# Scooped up a new set up this week on a budget!



## Newrevnorton (Dec 30, 2015)

I was getting prepped for this year's two Colorado trips and thought about browsing around for some upgrades to my set up. I'm 5'10" and weigh 180lbs. My current set up was an Academy Merit 157, DC boots that were slightly too small, and some cheap bindings.

I ended up snagging a set of the GNU Psych bindings from The House on sale for $103. I liked the rear entry option for the short runs over here in the smokies and I ran across these Psychs while I was shopping Flow bindings. 

Then I was browsing around on eBay and found a pair of Nike Vapen boots for $100. I really could have gotten by with my DCs but I heard nothing but amazing things about the comfort of the Vapen boots. 

I thought I was done upgrading until I found an interesting post on Craigslist here in Nashville for a Never Summer board that was a 157cm like my Academy board. The board was brand new for $400. It was a promo board that NS made for Oskar Blues Brewery so I had no idea what model it was. Due to the risk of not knowing the specs on the board I offered $175. I just brought it home and called NS to ask for details. It turns out that it is a mold of the 15 Proto HD! Looks like a sweet board and it is unbelieveably lightweight.

I'm pumped about trying it out and I was able to piece together the set up for less than $380... :grin:


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## Chef smooth (Dec 29, 2015)

One hell of a deal on that board my friend. Let us know how you like the setup


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## JTCarver (Dec 27, 2015)

Good stuff. Nothing like a smokin' deal to sweeten the ride!


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## Hungrytitan (Dec 22, 2014)

You just got a brand new Proto HD for 175, you have no idea how lucky you are. Nice board after seeing it in person, I need to check ebay more often.


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## Newrevnorton (Dec 30, 2015)

Yes I definitely could not pass on the deal for the NS board. Everybody seemed to be speaking about the comfort of the Nike Vapen and I really like the look and the reviews I have seen on the GNU Psychs as well. I think this will be a great setup. 

Two weeks until the trip to Rado! I'll post feedback after the trip.


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## Newrevnorton (Dec 30, 2015)

So I was able to get back from the trip to Colorado last week. The new setup worked GREAT!! 

I definitely noticed a difference between the Academy board and the new Never Summer Proto HD. I felt slightly less stable on the NS board at higher speeds but it really felt like it was firmly underneath of me no matter what I threw at it. I was able to carve better and the ride was much more comfortable down the whole mountain. We were able to ride a lot of fresh powder too because the conditions were so nice. 

I could not have been happier with the GNU bindings as well. The rear entry design made it effortless to get on and off of the lifts and I had enough flex to keep the ride feeling comfortable yet firm enough for a responsive feel. I can see the huge advantage of using these bindings in the Smokies to get extra vertical time on the shorter runs. I was already riding down the mountain before the rest of our group had even adjusted their first foot. Some of the foam was separating at the top of the high back after this first trip so I emailed GNU and asked if this was due to an improper adjustment. I immediately received a response back from the rep, Nick, who apologized about the wear and insisted that I swap them for a 2016 model to insure that I was happy with them and the GNU brand. I would have accepted a response from them informing me that it was just general wear and tear. What an amazing group with outstanding service...

I was equally pleased with the performance of the Nike Vapen boots. They also had the perfect amount of flex for my combo. However, I forgot my boots one day so I used a friend's pair of worn out Burton boots. His boots had the inner BOA system for the liner and I now wish I would have purchased boots with the BOA lacing system. Even as an older and heavily used pair of boots, they were comfortable and extremely easy to get on and off.


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