Snowboarding Blog & Snowboard Reviews » Burton

Burton Jussi 2010 Review

Rami — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:36:45 +0000

I’ve been wanting to get this board for a couple seasons now, and I finally did this season. After a few weeks riding the Burton Jussi, it’s time to put up a review.

Setup: Burton Jussi 159, Burton C60 (with the ICS adapters) bindings, Burton Ion Boots.
Conditions: machine groomed and very cold!

Technology
Twin Shape – this board is symmetrical and should feel the same whether riding regular or switch, though it has a directional flex pattern, meaning the nose has less pop/flex than the tail to maintain better stability at higher speeds.
Inifite Channel System – supposedly provides a more direct connection between the bindings and the board (I don’t buy it), while easily letting you mount your bindings any way you choose (this, I buy).
Freestyle Scoop – exaggerated spoon shape which creates a forgiving feel by turning the edges up at the tip and tail.

First Impressions: This is an excellent all mountain freestyle board for the aggressive rider in you with a lot of pop and spring to it. Given that this is Jussi Oksanen’s board (and designed by him), you can only expect it to be that good, but the board is a bit too stiff to rock just anywhere.

Flex/Stability: Stiffer in the tail, with more pop in the nose, but overall pretty flexible board and fun to ride. Burton’s feel/stiff rating is 6/10, but the board felt a little stiffer than that (think of it more of a relative thing). In any case, it works out well, because the board felt very stable compared to many other freestyle mountain boards. Buttering with the Jussi board was fun.

Park/Jumps: Taking off jumps with the Jussi is great, and landing is not too hard on the knees, but don’t get too excited, because this is not a park board. I definitely wouldn’t recommend jibbing with it too much, because it wasn’t designed for the park in the first place.

Carving/Switching: The board is stiff and tuned enough to hold its edge under pretty high speeds. Switching was a lot of fun and riding regular felt pretty much the same as switch – no board will ever feel the exact same riding switch or regular since humans are not anatomically symmetrical, but this is as good as it gets.

Pro’s:

Very playful thanks to the exaggerated spoon shape
Stable under high speeds
Switching is as natural as it gets

Con’s

$$$ – somewhat expensive
Not a fan of the board art
Not for the park and jibs

My thoughts: The Burton Jussie is a wicked board designed for anyone looking for a fun, yet aggressive stick. Moving forward, this is going to be my primary board (replacing my much more aggressive Burton T6)

If you have any questions about the board, please leave a comment and I will answer you!

Top 12 Snowboards for 2010

Mo — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:47:40 +0000

With so many snowboards out there to choose from, the addition of all the new technology made available the past two seasons just makes life a whole lot more complicated. Cambers, reverse cambers, dead-flats, rockers, cambered-end rockers… It’s a zoo out there. To make your life easier we took a look at twelve of the best boards for this season, researched the crap out of them, and helped breakdown some of the tech that goes along with them. Here they are, in no particular order…

#1. Lib Tech’s “Skate Banana” ($490)

Although many snowboarding companies have been familiar with reverse camber technology for quite some time, you really have to give props to Lib Tech for reviving it with the Skate Banana. Over the past 2-3 seasons, the company has also been tweaking this board with minor adjustments just to make it better and better. I absolutely LOVE riding this board and so does everyone else who tries it.

The board features Lib Tech’s take on the “reverse camber” where the board is kinked upwards between the feet and from there runs flat to either end of the board. The result? A very loose, fun board that will have you jibbing around and pulling tricks like you never thought possible. Critics will say that this thing is unstable at high speeds but they’re wrong with this board cause the length of it from tip to tail will be on the snow when you carve. With eight contact points digging into the ice on a turn, you’ll also be more stable thanks to the Magne Traction tech.

