The Never Summer Proto Type 3 is an excellent all-mountain snowboard that is designed for riders who want one versatile board that carves well, blasts off jumps, and is ready for every type of condition they will encounter at the resort.
Is the Proto T3 Right for You?
This is a brand new all-mountain freestyle board for the 2026 season that replaced the Proto Synthesis in the Never Summer lineup. The T3 is filled with a ton of high-tech features. However, the main reasons you would get this board is because of its pop, power, and versatility. This has enough carbon to blast you off jumps and give you that little extra boost of power coming out of turns.
I felt more confident on this board, and that got me to push myself to ride it a little bit harder. Here are my notes for the Proto T3’s review.
Never Summer Proto Type 3 Snowboard
Product Highlights: The Pros
Has an incredible level of edge hold grip to ice and hardpack. This board features Never Summer’s Triple Camber Recurve Profile with R.I.P. Edge-/hold Technology for a smooth turning experience that just locks into ice.
Incredible Edge Hold for IceOne of the most versatile All-Mountain Freestyle True Twin boards. This is outstanding in park and for cruising the resort, but Never Summer also added additional insert holes that allow you to get a really setback stance for riding powder, too.
A One Board QuiverThis is a noticeably lightweight and durable board. The NS Superlight Wood Core strategically blends poplar, paulownia, and birch with the entire board’s full perimeter getting protected by Sintered UHMW Polyethylene Sidewalls.
Lightweight & Durable CoreHas an added dampening system that gives it a high-end, damp feel of a 6/10. It’s noticeably damp, offers some shock absorption on landings, but still offers some board feel for hitting park features.
Balanced With a High End Damp FeelFloats better in powder than your typical all-mountain freestyle true twin – Never Summer added in two additional insert holes 1.25 inches after the standard mounting holes for a set back stance.
Powder ReadyKey Drawbacks: The Cons
On the pricey side at $699.99 new. It’s got enough tech to replace most of your quiver, but it does cost around $140 more than the average all-mountain board price. (It is well worth it if you can afford it.)
On the Expensive SideNot the most beginner-friendly. This board is recommended for intermediate to advanced riders. If you land wrong or get tripped up connecting a turn, you can catch an edge.
Not Very Beginner-FriendlyHow Does the Never Summer Proto Type 3 Snowboard Feel to Ride?
The Proto Type 3 offers a very responsive feel, with quick edge-to-edge transitions, that feels stable and offers an above average level of dampening at high speeds. It’s also easy to control in choppy terrain, and it gives you an unreal level of pop for blasting off of jumps and side hits.
With that said, this board is a little different from the Never Summer Proto Synthesis that it replaced in the lineup. The main difference is that the Prototype 3 now has a camber-dominant profile, where the Proto Synthesis was rocker-dominant.
So what does that mean for the overall feel of the ride?
Basically, this snowboard has more power and pop while still feeling simple and intuitive to ride in all riding conditions.
The main detail I noticed while riding the Prototype 3 was how confident I felt through the session, no matter how choppy or slippery conditions got. That added confidence pushed me to ride it a little harder, and that made me feel like I was progressing faster.
This board feels perfectly balanced, locked-in, fast, and stable enough that you will just want to charge with it. And so you do.
What The Added Board Tech Helps You With
This board is loaded with extra carbon and that gives it some extra power and pop.
I like to hit kickers, and the pop in this board was a level above the boards I’ve tested so far for the 2026 season.
There was just a little something extra in the Never Summer Proto Type 3 that just wants to blast you off jumps. And that “little something” is great example of what this board really is – a tech upgraded masterpiece that allows you to level up your riding.
If you’re looking to carve, it’s got tech to help you. If you’re looking to jump, it’s got tech for that too, and if you’re looking to ride pow or ice, then yep, it’s got tech for that too.
To say it simply, this board just rips for resort riding.
The Never Summer Proto Type 3’s Flex Pattern
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 feels like it has a 6 out of 10 flex rating from nose to tail, and it is ever so slightly stiffer at a 6.5 out of 10 for its flex from toe to heel.
This board is easily pressable, though. It is noticeably easier to press this board than other boards at a 6 out of 10 flex. This is because of the board’s Triple Camber Recurve Profile having a few transitional leverage points where the profile’s arc changes slightly.
These transitional points become sweet spots you can aim for that allow you to get a decently tall press without needing to put the same level of effort you would with a traditional camber board at the same 6 out of 10 flex rating.
