• Price: £599 / €749
• Lengths: 148, 152, 157, 162
• Flex: 7
• Profile: Combo
• Shape: Directional
• neversummer.com

These days a few brands incorporate a ‘range within a range’. Amongst the rank and file in the catalogue sits a bespoke line of boards, usually aimed at carving. Never Summer are among them, introducing the Shaper Series for 2017/18.

“It’s built mostly for the backcountry, but aims to avoid short-changing the piste fanatic.”

The Never Summer Swift is the snowboard that inspired the Shaper Series. It’s built mostly for the backcountry, but aims to avoid short-changing the piste fanatic. As a tapered directional charger, it certainly looks promising for both right from the outset.

Never Summer are combo-profile specialists, and the Swift has a setback version that allows for an extended nose. As a result, keeping the front end up when riding deep snow is a dawdle, and the rear of the board offers grip when required.

No expense has been spared in the construction of the Never Summer Swift. The ultra-light wood core is augmented with carbon V shapes at each end that increase the pop and strength, and dampening directly under the bindings helps to reduce foot fatigue. It’s all sandwiched between a durable carbonium topsheet and a high-quality sintered base.

The Never Summer Swift, like all of the Colorado brand’s output, doesn’t come cheap – but their reputation for quality craftsmanship stretches back to 1991, and the three-year warranty isn’t too shabby.