Sizes: 148N, 151N, 152, 156, 156W, 159, 159W

#2. Ride’s DH2 ($500)

There’s been a lot of talk about the Ride DH2 among the snowboarding community for 2010. The board features a different kind of reverse camber technology with the board running flat underneath your feet and then kicking up outside the bindings. This allows for a fun, relaxed feel that makes it ideal for the pipe, jumps, and pressing rails.

Haven’t tried this board myself but fellow boarders out there have told me that apart from being incredible in the park, the board can be used with no problems for aggressive riding as well. Ride adds what it likes to call “Carbon Pop Rods” in each tip that give a lot of character to the feel of this board. Apart from being lightweight, it also has thicker steel edges to help with the wear and tear that happens from park riding over time.

Sizes: 151, 153, 155, 156W, 157, 159, 159W

#3. Burton’s Joystick ($530)

With a name like “Joystick” you know fun is just around the corner with this board. Had the chance to try out this board from a Burton demo tent early into the season and was thoroughly impressed with it. Featuring Burton’s “rocker” reverse camber design, this board is similar to the Skate Banana in it’s between-the-feet kinkness. The board’s got a slightly wider feel with tips that scoop up (technology similar to Morrow’s spoon).

The Joystick is very fun to ride, whether it be for jibs, jumps, or pipe attacks. The nice thing about it is that it is insanely forgiving, so you can go big trying new tricks on it. The scooped tips maintain the boards very free feel even when you lean hard on it. With a very balanced stiffness and quick edge-to-edge movement, the board can do pretty much whatever you want.

Sizes: 150, 154, 156W, 157, 159W, 161, 163

#4. Omatic’s EXTR-ECO (aka The Wigglestick, $390)

Omatic took a different direction with this board. Instead of throwing in a reverse camber or “rocker” tech on it they opted to keep the board dead flat from tip to tail. What they did do is play around with the stiffness of the board in different parts of it and add carbon fiber points to adjust its feeling. With their new BS technology (stands for Bowed Surface, no joke), Omatic have virtually eliminated any edge catching on rails with this board.

Carbon fiber V’s extending form the bindings to the edges help increase your stability when recovering from a jump or rail. They also help give a more dramatic pop to the board making it really fun to ride. The board’s flex is pretty soft in the middle of the board and stiffens as you go towards the tips for maximum control. I also love the “no such thing as a ‘green’ snowboard’ decal.

Sizes: 149, 151, 154, 157, and 160

#5. Rome’s MOD ($550)

This solid board is designed for the more experienced, aggressive rider due to its conventional camber design. Camber boards are slightly raised in the midsection and run flat to the tips before they scoop up. This tech keeps the board very stable at high speeds. The MOD features a wider waist and mellower sidecut for nailing the landing on those giant jumps. Slightly scooped tips also alleviate the problem with most camber boards by helping you stay more floaty in powder.

With a camber design and stiffer middle area than most boards, this thing will stick with you through the good times and the bad. The board feels really nice on traditional piste but will be pretty smooth off of it.

Sizes: 151, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162

#6. GNU’s Park Pickle ($490)

Have you ever noticed that when you’re bombing it down the mountain carving away slalom-style that turns on your toe edge are a w hole lot tighter than the turns you pull on your heel edge? The reason behind this is the fact that it’s impossible to dig your heel edge into the snow the way you can your toe edge. When I was first introduced to this board, I didn’t quite agree with that statement but then I took a closer look at the way I ride… My toe edge turns are so tight sometimes, my face skims inches away from the ground and I usually put my hand on the snow to get even more lean.

The guy’s at GNU came up with a great idea to counter this. The Park Pickle’s heel edge sidecut is one whole meter tighter than the toe edge, giving you that extra bit of digging power to make your turns nearly symmetrical. And guess what, it actually works! I tried this board at Mont Tremblant at the beginning of this month and difference is feelable. Mervin (the company that owns both GNU and Lib Tech) put the same banana reverse camber that you see in the Skate Banana into this board. They also added Magne Traction, softened the waist, and stiffened the tips for a perfectly balanced board. The board’s asymmetrical sidecuts doesn’t make it look weird or anything. You won’t even notice it.

