Tkb Review: 2021 Naish Traverse

NAISH Traverse
Sizes Available: 138 x 41cm, 144 x 42.5cm, 152 x 43.5cm
Sizes Tested: 144 x 42.5cm

Naish Says:

As the name suggests, the Traverse is built to cover it all. Inspired by a true freeride mentality, the board is comfortable and playful, while maintaining a locked-in feel for carving, boosting, and hitting the park. With input from Ewan Jaspan, the board is the ultimate all-around option with a focus on keeping fun at the top of the list. The completely new board comes in a longer, narrower shape combining the quick turns of a small board with the powerful edging of a bigger board. It is smooth through the water, glides like a dream, has plenty of rail to lay in those big carves, while still maneuvering like a board 10 cm shorter. Made for maximizing fun on the water and taking freeriding to the next level, this board offers a whole new underfoot feel.

Visit for more info: www.naishkites.com/product/traverse/

Tkb Says:

The Traverse comes in two different constructions; we tested the standard freeride version with the lighter flex pattern, but there is also an Ewan Jaspan Pro Model version that offers a grind base and stiffer flex for heavier riders and bigger jumps. The first thing we noted out of the box is the Traverse’s longer length, which is one of the interesting features of this board’s template. It is recommended you ride a longer board than you would normally choose because the board is narrow and is designed to be ridden long. The Traverse comes with 5cm fins and a fairly simple bottom shape with a single-channel that steps up along its rail and uses a progressive rocker throughout its longer length.

With our first tack off the water, we noted the board’s positive tracking feel with a really glued in feel while edging upwind. The large fins, single-channel bottom and longer length gives the rider a solid directional feel as the rail slips through chop and easily locks into a solid edge. Despite its longer length, you can feel the extra rocker in the tips which come into play when you start carving and laying into turns with backfoot pressure. The Traverse’s easy upwind tracking and excellent edge control is a huge plus to beginner and progressive riders and its tall template allows you a bit of extra glide through lulls in the wind. In this respect, the Traverse gives the average rider a little more wind range without committing to a light wind twin tip. In terms of jumping, the board’s edge control will give riders a little bit of extra confidence during big sends and the tail rocker is sufficient to allow for clean releases for solid and user-friendly launches. More advanced riders will want the denser flex pattern of Ewan’s Pro model and some may find the extra length inhibiting for spinning or more aggressive freestyle-oriented riding. The Traverse really makes its mark in its comfortable handling of chop, fun carving along that longer rail line and grippy ride that offers confidence to progressing riders. The Traverse would be a great choice for that distance ride or longer sessions for comfort and dependable riding that mixes a number of different styles together. While the Traverse is a bit of a departure from everything else on the market right now, it blends together a number of traits that might help it find a cult audience in the progression and general freeride style of riders.

The Traverse comes with three inserts for choosing stance width that are positioned in the center of the board. Mated with Naish’s Apex bindings you get a ton of adjustment options for dialing in the perfect placement of the straps as well as the perfect fit. The Apex footbed is extremely comfortable with a plush feeling and soft rubbery feel that gives the rider tons of grip with a raised contour under the arch of your foot with cupping around the heel. The Apex uses various foam inserts to allow you to dial in the level of your density in the footpad when you set up your board. You get two pad sizes to choose from (shoe sizes 5-12 and 9-15), there’s a subtle toe bump to keep your toes locked in and the straps feature forward and aft settings to move the strap more over your toes or more over your arch to dial in the snuggest fit. The straps offer quad Velcro adjustments that allow you to dial in each zone of the strap separately for perfect coverage. The Apex is one of the top pad/strap options on the market and has consistently earned high marks when testing for their comfort and control that gives you a supremely solid connection to your board.