The Never Summer Proto Swift DT is a new directional twin-shaped all mountain snowboard that’s coming soon for the 2027 season. This board takes the excellent pow-floating capabilities of Never Summer’s best-selling powder deck, the Swift, and it puts those features into a well-rounded, ready-for-anything, slightly setback, twin shaped deck.
The Proto Swift DT has 5mm of taper, a medium 5/10 flex pattern, and Never Summer’s versatile Triple Camber Recurve profile (it’s their camber based triple camber profile). The result is an incredibly versatile board that is ready for all types of resort riding regardless of the conditions.
This board has features that help it float, blast off jumps, carve well, and lock into ice.
To say it simply, this board flat out rips, and I highly recommend you give it a try this season.
Pros
Here are a few features you’ll love about the Never Summer Proto Swift DT.
One Board That’s Outstanding In All Conditions From Pow to Ice to Park
This board is a twin that uses Never Summer’s powder board nose for both tips. It’s basically a twin pow that’s designed to take anywhere at the resort. It’ll blast you off park jumps and lock into a nose press, all while having tech to help it hold an edge on icy conditions.
It is Outstanding in Poor Conditions
It didn’t matter if it was icy, slushy, or rutted out. This board always felt like I brought the right board for the day.
For us here on the East Coast, it’s perfect for carving on ice thanks to its R.I.P. edge hold technology. This is an edge tech that uses the waviness of the board’s unique profile, rather than extensions or serrations in its sidecut, to keep you locked into your turns. The benefit to this over Magne Traction or Traction Tech is that you get the added grip without the added saw-like friction. It feels more like a smooth, smooth ride.
You can learn more about the R.I.P. edge hold technology in this video.
The edge tech pairs well with the Proto Swift DT’s early rise tips, too. The result was a board that gripped the ice as well as it plowed through chunder, bumps, and slush.
It Carves Well Without Feeling Overly Catchy
The Proto Swift DT is a directional twin with a medium flex, and it also features Never Summer’s camber dominant hybrid profile and an incredibly grippy edge tech.
Its carving experience feels balanced, locked in, quick to get on its edge, and very stable underfoot. While you can ride this aggressively when you want to, the rider who enjoys this board will probably be trying to enjoy the ride and the tech found in the board more than trying to beat their friends to the bottom every single run.
While this board feels extremely locked into its carves, it’s also very forgiving when it comes to linking your turns. If your movements aren’t as precise as you’re rolling on your edge, you can make the adjustments you need to help you power through. Now, that’s not to say you won’t ever catch your edge. You definitely still can, but the Proto Swift DT is more forgiving than most other intermediate to advanced all-mountain decks. This isn’t a deck that punishes you if your technique isn’t absolutely perfect.
I’d say this board has more of a cruisy than aggressive feel, but the most notable detail for me was that it made my turns feel like they had more of a pronounced S-shape to them. I am typically more of a freestyle rider than someone who tries to perfect my turns, but the Proto Swift DT helped me become a more confident carver.
Explosive Spring Board Like Pop
This board features Never Summer’s advanced carbon technology that works to give your ollies an extra, explosive, boost of pop. It’s called the Swift Precision Stitched Carbon Matrix. That means instead of Never Summer using traditional flat carbon sheets in the core of this board, they precisely weaved a strategically pre-cut carbon pattern directly into the tips. This pattern is layered with a lightweight STS (Structurally Tension System) Pre-Tensioned Fiberglass to improve the board’s strength and response and keep its weight down.
The end result of the Carbon Matrix is that the pattern loads up energy when you pop, similar to how a crossbow stores tension right before it fires. That massive amount of stored force is exactly what launches you into the air.
You can actually see the 3D outline of this carbon layout mapped right onto the nose and tail of the topsheet.
To my feet, it felt like the carbon matrix offered an extra 10% of a boost of pop over the average snowboard.
Extra Mounting Holes for Powder Riding
Never Summer added two additional insert holes 1.25 inches after the standard mounting holes for an even further setback stance for riding in pow. This allows you to get set back further than most other twin boards. That works to keep your nose up and out of the deep snow.
Cons
Here are a few features I wish were different with the Proto Swift DT.
Limited Sizes Available
For its initial release year, there are only three sizes available for this board currently.