Sizes: 147, 150, 153, 156, 156W, 159, 159W

#7. K2’s Slayblade ($550)

Meant for high speeds, the Slayblade is stiff from end to end and even from edge to edge. What I love about this board is that it’s your typical aggressive stiff board, but with a dead flat camber profile. This will give the board a much more forgiving, playful feel than other stiff boards out there. So, you can hang around the park, jib and play around, then just bomb it the hell out of there.

I haven’t tried this board personally but I can only imagine it as being something I would definitely be interested in. My riding is fast and aggressive but I have those days when I just want to spend hours in the park and my Burton Vapor just isn’t meant for that with its positive camber and pretty stiff core. I want to play around but still have the freedom to ride the chair to the peak and tear the mountain apart when I want to. A stiff dead flat like the Slayblade sounds just about right.

Sizes: 153, 156, 158, 159W, 160W, 161, 164, 164W

#8. Never Summer’s EVO-R ($480)

I love it when snowboarding companies look at a problem boarders are having and then come up with great solutions to tackle them. A lot of riders that make the switch from camber to reverse camber or rocker boards complain of the “dead” feel they have with reverse camber because the board isn’t as poppy and pulling of an ollie just feels different. Never Summer’s answer? Give the board a reverse camber between the feet but a normal camber design underneat the feet and out to the tips.

This technology is very similar to Lib Tech’s C2 Power Banana, which I had the chance to try this season. All I can say is wow. These boards just combine the best of both worlds. You’ll find yourself twirling on it’s center like a ballerina but when you need that perfect pop to ollie onto a rail, it’s there waiting for you. The design also gives the board a slightly more stable feel at higher speeds than traditional reverse cambers.

Sizes: 148, 151, 153, 155, 158, 161

#9. DC’s BDR ($430)

For a company that’s not really known for making snowboards, DC pulled off a great board with the BDR. The reverse camber design here runs flat between the feet and kinks up right outside the feet straight to the tail. The boards are playful and super fun for the park rider.

For those occasional back country missions, the “kinkness” in the BDR will help you stay afloat in powder. The board is stiff from tip to tail meaning that there will be zero squirming at high speeds too. An all around, fun yet reliable reverse camber board from Ken Block and his crazies at DC.

Sizes: 149, 153, 156, 159

#10. Capita’s Indoor Survival FK ($400)

FK stands for Flat Kick and helps you get an idea of the design of this board. The core of the board is flat between the bindings and lifts up outside them for that kinked feel we talked about earlier. The tips of the board are different in the sense that they are flatter than most tips you see out there. The design contributes to the versatility this board is meant for.

The Indoor Survival is wider than most boards, which gives it a lot of energy and the right setup to nail big jumps. The board starts out stiff in the center and gets softer towards the tails for a very smooth and clean feel.

Sizes: 152, 154, 156, 158, 160

#11. Smokin’s MIP DTX ($420)

Smokin’ Snowboards purchased the license for Lib Tech’s Magne Traction and threw it on this kinked reverse camber board. Smokin’ have been gaining a lot of attention from riders lately because of their truly versatile fun boards. The MIP DTX is solid at high speeds, stable on sharp turns, yet catch-free on spins and jib landings. This board is truly meant for everywhere on the mountain: park, groomers, powder, and cliff drops.

Sizes: 147, 151, 155, 158

#12. Nitro’s Rook ($470)

If you’re the park rider that’s hesitant on giving up the more traditional positive camber design, the Rook is definitely for you. This thing was made for the park in every sense. Clean presses, clean spins, and clean pipe boosts are all part of the package.

The board is slightly wide and is softer in the middle than in the tips. The nice sidecut profile helps with edge-to-edge transitioning while the rest of the board helps you stay stable on the rails and jump landings. If you’re not ready for the transition to a reverse camber just yet, it may be worth your while to give this stick a shot.

