, everyone either loved, or hated.  With an aggressive sidecut, and unforgiving ride, the Heritage either felt just right, or overly aggressive.  As I said previously, the board would just flat out kick your ass, if you didn’t  ”respect” it.  That was then, this is now!  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

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

What, Why, and Stuff

Having covered a bit about both boards, it’s pretty easy to see these two board are very different animals, and have two very distinct riders. The Heritage still incorporates a more aggressive sidecut, in conjunction with a more playful flex, providing freestyle riders the ultimate board.  If you hit the park from time to time, but find you’re more of a freestyle/freeride person, the Heritage is going to be the better choice. Sporting the standard Rocker & Camber design, the Heritage is going to be the more rail friendlier of the two boards, and provide the softer flex pattern of the two.

If you find you’re a person that likes to charge hard, make aggressive turns, and drop steeps, you’ll find that while you can ride the Heritage, the Raptor is going to be more suited to your riding style.  The Raptor is going to be slightly damper, and a bit more stable at higher speeds.  With the Directional Rocker, you’re going to find deep POW is much easier to navigate, and carves are only limited by you the rider. I feel like the Raptor loads up better for ollies,  but the Heritage provides more of a freestyle feel. Both boards come with the Carbonium technology, making their topsheets, much more durable.