# Never Summer Lotus Vs Infinity Vs Roxy Eminence Vs Banana Smoothie...suggestions????



## ladymcknight (Mar 22, 2013)

I started snowboarding this year. Bought a GNU B-NICE. It's a good entry level board but I feel it's holding me back. I like to charge down the hills but with my GNU there is a lot of chatter, so now I'm on the market for a new board. I enjoy charging down the hill and hitting natural features for jumps. May venture into the terrain park to practice jumping but no interest in rails/jibs. I have never done the half pipe but would like to try it at some point. I've been looking at a lot of different boards and doing some research. I have narrowed my search down to four boards. Roxy Emience and Roxy Banana Smoothie: I am leaning more towards the Eminence only because I haven't heard too many good things about the elliptical camber. Everyone seems to choose the C2 over the EC2. I however have little knowledge about the two and no experience with the difference in the two as I have only road my GNU. The other two boards are by Never Summer; the Infinity and Lotus. I know the Lotus is an aggressive board and worry if it may be too aggressive for me. Also I worry whether I will like riding a directional twin board but like the idea of getting a Never Summer board as it will be different from what I already have. I want to eliminate the chatter and would like a board I can use on groomed hills and good for jumps. If it's also good in powder that would be a bonus as I would like to do some back-country snowboarding as well. Does anyone have any further insight into these boards or have any suggestions in terms of what would be a good board for me based on my riding profile? Thank you

Weight-120 lbs
Boot size-women's size 8
Riding style-freeride/freestyle
Age-29
budget-no budget
Your location of riding-East coast


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

I don't know much of woman's boards but I've recently been on a 2014 NS Raven ca 145 (the Lotus replacement) and Salomon Idol ca 149. Don't know what speed you're into... the straight line part of the test slope was short and rather crowded so I didn't go very fast, but I xan assure you that both are chatter free at 43mph. Considering that you're 1st year rider and already charge and jump, you seem to progress pretty fast. I'd say don't be afraid of "aggressive" woman's boards. Both, the Raven and Idol are among this category but ride very smooth, well dampened, easy to turn/edge to edge.
The Idol might be worth to have a closer look at, it's a hybrid camber that might feel more stable than a hybrid rocker if you want to charge.


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## ladymcknight (Mar 22, 2013)

Thank you very much I will look into the Idol. I'm not sure how fast I am going when I do charge but all I know is my board begins to chatter and I want to go faster but can't because of my board. As for jumping I haven't done any big jumps they are on the smaller scale but I know it's something I enjoy and want to become better at and continue to work on. I hope by the end of next year I will be doing jumps on the larger scale. Again I thank you for your advice. Much appreciated


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Haha, the chatter is my top concern too. My boards became progressively longer and stiffer. I dare to go pretty fast with my kitchen door aka Flagship but as soon as a board begins to be unstable, I hit the breaks and ride like a sissy :laugh: 

The Jones Twin Sister (hybrid camber) and the Rome Gold (hybrid rocker) were suggested to me in an other thread where I was asking for a groomer carve board, stable at higher speeds. I couldn't test those ones, so I can't say how they ride, but they might be worth to have a close look at too. Hope you get some answers from girls that actually know these boards


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## ladymcknight (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks I'll do my research.


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## destroy (Dec 16, 2012)

Not one of those rare and valuable _LADIES_, with knowledge... buuut, if you're gonna stick with a Mervin (dooiitt, big Mervin fan here ) the Eminence will be more suited to what it sounds like you want. The Magnetraction will be good on the east coast as well. The B-Nice is a decent board but the Eminence is better in just about every way. The base is faster, and the C2 profile will be better than the plain banana rocker for carving and grip on piste as well as give you more pop when you ollie off features in and out of the park. C2 is the most aggressive of the Mervin profiles. Also if you get the full sparkly biobeans top sheet it'll be even lighter than your average board as well, among other things.  *thumbs up*


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

My girl has a Roxy Ollie Pop and she can ride pretty fast and has hit some double blacks with me and kept up the whole time. I did a lot of research and that one has held up nicely and she has really stepped up her game on it.


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## ladymcknight (Mar 22, 2013)

The Eminence was initially my top choice but after reading more and more reviews of it a lot of peoples top complaint tends to be that it chatters at higher speeds. Kind of upsetting to hear as I do like Mervin boards but at the same time I think it would be good to get something more different from what I know. So I think I have officially scratched off both Roxy boards from my list. Thanks for you input though


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## ladymcknight (Mar 22, 2013)

I did look into the Ollie Pop initially during my search but I didn't put it on my list as I want to get a sintered base and on the Ollie Pop it's base is TNT. Also it seems to be more of a park board which I want to stay away from. I should say that I originally was quite intrigued by lib techs TRS however with the base being TNT I decided against it. Seems like a great board but I want a base that's sintered. If it wasn't for the base I would probably really consider the TRS.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

ladymcknight said:


> I did look into the Ollie Pop initially during my search but I didn't put it on my list as I want to get a sintered base and on the Ollie Pop it's base is TNT. Also it seems to be more of a park board which I want to stay away from. I should say that I originally was quite intrigued by lib techs TRS however with the base being TNT I decided against it. Seems like a great board but I want a base that's sintered. If it wasn't for the base I would probably really consider the TRS.


Yeah, the TNT was a selling point for me since I knew she would never really take care of it. If you don't mind waxing then sintered is the way to go.