Board of the World Review Rating: 91.58 / 100
The Men’s Never Summer Proto Type 3 earned a 91.58 out of 100 (or 4.58 out of 5) in our all-mountain freestyle scoring system. The Proto T3’s highlights are its versatility, stability, pop, and overall power. It’s the type of board that has everything you need to become your entire quiver if you wanted it to.
| Consideration | Score (100) | Weight / Score Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Pop / Power | 100 | 10% |
| Carving / Turns | 85 | 10% |
| Speed | 95 | 10% |
| Ice / Poor Conditions | 90 | 10% |
| Switch | 100 | 10% |
| Jumps | 100 | 10% |
| Dampness | 70 | 10% |
| Fun to ride | 100 | 10% |
| Resort Riding / Versatility | 97.5 | 5% |
| Responsiveness | 95 | 5% |
| Jibs | 80 | 5% |
| Powder | 85 | 3% |
| Buttering | 70 | 2% |
Editor’s Review Rating of the Never Summer Proto Type 3: 
4.58 out of 5 stars.
Review’s Summary Stats
Board Reviewed: 154 Never Summer Proto Type 3 2026
Price of Board: $699.99
How the Price Compares to Others:
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 costs $173.40 more than the average snowboard price of $526.59.
Our Rating Score: 4.57875 out of 5
How the Never Summer Proto Type 3 Ranks Against Others:
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 ranks 4th out of the 35 boards we reviewed in the all mountain category.
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 ranks 5th out of the 27 boards we reviewed in the all mountain / freestyle category.
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 ranks 7th out of the 32 boards we reviewed in the park category.
Who is the Never Summer Proto Type 3 for?
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 was built for the intermediate to advanced resort rider who is looking for one versatile board to become the majority of their quiver.
The Proto Type 3 is for the rider who loves to carve fast, blast off jumps, and hit every side hit in sight. It is a truly versatile board for the rider who wants the latest snowboard tech to help them be sure they’ll have the right board for any type of condition.
This board has the latest tech features built into it that give it an explosive level of pop and help it float better than most other true twin all-mountain boards. It’s also designed to feel incredibly stable and responsive underfoot and remain durable enough to withstand aggressive carving or park riding. It accomplishes all this while still feeling noticeably lightweight and very simple to steer.
To put it simply, the Never Summer Proto Type 3 is for the rider who’s tried a few great boards in the past. Now, they’re looking to take their all-mountain game up a few notches, and this is the board that will help them do that.
How is the Never Summer Proto Type 3 in the Park?
The Proto Type 3 is perfect for hitting park features of all sizes.
What’s really interesting about this board is that it’s the type of all-mountain board that’s equally as good in the park as it is carving all over the resort.
On the park spectrum between jumping and jibbing, I’d say it’s a slightly better at jumping, but it is pretty easy to jib with, too.
It’s just the park rider who would choose this board, really got it more so because they enjoy jumping and all mountain versatility over jibbing.
How Is It for Jibbing?
It’s decent for jibbing. It isn’t overly soft, though, so it won’t do much in the way of cradling around the tube or rail to help you balance on top of it.
Instead, the Never Summer Proto Type 3’s jibbing highlight is more so that it’s pressable while having a ton of pop to help get you get that extra little spring off the feature so you can do an additional 180 off of it.
How easy is it to lock into a press?
I’d say it is pretty easy to get into the press. You’ll just need to practice finding the sweet spots to help you hold and lock into it. This is because the carbon, flex pattern, and camber profile make this board want to rebound into its original shape quickly. There are sweet spots (pressable balance points) in the tips that are just after the carbon patterns. These allow the board to hold a press more easily; they just take some practice to find.
And once you get precise with pressing into them, the board won’t fight you to rebound to its shape.
How Is It for Hitting Jumps?
Jumping is the Never Summer Proto Type 3’s key features and the main reason you should consider getting this board.
This board has an unreal level of pop that just wants this board to be in the air.
The pop comes from the board’s camber-dominant profile and the new carbon configuration. I have sections that go in depth on the tech behind the new carbon configuration and profile here on page two. The main summary is there is a ton of carbon in this board to just boost you.
In terms of landing jumps, the board is really forgiving with sketchy, off-axis landings. If you land slightly off-axis (say under 15°), you can easily just skid it around the rest of the way and ride away clean. This is because the Recurve camber profile has flatter transitional sections before the arc of the camber profile begins. This helps make it feel a little more forgiving.
It’s also got some decent shock absorption that helps with landings, too. Never Summer added a rubber dampening system that dissipates the shock when you land without taking too much of your board feel.
How Is It for Buttering?
This board can butter decently well. With that said, there is a lot of carbon built into its construction that will try to rebound and fight you as you try to hold and spin your butter.
Once you learn where the sweet spots of the carbon are, you can butter this board easily.