Sizes: 152, 154, 156, 158

Merry Christmas and a Shreddin’ New Year folks!

Burton ICS Adapters: What and How?

Rami — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:54:16 +0000

Burton Bindings

People constantly come up to me and say: “I’m thinking of buying one of those ICS boards or whatever, do I have to buy new bindings?” or “Dude, will my old Burton bindings work with the ICS boards?” You’ll be happy to know that YES YOU CAN!

How? Burton, being the un-jerk of a company it is, made sure that anyone buying their new ICS snowboards didn’t have to shell out for new bindings as well. Since, we all know how much a good pair of bindings cost these days (read: an arm and 2 legs or just a kidney), that was a smart move by Jake Burton and crew. Burton made available ICS adapters for free, so either:

1. Get your lazy ass down to your local snowboard shop and ask them for the Burton ICS adapters. 99% they’ll have some in stock, and if not, they’ll most likely order some for you. If you’re buying the board from them, they’ll have to order it for you.

2. Call up Burton Snowboards on 1-800-881-3138 (Monday through Friday, 8AM-9PM EST / Saturday, 12PM-8PM EST) and they’ll hook you up with the adapters.

Burton and Playboy make Love

Mo — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:28:00 +0000

What do you get when you have the dudes from Burton collaborating with the genius that is Playboy? Some pretty fancy lookin’ boards! The photo was taken in 2008 at the Snowsports Industries America trade show held in Las Vegas. The boards are special editions from Burton’s Love series.

I’m not too sure if I would be able to get down the mountain properly while staring down at these things but those are definitely some hot broa… BOARDS!

Burton T6 2010 Rider Review

Rami — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:29:11 +0000

When I got the chance to ride the Burton 2010 T6 (with the C60 EST bindings), I was pretty excited. I had been riding the ’08 model (with C60 bindings) for a couple of seasons now and I was very happy with it as an aggressive bomber board. The major difference between the 2008s and the 2010s is the ICS technology and the EST bindings (click the link if you want my take on those two technologies) and I was looking forward to testing that out. Some of the other relevant tech packed into this board are:

Vaportech Alumafly – Burton’s infamous aluminum honeycomb architecture that makes up the core of this board and allows it to be one of the lightest on the market. Picture holding a metallic honeycomb in your hand that twists and bends like moldable plastic but pops back into position just like real wood. When you hold this board up to a strong light, what do you see? Virtually nothing. That’s because the board is 90% air by volume.

Smooth Ride Technology – Smooth Ride™ dampening technology, exclusive to the T6™, is designed to let you react quicker, go bigger, and ride faster for longer with less impact on your body. Chatter, vibration, and the shock from flat landings gets absorbed by the board before making it to your body.

Feel: According to Burton’s feel scale, the board is rated 8/10. The higher the rating, the stiffer the board is, and vice versa (Burton likes to explain it a little differently, but that’s because they don’t like to use the word ‘stiff’ – apparently it’s not good for marketing). This is Burton’s stiffest board, and I completely agree with them. I’d even go as far as saying that this is one of the stiffest boards I’ve ridden. Ever. The stiffness is a good thing if you like speed. But with all this stiffness comes leg fatigue, and boy did I feel it. Unless you plan on doing some leg work outs, I’d recommend staying away from this thing as your all-purpose board. More importantly, if you want a board to just butter about and mess around, the T6 isn’t that board. It’s a beast on the mountain and was built for high speeds and aggressive riding.

Stability/Response: The board is mighty stable under high speeds and super responsive. The edges are responsive and you can really dig into the hard pack. In the deep stuff you can hop from toe to heel with no problems as well. My only concern is that, I did feel some chatter under the board a few times throughout the day. But that’s probably due to the insane speeds I was doing. As much as the smooth ride dampener helped, there are just some speeds that no kind of tech can keep chatter away. I only bring this up, because I’d hate for you to be disappointed if you feel some chatter at the higher speeds. But comparing this to other boards, the chatter is significantly less (way less). Overall though, the board is very solid and responds insanely well.