You can get the Never Summer Proto Swift DT in:
- 156cm
- 160cm
- 161cm X (Wide)
For this review, I rode the 156cm size. However, I would have loved to get this deck in my usual 152- 154 cm size range. It just isn’t available for the 2026 / 2027 season, so I rolled with the smallest size available.
With all that being said, the Proto Swift DT rode so well that I have a feeling it will be a top seller on the Never Summer line for the 2027 season and it will be released in more sizes soon.
On the Expensive Side
The Never Summer Proto Swift DT isn’t a cheap all-mountain board. It’s a premium, precise, all-terrain scalpel of a snowboard that costs $240 more than the average deck in 2027. Its cost reflects its USA-made build and its end-to-end tech features.
In other words, it’s meant to be a reliable quiver killer, so it was not designed for the deal shopper or the weekend warrior. The rider who gets this board did their research, and they’re looking for one incredibly versatile board with end to end tech features.
Review Rating of the Never Summer Proto Swift DT
The Never Summer Proto Swift DT earned an 88.05 out of 100 in our all-mountain category. This board is built for the rider who wants a no-nonsense, fast, hard-charging all-mountain deck that can lock into a carve and hold it through whatever the mountain throws at you. If you’re an intermediate to advanced rider who values edge hold, stability, and carving performance over park tricks, you’re going to love this one.
| Considerations | Score Out of 100 | % Importance to Score |
|---|---|---|
| Resort Riding / Versatility | 95 | 10 |
| Pop / Power | 90 | 10 |
| Powder | 85 | 3 |
| Carving / Turns | 90 | 10 |
| Responsiveness | 85 | 10 |
| Speed | 85 | 10 |
| Ice / Poor Conditions | 90 | 10 |
| Switch | 90 | 5 |
| Jibs | 80 | 5 |
| Jumps | 90 | 10 |
| Dampness | 75 | 5 |
| Buttering | 75 | 5 |
| Fun to ride | 100 | 7 |
| Weighted Score | 88.05 | 100 |
- Weighted Review Score: 88.05 out of 100
What Else Should You Know?
Type of Rider the NS Proto Swift DT Is Designed For
The Never Summer Proto Swift DT is perfect for the all-mountain resort rider who wants one versatile board that works in all types of conditions without making any compromises with how good it feels underfoot. The Proto Swift DT makes small to medium-sized, surfy-feeling s-turns on groomers, ice, and powder. It’s got an edge technology that keeps you locked in on icy days and tips that plow through whatever type of terrain in its path, especially pow.
It’s the type of board you take with you when you don’t know what conditions the day will bring, but you know it’ll be fun on the Proto Swift DT.
Actual Feel of the Flex
To me, the Never Summer Proto Swift DT feels slightly stiffer than medium, but it is still flexible enough to press, butter, and jib with, all while being stable and responsive to charge with.
- My Flex Rating: 6.5/10 flex
- Manufacturer’s Flex Rating: 5/10 flex
With the smallest size being a 156cm, it’s around 2cm larger than I normally would ride. I am sure that contributed to the difference in how the flex felt a little stiffer to my feet. For me, it felt closer to a 6.5/10 from nose to tail to my feet. The torsional flex is a bit softer, though, at a 5.5/10 flex rating.
Jibbing Performance
While the rider who gets this snowboard will be taking it all over the resort to carve with and explore with, the Proto Swift DT held its own on jib features for me in the park. Its stiffer to medium flex worked well for presses, and its early-rise tips made it feel less catchy on nose and tail slides.
Is it a jibber’s dream deck?
No, it’s the all-mountain rider’s dream deck. However, the park rat will enjoy how controlled this feels on features while really loving how effortlessly it plows through sketchy rutted-out landings of a busy park session. The pow-ready early rise twin tips worked wonders on poorly groomed park landings.
Buttering Performance
I’d rate the Proto Swift DT as being “easy enough” to butter with, though it takes some extra effort.
It’s not so flexible that you can simply lean forward or backward and you’re in a press or butter. However, it is relatively easy to get the hang of pressing the board in its sweet spot, just outside of its insert packs.
Once you are locked into your press, the two main buttering highlights of the Proto Swift DT start to shine for you. Those added buttering features are:
- The early-rise tips of this board work well to keep it catch-free as you pivot around.
