2010 Burton Ozone Boot Review

A rider review by Hoon, a rider, surfer, biker, and all around family man: hoonhwang.blogspot.com

There’s that old marketing message that’s used for everything from cars to ketchup that goes like this: everything you need, nothing you don’t. After testing a pair of Burton Ozones, this slogan kept coming to mind.

The Ozones fall in the middle of the Burton lineup with a cost of $279.95. Pro riders testing, defining and riding the Ozones are: Mason Aguirre, Jussi and Dave Downing. The boots feature such Burton innovations such as Speed Zone lacing, EST optimized soles with B3 gel, articulating cuff and Park-Specific Soft Flex 3D® Molded Tongue.

In the past, my go-to boots have been the iconic Burton Sabbaths, which have been remade into the Grails, and the Vans Andreas Wiig pro model boots. You’ll notice that both boots offer similar features: stiffer, freestyle flex, adequate cushioning and laces.

The Ozones are a different animal. Lightweight, Lacing system and medium flex. Kudos go to Burton as the Speed Zone system has continually evolved for the better. The boots are also ridiculously light yet have sufficient cushioning to handle many a flat, icy landing with my thrashed knees. Articulating cuffs are great, nuff said. And I have a size 9 foot, but the footprint reduction really helps when I happen to jump on a smaller deck or Women’s board. The EST optimized sole seemed to offer better feel when paired with an EST binding, but I can’t offer a definitive answer on this. Of course Burton’s boot are compatible with anyone else’s binding but always have that glass slipper feel with their brethen binders.

Complaints? Worries? Jabs? After about a few months of riding, I started to notice a tear in the back of the boot around the calf as well as some wear and tear, usually consistent with a longer length of riding (6 months). It could possibly be he killer calf bite of my Cartels. I can only speculate that the light weight of the boot comes at the cost of long term durability. Or that the size 9 boot wasn’t designed for a 185lb dude.

All in all, a sick super fun boot! It felt like a skate sneaker (and I think weighs the same) and cushioned like that goose down pillow on your bed. If you’re rotating boots each season, I suggest that you add the Ozones to your line-up. But if you want a boot that lasts a few seasons (a tough request by most standards), I’d look elsewhere.

Whistler Blackcomb Snowboarder Review

Specs that Matter

Location: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Vertical: Whistler Mountain, 1530 Meters. Blackcomb Mountain, 1565 Meters.
Snowboardable Terrain: Whistler, 4575 acres. Blackcomb, 3414 acres.
Runs: More than 200 combined.
Longest Run: Approximately 11 km/7 miles on each mountain.
Lifts: 38 combined with 4 gondolas, including Peak-to-Peak gondola.
Average Snowfall: 10.22 meters/402 inches per year.

The Mountains

For years, enthusiasts have described Whistler Blackcomb as a snowboarder’s paradise. I had the chance to confirm these claims on a February, 2007 and a November, 2009 visit to the resort. As an east coaster, I’m simply amazed by the mountains and general terrain available for snowboarders in the west and Whistler definitely does not hold back in that sense. The scenery you get to see on the drive up from Vancouver to Whistler is absolutely breathtaking and the closer you get, the more this beast begins to materialize in the distance. Two gigantic mountains, hundreds of crossing trails, powder-covered peaks, bowls the size of small African countries, and enough snow to make you weak in the knees. Seeing all this from a distance, you’re hands are already touching your feet in an effort to buckle up non-existent bindings.

Intrawest didn’t hold back in designing the village either. Tons of hotels, restaurants, shops, and cafes with that special “Christmasy” feel to it all in an effort to get you to spend as much money as possible while you’re there. Whistler has been described by many as one of the most expensive resorts in the world. In many cases that is true depending on when you plan on going and where you stay while you’re there. If you live on the east coast, some European destinations might work out to actually cost you less.

Surf’s Up!

The conditions during both of my visits to Whistler varied drastically. In February of 2008, my week-long stay had been mainly icy due to the lack of snow while we were there and several days before we had arrived. As big as the mountains were, without any snow it was definitely hard to enjoy any of it. Whistler prides itself in giving riders the “backcountry” experience in a way that is safe and accessible but when there’s no snow, you’re limited to groomed paths down the bowls and even in the middle of the runs (most trails are very wide).

My visit this November was a completely different experience. Whistler received record-breaking amounts of snow during this month and there was more than plenty of it during my two-day stay. There was a lot more traffic than what you would expect for November but with the buildup to the 2010 Olympics, you could tell it was only going to get worse and worse. A lot of people I talked to came to get their annual visit out of the way before things got really crazy.

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Burton T6 2010 Rider Review

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

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!