Park Riding: I didn’t really try the 2010 model in the park, but from my experience with the 2008 model, this is not a park board. Sure, the board lands jumps very well, but don’t bother taking this into a park. Not only will you be disappointed, you can seriously damage the board too. But if you really insist on hitting the park with your T6, just remember to press hard!

2010 vs. 2008: I have to say, the board was more responsive, while the stiffness remained roughly the same. I can’t be a 100% certain, but I think the ICS design with the EST bindings had a hand in this. There really weren’t any other design changes that could have affected the responsiveness.

All in all, the T6 is a machine on the slopes and does exactly what it was designed to do: bomb down mountains. Unfortunately, it’s a stiff board, and with a price tag of about $900, I highly urge you to think hard about what your riding style is. Mine is very aggressive and I love the T6 for being very aggressive!

Burton Vapor 2010 Rider Review

Mo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:43:27 +0000

Burton’s Vapor is one of the boards I rode a lot in the past 2 seasons, so when I finally got my hands on the 2010 model, I had to take it out for a couple of days. First of all, let’s go through some of Burton’s BS marketing mumbo jumbo to give you an idea of some of the technology put into their previously most advanced board (Burton’s Method takes the cake this year). Here’s some of the tech worth mentioning:

Vaportech Alumafly Core – Burton’s infamous NASA-grade aluminum honeycomb architecture (oh yeah!) that makes up the core of this board and allows it to be one of the lightest on the market. Couldn’t find a picture of this stuff but imagine holding a metallic honeycomb in your hand that twists and bends like moldable plastic but pops back into position just like real wood. When you hold this board up to a strong light, what do you see? Virtually nothing. That’s because the board is 90% air by volume.

Infinite Channel System – The 2010 model features Burton’s ICS system that allows for basically infinite stance positioning options. Rami posted an article recently explaining this in detail. You’re no longer confined by shitty three degree increments in your stance, the width between your feet, etc etc etc.

Carbon Vaposkin – Burton’s ultra light topsheet that contributes to the feather-like weight of this board.

Sintered N20 Vision Base – New, faster base technology that apparently comes pre-impregnated with wax and holds it much better than your standard base. This is supposed to make for a much faster ride.

Directional Pro-Tip – The board is like most others in the sense the nose slightly longer than tail for better float and pop but the difference with the Vapor is a tail that is significantly narrower than the nose, which is supposed to reduce swing weight (mostly off the pipe and jumps) and give it a more playful flex.

The Reality

I’ve been a big fan of this board ever since I got into snowboarding. I couple of seasons back I bought the ’08 model and absolutely love riding it but that doesn’t mean that this shred stick is for everyone out there.

I got my hands on a 2010 157 model preloaded with Cartel EST bindings, which I tested with my new Burton Ion boots during a November visit to Whistler Blackcomb.

Conditions: Reasonable temperatures between 2 and -10 degrees. Snow varied on different locations on the mountain but mostly soft packed and groomed with some powder on the sides of the runs.

First Impressions: Right off the bat, the board feels amazing under your boots. This was my first time riding Burton’s ICS/EST setup and I must say, you can feel a difference. Felt much more connected to the setup, as if there was less “stuff” between me and the board, and even me and the snow. The pop was slightly improved when compared to previous models. When plowing through the powder banks on the side, it was much easier to keep the nose up than other boards I’ve tried and you even feel the tail sink a little.

