The Starting: The By no means Summer season Twenty-5 (twenty fifth Anniversary Snowboard)
The roots of the brand new By no means Summer season Valhalla grew out of the traditional, restricted freeride board, the 2016 Twenty 5. That 12 months we had been celebrating our twenty fifth anniversary and created a flagship freeride board that embodied By no means Summer season’s fame of high quality, efficiency and sturdiness. The Twenty 5 supplied a moist, soft experience with a mid/agency flex ranking to deal with any massive mountain terrain. That includes our most intensive damping system on the time. With twice the quantity of elastomeric rubber as in a freestyle board, for unmatched stability using quick and exhausting. For energy and efficiency we gave the board an intensive quantity of carbon fiber. Combining a prime and backside carbon matrix to maximise response and power. The consequence was a light-weight but highly effective configuration that offered torsional rigidity and vitality switch with out sacrificing the management a rider wants. The Twenty 5 had our Ripsaw Rocker Camber profile making it a really versatile board, liked by many longtime By no means Summer season followers and riders coming over from manufacturers like Lib Tech. Capped off with a brilliant quick, sturdy, U.S.A made sintered base and a extremely tech co-extruded, textured polymer thermoplastic topsheet, that not solely seems to be cool however works as a in-built stomp-pad. It was additionally in-built a really distinctive “Bat or Swallow tail” formed splitboard.
How may we make this board even higher?
This distinctive form and the efficiency of the Twenty 5 was etched into my thoughts and I vowed to resurrect it at some point…..
Flash ahead to 2021 and open the gates of Valhalla. After persuading proprietor/designer Tim Canaday to revisit the Twenty 5 break up form, he got down to design the final word, exhausting charging freeride weapon. Tim began by altering the tip form barely however maintaining the 7mm of taper for powder floatation and switch fluidity. A brand new barely deeper sidecut was carried out for a extra exact, sharper flip. Subsequent, we turned consideration to the profile and flex. Our groundbreaking Triple Camber had for use right here for its vicelike edgehold. A 3rd camber space is flanked by two small rockers. This heart camber reduces a few of the pivot of the rocker and permits the board linear monitoring for straight lining stability on catwalks, low angle terrain and better speeds. Whereas sustaining the general versatility, ease of turning, elevated glide and float in powder of the middle rocker of our Authentic Rocker Camber. The first edge maintain begins from this heart camber and is elevated when the 2 camber strain areas on the ends of the board are engaged. For the Valhalla the triple camber was modified barely with an extended transition space within the nostril, giving it somewhat extra early rise and a barely shorter camber part within the entrance. This permits an aggressive, stiffer board higher powder floatation and extra forgiving, surfy really feel over the nostril of the board. This is able to give it the float after which some say a Experience Warpig however a way more stable, exhausting charging board for carving exhausting packed snow and highly effective slashing.
Prototyping the Valhalla
Prototyping started with making the board in several flex patterns. Each, agency however one softer than the opposite. These had been examined by Tim himself, NS workers, crew riders and an natural By no means Summer season fb group. One member even went as far by producing a ballot on what sizes we must always supply, if launched.
https://www.fb.com/teams/5128354220/
After compiling all this knowledge, it was determined that the stiffer flex sample was the way in which to go. Full Recluse Carbon Fiber webbing was added, giving the board higher stability on agency snow and ice. To counter this stiff flex in softer snow, the Valhalla has a beneficiant set again of 1” on efficient edge and a couple of” on materials. This provides the board an extended nostril, to maintain it afloat within the deepest powder. Whereas the shorter tail permits a rider to tear by way of the tightest bushes, moguls and steeps. Intensive testing was additionally performed on the quantity of rubber damping we put it into the board. By no means Summer season snowboards are identified for a moist, clean experience. That is the results of the quantity of vibration absorbing elastomeric rubber and placement of the rubber in our development. We wished the Valhalla to have these good damping traits however to not be too damp, extra crisp, mild and extremely responsive. Extra like driving a Ferrari and never a Cadillac. To attain this really feel, we went with our RDS 2 damping system. This light-weight system makes use of three narrower laminated damping layers that present the right mixture of vibration absorption and liveliness. For sturdiness, we added aluminum tail safety and full wrap metallic edge on the nostril.
