Burton Vapor 2010 Rider Review

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

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

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