Feel – The board keeps up with the typical Burton stereotype of a “stiff” board. High speeds on groomed runs felt really good and natural. The best kind of turns for it were longer, faster S-shaped turns. Despite being a very light board, at high speeds the board held an edge extremely well and didn’t have the “shattery” feel you would expect. Instead a much mellower, damper ride with quick edge to edge turning. I loved pressing down with my entire body weight on it during a carve and knowing it would holf. That being said, this board sucks with tighter turns on much steeper slopes. The response just wasn’t there. Although I think the one I tried out was a bit too long for me, you can tell that the stiffness just doesn’t help. Buttering around towards the flatter part of some runs was also difficult if not impossible. You would need something with a mellower flex for that kind of stuff.

Stability – The thing is a beast on groomed runs but didn’t take some bumpy, choppy terrain as well as I thought it would. The lightness of the board definitely played a factor there. In pow it feels smooth and natural almost like a powder board. The more aggressive pop in the tail lets you also pull off some tricks you didn’t think were possible in such deep snow.

I Believe I Can Fly – I don’t care what bullshit you’ve heard out there regarding ultra-light boards, when it comes down to it there really isn’t much of a difference on the snow. But who said a board like the Vapor is made for the ground? This baby is meant to FLY. Where you really feel the lightness is in the air. Whether it’s a tiny feature on the side of the run or a giant ramp in the park, the second you get this thing off the ground the weight underneath your legs seems to disappear and turning your body for simple switches, 180’s, or even 360’s feel effortless. Swinging the board around feels much better than your typical snowboard and you use much less energy to do it.

Park Riding? – Definitely not this board’s area of expertise. The stiffness just makes it hard to catch rails and boxes properly and with a board this expensive, I’m not sure you would even want to try. The thing is a vision when it comes to the halfpipe. You can really feel it climbing the walls of the pipe nicely and the “swingyness” of it makes it easier to spin in the air. A lot of people have claimed that the Vapor is essentially a pipe board, but that’s definitely not my thing.

The Usual Suspects

With a price tag over what you probably pay on your mortgage, this thing is pricey! Especially when you consider what you would have to dish out for EST bindings to get the true ICS/EST experience. Snowboarding is fun kids, but you need to draw the line between “fun” and “excessive” sometimes. All the technology packed into this board has also made it somewhat fragile. The Vaposkin topsheet is a scuff canvas for 6 year-old skiers waiting at lift lineups or going up the chair. This thing scratches very easily on the topside and if you’re OCD like me, it might drive you a little nuts! It’s also a stiff board that goes fast but might not be enjoyed by people that enjoy a slower, “jibbier” experience down the mountain. Buttering around is pretty hard to pull off on this board and it definitely is not your friend in the park. This shred stick definitely falls under the “advanced to expert” category and it will definitely overpower the inexperienced rider.

Time to Be Honest

Burton’s Vapor is definitely a wonder when it comes to snowboarding. Despite my comments, this thing is an all-mountain machine that will take you anywhere on the mountain but doesn’t seem to truly sell itself except when you’re in the air or riding the pipe. The price tag is too hefty to just throw this stick in with the rest of the collection and at the same time it’s range is too narrow to have as your single, full-time board. Other companies, like Elan with their Inverse, make lighter boards than the Vapor. I loved this thing on groomed runs but there are arguably better piste boards out there, even from Burton themselves.

That being said, I’m going to keep riding my ’08 Vapor till I break it and then I’m going to buy another one!

Burton Cartel 2010 Bindings Review

Hoon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:06:00 +0000

Burton Cartel 2010

An independent user review by Hoon, a rider, surfer, biker, and all-round family man: hoonhwang.blogspot.com

Brand: Burton / Product Name: Cartel / Model Year: 2010
Reviewer: Hoon

What can you say about the binding that can be found on more pros, joes and ho’s than any other binding over the course of the last five years? Yup, that’s no typo. Count ‘em. Five years at the top of its game. I bet you can’t think of another snowboard product that can claim that title. Here’s a brief sample of some of the riders who are riding or have ridden Cartels: Travis Rice, Aaron Bittner and Mark Landvik to name a few. Oh, and did you notice those riders listed aren’t Burton-sponsored?