The First Restricted Version Valhalla
After nearly 2 years of analysis and improvement, we had been able to launch a restricted model of the Valhalla. In January 2023 the LTD Valhalla hit the market to rave critiques
The restricted Valhalla featured a brilliant cool, sublimated, sintered p-tex base. Supplied in quite a lot of lengths to accommodate a variety of rider sizes, 147, 153, 156,160 and 164. The 147 and 153 sizes shortly turned a favourite of our ladies crew athletes and smaller riders all over the place.
The Valhalla is a directional, freeride board for a rider wanting downhill efficiency. It has an extended, extra upturned, early rise nostril, making it simpler to experience deep powder and slush. Good for these pow runs in bowls, glades and chutes.
Though, you possibly can experience change or fakie with it’s upturned tail, this isn’t a twin tip board and never very best for doing so. The Valhalla additionally has 7 millimeters of taper that enable the board to complete turns fantastically, laying down good arc’s and make it agile for using tight bushes, bumps and steeper terrain. The added strain factors of Triple Camber, mixed with a stiffer flex make it excellent for deep eurocarving on groomers.
Additionally, optimum edge maintain for using ice, crud and hardpack snow situations. Fast and agile in shorter radius turns, steady and fluid in longer radius turns. The Valhalla excels for prime velocity stability and using quick. Bomb early morning runs and have management within the variable, uneven, late afternoon situations.
For the 2023.2024 shred season, By no means Summer season has some nice freeride snowboard choices; Valhalla, Swift, Proto FR and Girl FR. Let’s evaluate these fashions and decide which might be the suitable board for you.
The godfather of the Shaper Sequence underwent a form improve for 2024. It now has a brand new tail and extra elongated nostril form. This resulted in a centimeter enhance on every measurement for added float in low angle powder. All different specs and general experience that made the Swift legendary for the final 7 years, stay the identical. The Swift has extra rocker with the Fusion Rocker Camber, this together with the best quantity of taper (20mm) and set again give the swift the longest and widest nostril for final float within the deepest powder. This tapered form and Fusion Profile make the Swift very forgiving and simple to experience, giving it a “surfy” really feel. Good for using tight bushes, bumps and technical traces. To steadiness this looser or surfy really feel on hardpack, the Swift has a stiffer flex ranking and has a substantial quantity of rubber vibration damping. This helps with carving edge maintain on hardpack and smoothing out the experience in chunder or reducing by way of tracked out powder traces. Making it a really versatile and steady freeride board, not like different powder boards in the marketplace. So, when you’re searching for the final word powder board for a giant cat snowboarding or heli journey, a board to navigate by way of the tightest bushes or a stable, surf impressed carving board, look no additional than the 2024 Swift.
The Proto FR sits between Valhalla and Swift. Triple Camber know-how offers the Proto FR considerable edge maintain over the Swift on more durable snow or ice. Whereas it’s reasonably softer flex making it somewhat simpler to handle at slower or variable speeds than the Valhalla. The Proto FR additionally has our most intensive, most superior damping system ever for a clean experience that’s very best for an intermediate rider cruising groomers to a seasoned professional setting prime snowboarding speeds. For a rider wanting a extra balanced really feel, the FR is simply barely set again and has a extra symmetrical form. Not so set again just like the Valhalla or Swift, permitting a rider to place their weight over the nostril of the board whereas urgent into a tough flip. This extra balanced really feel additionally helps with using change and extra all mountain freestyle than different extra directional freeride boards. The longer tail additionally helps for stomping landings of cliff drops. The Proto FR is ideal for a rider wanting a brilliant soft using board with vice like edge maintain of Triple Camber with a extra upturned, early rise nostril for powder. From again bowls to bushes to laying out carves on resort runs, the Proto FR slays all sorts of situations and terrain.