All Mountain Performance / Runs Outside of the Park
How Is It in Choppy Terrain?
This board held its own in choppy terrain. It’s stable, on the damper side, and when it locks into its turn, it stays there without feeling overly chattery.
So far, that statement has been true regardless of how uneven the terrain I rode became.
How Is It in Icy Terrain?
This board’s edge hold felt grippy and locked in on the icy patches that I hit.
So What Makes This Board So Great for Ice?
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 was designed specifically to help you grip to ice thanks to the Powergrip Sidecut and it’s R.I.P Edge Technology. Here’s what that means, and what it does differently than some other ice friendly boards.
I wrote a very detailed section that goes deeper into the edge tech features that make this board great for ice on page two of this review here.
How Is It in Powder?
As an East Coast rider, I haven’t had the chance to test the Proto Type 3 in deep powder yet, but I’ll update this review once I have the chance to.
With that said, the Never Summer Proto Type 3 floats better than 90% of the other all-mountain freestyle twin boards, and even some dedicated powder boards, out there. This is because a new feature called the Blower Stance Inserts was added.
You should also read this detailed explanation about the new Blower Stance Inserts feature and what they help with.
How Well Does it Carve?
The Proto Type 3 felt smooth, simple, and stable to carve with. Its triple camber profile felt stable but wasn’t overly catchy or unforgiving like some camber-dominant boards feel to me.
Turn initiation felt quick and effortless. The board felt locked in and grippy when I needed it to be, and easy-going when I didn’t. It has a seamless feeling arc as it locks into and connects its turns. I also got a noticeable boost of power coming out of my turns, thanks to the Precision Stitched Carbon Matrix (PSCM) built into this board.
Overall, I’d say the board has a smooth, balanced, and intuitive feel to its carving experience while still feeling stable and grippy. It’s the type of board I felt instantly confident on, and that made me want to go a little faster and charge a little harder.
Types of Turns the Board Makes
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 can make turns of various sizes, but it really shines best when it’s linking quicker, tighter to medium-sized turns.
Speed of the Base
The Durasurf XT Sintered 5501 Base is noticeably fast.
The first time I rode this was at Big Snow, the indoor slope in NJ, and the snow there is known for being ridiculously slow. It’s to the point where some riders put WD40 on their bases, just to get to the bottom.
I didn’t have that issue with this base. Its level of glide is so fast, that all I had to do was just give it a very quick wax in the morning before I rode and I was ripping.
It’s worth noting this is a sintered base, so you will have to keep it waxed to keep it fast for you.
Overall, this base is around 20% to 25% faster than the base in the average all mountain freestyle board.
Is the Women’s Never Summer Proto Type 3 Snowboard Identical to the Men’s Version?
No, the Women’s version of the Never Summer Proto Type 3 has a different version of the Triple Camber Profile than the men’s Proto Type 3 snowboard. The profile in the women’s version is more rocker-dominant, or in other words, its profile is shaped closer to resembling a lower case ‘u’ (with the center of the ‘u’ resting against the snow), which is different from the men’s version that is shaped closer to a lower case ‘n’ (where the center of the ‘n’ is lifted off of the snow).
Here are the profile diagrams side by side with the men’s version on the left and the women’s version of the Proto Type 3 on the right.
There’s one more important detail to know. In the diagram above, take a look at the carbon stringers underneath the top sheet of both boards. The carbon stringers in the women’s version aren’t as wide as the men’s version. This means there is slightly less carbon built into the women’s version than the men’s Proto Type 3.
The different profiles and use of carbon change how these boards feel when you ride them. The Women’s version has more torsional and longitudinal flex, ever so slightly less pop and power coming out of turns. After that, it’s just the graphics and sizing that are different in the Women’s version of the Never Summer Proto Type 3.
Should You Get the Never Summer Proto Type 3 Snowboard?
Yes. The Proto T3 is definitely a board that I recommend you consider check out. It was one my favorites all-mountain snowboards 2026 season. The only real downside is that it is on the expensive side, but the hope is that with this board, you can trade out your quiver’s ice or powder board and just rely on the T3 being your daily driver that’s ready for every condition.
Where to Get It
The Never Summer Proto Type 3 is available at retailers like EVO, Blauer Board Shop, Peter Glenn, and Amazon. Consider getting it from any of them as they’re all authorized retailers.
See Images From the review
Image Gallery from This Review
Still Want to Learn More About the Proto Type 3?
This review got pretty long, so I moved all of the details on the tech and how they help you ride over to page #2. After that, I noticed the Never Summer Proto Type 3 compares closely to the Capita Super DOA, so I wrote a comparison to that board.
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.
Pages: 1 2