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## alihockey (Dec 4, 2011)

I have a 2012 NS Lotus and I absolutely love it. I too transitioned from a beginners board right into an aggressive board and I have no regrets. I was concerned it would be a little too much to handle but not at all! I recently tried backcountry for the first time this year and I can't get enough! It responds really well! I haven't had the chance to take it out in powder but obviously that is a bonus too!
As for your size, we are very similar. I'm around 130 so a little heavier, and use 7.5 boots. I have a 149 and there is no chatter whatsoever! Your feet are a little larger but you are lighter so I would suggest the same size but 151 wouldn't be too out of your range if you think you could handle it. I'm not sure what size your board is now but I'm assuming not too far off.
My only concern is your want to eventually try half pipe. The Lotus definitely wasn't designed for the pipe because it is on the stiffer side. I have tried her on some small jumps but nothing in the park and she has always handled nicely.


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## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

I've done alot of research on this, and will prob get my lady the Banana Smoothie or the Infinity for next season. Both are going to be something she can progress and charge on a littler more. Similar medium flexes, similar hybrid profiles (EC2 vs. RC) and both with just a tiny bit of setback if I recall correctly. Prior to this she has had a couple soft twins, a Bataleon Feel Better and a Nitro Runaway (Gullwing) so after 2 seasons it's time to get her a slightly more aggressive board without going to anything too stiff. Sounds like you're in the same boat, especially if you still want something really playful for a one deck quiver.


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## Mel M (Feb 2, 2012)

So, instead of starting a new thread, I'd figure I'd piggy back on this one...

How much stiffer is the Lotus than the Infinity. I'm actually looking to get my wife the Never Summer Raven for next year, but figured I'd ask about the Lotus since it seems pretty close to the Raven in terms of spec.


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## grenzfall (Oct 14, 2011)

I don't usually respond to threads (just read) but just thought i'd contribute a little personal experience, since my progression has been very similar to yours  

I started with a B-Nice 149 and grew out of it very quickly. The chatter was definitely a huge issue and i just didn't feel comfortable charging it at high speed. With that said, I demo'd many boards (including all the boards you considered) repeatedly (and even tried a few guys' boards) before i settled with the never summer lotus 151, and now i take it with me everywhere! obviously it depends on your riding style and build, but i hope my thoughts can provide you some perspectives. 

im 5'5'', 110lbs, size 7 boot, riding style: all mountain/free ride with occasional park/pipe. comfortable with all black/double blacks, avg speed about 50+ mph on grooms and sometimes enjoy charging to the 60+ when there are not a lot of people in the way  i know im on the lighter size and riding bigger boards, but since i learned to snowboard with all my brother's and husband's (boyfriend back then) equipment, i was used to longer board sizes and found myself feeling insecure on shorter boards.

i tried ladies choice, b-pro, velvet guru, banana smoothies and TRS slim in the mervin selection. b-pro and TRS are the stiffest and i felt like riding on a freight train going down hill on both. most of them (except velvet guru) have excellent edge hold, great turning capability and are awesome on pretty much any terrain (ice, groomed, packed pow, pow) but the stiffer it goes, the less playful it becomes for me given my size. if you are looking to ride switch in the future and occasionally do some tricks in the park, these boards are great options because they are true twin. also, i found the top sheet of mervin boards not as durable for some reason. my b-nice got all beat up and chipped just after a few trips. same thing with my husband's gnu board. overall i liked the banana smoothie (148.5) the most because of the overall performance of the board. it was playful for me, because the medium flex plus the EC2 tech made it a smooth and fun ride. i almost bought one in the middle of this season, but i found some slight chatter issues after passing the 45+ mph mark on icy/bumpy terrain. 

i also tried the following boards in the never summer group: lotus (149/151) , infinity (149/151), cobra (153), proto CT (152), evo (150/152) and SL (151). lotus tops everything for its superb dampening. it performs flawlessly on powder and can handle everything without any chatter at high speed. i brought it to colorado, whistler and utah and it's my go-to board for everything. infinity is a little too soft for aggressive charging (or straightlining), and all the men's boards have much wider waist (over 24.5cm) considering my boot size is only 7, otherwise both cobra and proto would've been a valid option. cobra is directional (same as lotus) so the natural shape of the board and the set back position makes powder riding effortlessly, while proto kinda does it all and handles everything just fine. Evo 150 has an interesting flex pattern and even though on NS website it rates the flex at 3, i thought it was more like a 4/5 on the women's scale. i rode my husband's brand new evo down a double black run and felt smooth and fine. i ended up with a lotus 151 because the extra length just helps a little more in deep pow, and the narrow waist makes it very agile when i go through narrow tree runs. next year NS stops making the lotus, but the new raven is supposed to have all the strength of the lotus (same damp/flex meter), but the pattern itself will be geared towards a more versatile design with softer mid flex for torsional control to be more playful instead of the true " big mountain" focus of lotus. i took my lotus to the park sometimes, and it does just fine on small/medium boxes, pipe and jumps, but i am not looking to do a backside 540 in the future, otherwise i would've gone with something else


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## bluebird08 (Dec 27, 2012)

Wow seriously awesome post grenzfall!! I can't believe how many boards you got to demo...pretty jealous. The Never Summer Raven sounds pretty promising...personally wondering whether the dampening causes the board to really lose pop compared to other boards? Between that and Jones Twin Sister....I'm wishing someone could pipe in on the Jones board.


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