The Girl FR additionally By no means Summer season’s groundbreaking Triple Camber design. This together with an intensive Carbon Fiber webbing supply wonderful grip, particularly on a tough heelside flip. Catwalks and straightlining are a breeze on the Girl FR. Powder float is captured with Entrance E nd Rise Mechanics and a barely tapered form. It’s an superior board for an intermediate or superior girl rider wanting a extra directional experience however with only a slight set again stance. If you happen to’re not into park, that is the right board for using everywhere in the resort. For a tough charging girl rider, we suggest the Valhalla. The stiffer flex built-in with Triple Camber allow an aggressive feminine rider to seize excessive speeds, whereas have exact response. The extra set again Valhalla with it’s elevated, early rise nostril and it’s minimize out tail form, supply higher float to hover in deep, backcountry powder. The Valhalla’s wider platform is nice for a lady’s measurement 8-10 boot to scale back overhang for deep carving and add to that float in powder. Whereas the Girl FR can have a few of these efficiency attributes and a straightforward to handle board.
I like to explain the Valhalla as an aggressive Swift. Or if the Swift and Proto FR had a child and it turned out to be a heavy metallic loving wild youngster, that might be the Valhalla. It’s a really set again, directional board with a extra pronounced early rise nostril, just like the Swift for powder float however with the unequalled edge maintain of Triple Camber. Edge maintain on ice, boiler plate, hardpack and wind scoured snow on the Valhalla is exceptional, just like the Proto FR and than some. It’s mild, crisp and responsive below foot for knifing out and in of turns. The Valhalla’s agency flex is for a robust rider who calls for exact efficiency.
If you happen to’re an skilled, dynamic rider wanting the management to take your snowboarding to the subsequent degree, look no additional. Valhalla waits for you.
For additional validation or data, try these critiques.
Critiques
Kootenay-Valhalla BC licensed
By: Ramon P.
164 Valhalla lives as much as its identify massive time. I usually experience 164 T. Rice professional, 165W Jones flagship and 163 midwide Arbor. All good boards. I’m a giant man. Using 30 years, personal 5 NS boards going again to ‘98. Board arrived simply in time for a 7 day BC Canada using journey at Baldface/Valhalla/Whitewater has made this THE freeride board of selection. Tremendous steady, activates a dime and in tighter bushes, responsive, floats exceptionally nicely, sticks deep landings and simply plain rips! Level and shoot!! I’ve gotta say I’m speechless. Good minimize, setback, nostril size, width. How can this be made any higher?
Swift on steroids
By: Harrison
Neversummer, you guys killed it with this board! Thanks for hooking it up with the 164 Valhalla. I’ve many NS planks in my quiver and likewise jones, bataleon, and DC. I’m stoked y’all made a triple camber fusion board. It seems like a swift on steroids to me. That is considered one of my favourite planks to experience and it might be a quiver killer for many individuals. The 164 is somewhat beefy for tight bushes and brief turns, a smaller measurement can be extra very best in that regard. Nonetheless, I received the 164 particularly for steep icy situations within the areas that I experience and it handles method higher than any of my different boards in these situations. Absolute pow slasher too. Sustain the unbelievable work, Neversummer!!! Y’all rock!!!
Blown away at how good that is!
By: Chau T.
Have ridden quite a few NS, Jones, & Bataleon boards and this one takes the cake. 5’4″ 165# Sz 8 boot 153 Valhalla. Observed a ton of management within the bushes, moguls, glades, all over the place. Gotta be the Triple Camber tech. Fast flip initiations, quick edge to edge, tremendous steady and damp, good pop & float. Locked in carving.