- The pop you get from the added carbon in the tips gives you an extra boost of pop to easily get an extra 180 out of your flat ground tricks.
Base Wax Absorption & Repairs
The base felt noticeably fast for a do everything mid-flexing board. It held its wax well, and was easy to repair with a black ptex candle. I wound up hitting a small rock on a spring day, and since the majority of the base is black, I was able to just fill it in with a ptex candle.
Unless the light hits the board just right, you could never even tell. It held the ptex in place with no issues.
Jumping Performance of the Proto Swift DT
The pop in the Never Summer Proto Swift DT is its jumping highlight. This board gives you an extra boost of pop while also making it way easier to land in pow or even rutted-out landings, thanks to its pow-ready nose and tail.
The board’s tips help it plow right through the choppiness of whatever you’re landing on.
Never Summer Proto Swift DT vs. Proto Type 3 for Jumping
Both of these boards are outstanding for hitting jumps and side hits, but I would actually rate the Proto Type 3 as the better board for jumping.
Here’s why:
The Proto Type 3 felt like it offered me around 5% more boost than the Proto Swift DT did. Both boards offer far more pop than your average all-mountain board, though. To put numbers on it, the Proto Type 3 feels like it gives you 20% more pop than average, while the Proto Swift DT offers around 15% more.
Here is the carbon configuration of the Never Summer Proto Swift DT.
Now, compare that to the carbon configuration found in the Never Summer Proto Type 3, and you’ll notice there are two additional top carbon layer beams that run the length of the board.
Those additional beams are what give the Proto Type 3 an extra little bit of pop and power off jumps over the Proto Swift DT.
Because of the extra little boost you get, the Proto T3 would be my choice for the rider who prioritizes being in the air, while the Proto Swift DT is my choice for the rider looking for the versatility benefits of being able to go anywhere and do anything.
Which Should You Go With Between the Never Summer Proto Swift DT vs Proto Type 3?
Choose the Proto Type 3 if you love hitting jumps and prioritize air time.
Otherwise, go with the Swift DT if you want a board that is great for jumps but also has the versatility benefits of being able to carve beautifully through all types of conditions everywhere at your local resort.
See More Images from the Review
Here are all of the images I took from this review.
Where to Buy the Never Summer Proto Swift DT
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Buy the Never Summer Proto Swift DT From EVO
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About the Reviewer
Rider Name: Steve Weber
Where I Rode:
- Montage Mountain, PA, throughout the 2026 season. The conditions had everything from ice to hardpack to powder.
- Camelback Mountain, PA, has a few slushy runs for its closing weekend in early May of 2026.
I rode this deck in everything from negative one-degree days to slushy spring 70-degree days.
Number of Days I Rode this Deck: The total number of days on this deck is 22. I gave this board the total East Coast riding experience, but tend to enjoy riding the park more than taking cruisy sort of runs.
Size / Model I Rode for This Review: 156 Never Summer Proto Swift DT 2026
Rider Weight: 142lbs
Bindings Used: Union Force / Union Ultra
Boots Used: Thirty Two STW with Remind Insole Intuition Liners
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Steve Weber is the passionate snowboarder, skateboarder, and author behind Board of the World. He understands that most gear reviews focus on having the perfect snow conditions, but his testing methodology is different. Living in Pennsylvania, Steve describes exactly how a board performs when the conditions aren’t perfect. His reviews cover performance on ice, hardpack, and flat-out brick conditions. In other words, he reviews boards for the conditions that East Coast riders actually face.
Bringing 27 years of East Coast snowboarding and 21 years of skateboarding experience, Steve is a 42-year-old intermediate park rider. His recommendations are informed by decades of battling icy conditions, ensuring every review accounts for the board’s performance on the roughest of terrain.
For the last five years, Steve has poured his passion into writing in-depth, unbiased reviews that help riders make informed decisions about the gear they’ll use. He also works part-time at a snowboard shop in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which gives him a direct line to learning about the new gear tech months in advance. When he’s not writing reviews, Steve is often found riding at Montage Mountain and testing out new boards.
Steve’s goal with Board of the World is simple: to help every reader find the right gear so they can have fun outside from the first time they use it.