Lib Tech Travis Rice C2 Bananarama Rider Review

Lib Tech Travis Rice BTX: Bananarama

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

The doods at Sierra were able to help me secure a Lib Tech Travis Rice BTX with MTX and XYZTX. I reviewed last year’s Trice on my own blog. If you’re too lazy to read it, the Clifnotes are: good board, stable, too slow base, not sold by MTX. Thankfully the 09 version has some significant updates and changes. As a disclaimer, I rode the 08 157 which has a waist width of 258. This year I am older, wiser and digging short boards so am on a 153 with a sensible weight watchers waist of 252.

The art work is by Mike Parillo this year versus last year’s which were by Mr Aaron Draplin. It’s not my cup of tea, but Parillo does some sick sick stuff.

Conditions: Cold like a witch’s teet, Stowe, hard pack with ice and snow guns, drifts of natural snow, wind, lots of packs of ski school kids doing s-turns across the whole hill, firm but fun park.

Pros:

• Travis Rice rides it. Seriously. I usually don’t buy into the hype, but he is pretty insane. Have you watched That’s It Thats All? The things he did on that slow-ass 08 Trice are death-defying.

• The 09 board is solid. The banana is not as pronounced as I thought it would be compared to some other rockers out there. All bananas are rockered between the bindings and flat towards tip and tail. This board carved well, was well balanced and had (gasp) decent ollie pop. The blunt tip and tail matched well with the banana and the short length of this board for park, trick applications. The board’s pretty lively and promotes catching air.

• Carving overall was fun. With the combo of the banana and probably the MTX, i was able to make some surfy (not ski racerie) backside carves. I wasn’t really sure if I liked this or not as my hands were out to my sides for some stability, total longboard in the curl style… Surf’s up duuuude. I tend to like carving looking like an enlarged ape. Anyway, it held an edge well and I was able to motor over some death cookie and other crap.

• Off the park jumps it was stable, solid, bomber. Landings were easy steezy. I didn’t hit any rails because it was cold, and I felt like a pussy.

Cons:

• I’m not into MTX. I think the whole ice to powder thing is crap. If you are a good enough rider, it really doesn’t matter when holding an edge. May be in pow or something it creates a “floatier” experience, but on the Ice Coast I think it’s purely marketing and/or psychological. I didn’t detune this board, but the MTX would catch in the most random places: off a spin on a kicker, in the middle of a long backside, high-speed carve, in the lift line skating. My plan is to detune the hell outta this board and ride it again. As I said above, the high speed arcing was fun with the BTX and MTX. The banana wasn’t as pronounced as I expected it to be, which isn’t really a pro or a con, just an FYI. I think an advanced rider would really be able to milk this board to its fullest capabilities, but an intermediate would probably be just fine as well.

Tech: Kudos for Lib for introducing the Bio-plastic beans topsheet on their high-end boards. With the combination of beans and their work in trying to be an enviro-friendly factory including: low VOC resin, soy-based sidewalls, basalt fiberglass, biodiesel and recycling a ton, It’s definitely a step in the right direction! The sidewalls are meaty. I can’t wait to stomp some cliffs in UT, bonk a rock or land on something weird to see what happens. For more Lib Tech tech info click here.

Overall: This board has a lot of hype and has won a lot of awards, which means it’s probably already sold out. The addition of banana and a fast base really up the ante on this board from my POV. The combination of being stiffer board and a slightly less pronounced rocker allows you to ollie better than some of the other rockers (which has been an issue for me with rocker boards) and stomp some landings off-kelter easier. The downside is that it means you have to do a bit more work when buttering and playing around on flatland. I think if someone is looking for an all-rounder to take from Right to Left Coast with some stops in the middle, and the specs work for you, this would be a solid addition to the quiver or a great one-board stable.

Specs (from Lib, yah for exclamation points!):

• CORRECT SANDWICH:Low spin weight!
• AXIS INVERSION FIBERGLASS SYSTEM:Mysto tech, more pop!
• H-POP CORE:Performance!
• POWER TRANSFER INTERNALSIDEWALLS:More pop!
• DOUBLE SINTERED UHMW SIDEWALLS: Tough!
• SINTERED UHMW BASE:Fast!
• MAGNA-TRACTION/BANANA TECHNOLOGY

Size Waist Stance (Min-Max) Set Back

• 153 BTX blunt [25.3 cm] 19” – 24” .75”
• 157 BTX blunt [25.8 cm] 19” – 24” .75”
• 161.5 BTX pointy [26.0 cm] 19” – 24” .75”
• 164.5 BTX pointy [26.2 cm] 19” – 24” .75”

What’s your experience with the board? Let us know in the comments below. You can also ask us questions about the board and we’ll answer.