All wrapped up in a lightweight, quick, agile bundle. You guys have outdone yourselves with this board. Wonderful experience and my new all time favourite!
All Hail the Valhalla!!
By: Tom H.
One sentence synopsis:
The Valhalla rides like a triple camber love youngster of a Westbound and a Swift.
Now the necessary stuff.
Stance setup is especially necessary on this beast. The insert packs are set deceptively far again, NS web site says 1 inch however it seems like extra. I received the 153 and wasn’t paying consideration after I set my stance final night time. First two runs this morning had been very unusual, a number of chatter and simply felt “off”. On my third run the nostril buckled on a tough toe facet carve and shot me backwards onto my ass. (Thanks AzzPadz)
I’d ridden the prototype of this board final 12 months so I knew one thing was flawed. I re-measured my stance and positive sufficient I had 23” of nostril and 15” of tail. I moved my bindings up 2” (ahead most inserts) and good god what a distinction, it actually got here to life below my toes.
It’s extraordinarily quick and steady but has simply sufficient playfulness to allow you to surf turns as nicely. Though NS offers a stiffness ranking of 8.5, it feels extra forgiving than that quantity would counsel. For comparability, I’ve ridden the Proto FR and that board is completely unforgiving until you’re going Mach 2. The Valhalla may be very fast edge to edge and plows by way of any and all chunder. This can be a massive deal to me since I solely weigh 150 and have a tendency to get bucked round in uneven situations.
For all the things besides Park/Jib this might be your one board quiver. All in all one other NS masterpiece.
Valhalla!
By: Zar of the Gnar
Edge maintain like I’ve by no means felt earlier than… It should be the Triple Camber. I experience a number of NS fashions together with the Swift, Chairman, Massive Gun, PT2 and some others. Chairman is my favourite due to my exhausting charging freeride fashion till I jumped on the Valhalla. I in contrast the Valhalla to my buddy’s TwentyFive (among the finest shapes and boards NS ever made) and it seems to be like an upgraded model of it in my view.
Feels tremendous steady on the highest speeds and may take up any factor in your method. I do not know that I’ve my stance dialed but as I felt a bit sluggish on my trasitions within the previous ridden-in bumps within the bushes however I am positive with some small tweaks that may come.
Thanks NS for this beaut!
Swift on steroids
By: Logan B.
I can not specific how a lot the Valhalla blows all the things else I’ve ever ridden, out of the water. On groomers this factor holds an edge so nicely due to the triple camber. Quick or sluggish I can lean to date over this board and it simply desires to trace. Transfering from edge to edge is easy and faster than something I’ve ridden. At excessive velocity (50mph) the Valhalla truly feels extra stable than my East. In powder, this board simply desires to drift it doesn’t matter what (and I did not even have my stance set all the way in which again). To my shock.. I truly benefit from the Valhalla greater than the Swift for powder. I’ve by no means felt extra in management going tremendous quick in powder/bushes. The Valhalla actually can do all of it, and it really reignited my love for this sport in a method I by no means may have imagined.
The identify fits you
By: Richard M.
I had the chance to experience the Valhalla, I had excessive expectations, since I at the moment experience an FR and Extremely restricted, it exceeded my expectations.
The triple camber holds the sting as you drive this machine quick and livid by way of any terrain, there’s nothing it could possibly’t deal with. Transfering from edge to edge is easy and faster than something I’ve ridden. At excessive velocity (68mph) the Valhalla truly feels so steady that it makes using it easy, . I’ve by no means felt extra in management going tremendous quick in powder/bushes. The Valhalla actually can do all of it,
I look ahead to including this board to my quiver with the remainder of my NS assortment. I look ahead to. Vince and the groups future improvements.
“As soon as once more, I salute mom nature, and I salute my half-life Shred Boys, who will experience with me everlasting on the slopes of Valhalla!” – Vince Sanders
Phrases written by: Vince Sanders