The truly phenomenal success of the Burton Cartel derives from its “everything you need, nothing you don’t” philosophy. It was originally built as the park and freestyle domination machine, utilizing Burton’s solid, time-tested chassis and a highback that just won’t quit. No wedgies, cinches, FXT’s, cable-activated BOA’s or other useless crap can be found on this binding. Aside from the steezie and slick color schemes year after year, the Cartel offers solid features such as smooth glide ratchets and ultra capstraps. Plus it has consistently had one of the tallest highbacks in the game. Up front, it’ll bite you in the calf until you get a few days under your belt, but like that dominatrix down the street, you’ll be beggin’ for more. Also for all you non-EST converts, the Cartel comes in both an EST and disc version. Perfect for those missions that find you on a 3D or 4×2 snowboard.

For 2010, the Cartel has received a bit of a facelift. Burton has backed off the height of the highback (ever so slightly) and also included full baseplate padding (about damn time!). You’ll note that it comes in lift-line arresting bold colors like purple and orange, with only a few subtle accents. In a world where bindings seem to have more flair than your local TGIF, it’s refreshing to let the colorway to the heavy lifting.

As you probably can gather from this post, I’m a Cartel junkie. You’re probably asking yourself: Why the undying devotion to these bindings? There’s plenty of awesome bindings out there. So true, but I haven’t ridden any other binding where after five years, the baseplates are just starting to show a bit of wear and tear. Granted I’m frankenbinder’d the shit out of these guys over the years, but those baseplates are still the original Polarized White. Until I can find a binding that can perform like the Cartel and stand up to that abuse, the Burton Cartel will always be my go-to binding in a pinch.

Original catalog copy from 04/05
Rule the freestyle underworld.The all-new Cartel™ is today’s standard in freestyle capability. For an insane snow feel, we removed some of the material from the baseplate but added Pressure Distribution Feet for improved weight displacement. This purifies the interface between board and body and reduces damage to your precious ride. The redesigned Team Skyback® is 13% lighter than last year and maintains the same amazing strength, response and stompability of the tallest hi-back in our line

Burton 2010 Boards, Bindings, and Boots Reviewed

Rami — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:39:43 +0000

Burton Vapor

Every year Burton comes out with a new lineup and every year they manage to dominate the headlines, snowboarding communities, and virtually anything to do with the sport. And with a market share of roughly 60% to 70%, I’m not surprised. But are Burton snowboards deserving of such publicity? Are their snowboards really that good? Or is it just a case of first mover advantage (they didn’t invent snowboarding but they were one the first companies to commercialize the sport on a grand scale)? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get different responses, but in any case, Burton does an amazing job of staying on top of their market. It’s no coincidence that anywhere you turn, you find their brand and products in the spotlight.

One has to admit though, Burton snowboards are well designed, engineered, and manufactured. But not every board they create is a success and we want to help our readers make better decisions when it comes to buying Burton gear. Many of us turn to the internet to learn more about the gear we want to buy, but let’s face it, almost every review article out there is a sales pitch and not a useful product review. Since it’s almost impossible for our crew to review all the gear out there, we plan on leveraging the snowboarding community out there for bias-free and independent rider reviews. We will also focus on comparative reviews, where our rider reviewers will compare to similar boards to each other to give you an even better idea of what to expect. After all, if you’re going to shell out $500-$2500 for snowboards, boots, bindings, jackets, pants, helmets, etc… or a full set of gear, you’ll want to make the right purchase. Check out our Burton Snowboard reviews page for a full list of our featured reviews.

$$$: If you consider yourself an expert rider and would like to have your rider review featured to 10,000′s of our readers, contact us and let us know. If we feature enough of your reviews, we’ll sponsor future ones by hooking you up with some sweet gear for you to review and keep at no cost.

Burton V-Rocker with Chris Sorman Video

Rami — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:15:43 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.