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Considering Burton Process - any insight?

8K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  Trond Ottesen 
#1 · (Edited)
So, I just got back into snowboarding. This is my second season, after quitting in.. oh.. 92.
I had forgotten how much fun snowboarding is, especially that "holy crap, this is going to end really badly if I lose it"-feeling. Being old (41) and fat (94kg/207lbs and 175cm/5ft7) I haven´t had that feeling often lately, except for the times at trackdays I get overenthusiastic.
I haven´t just been laying on the couch eating cheesy poofs though, I play squash, do weights, hike and whatnot.

I live in a small town, and there aren´t any options to try out boards, so I´ve gone through a few since I started. Since I had a Burton Air back in the day, I went Burton this time as well.
First board, the 2014(?) 163 Burton Custom V limited, the Miss Piggy model. Coincidence that she was the model they put on the board for the heaviest riders? Think not.
That season was horrible weatherwise, and the Flying V profile didn´t do me any favors with the edge hold.
For some reason, the next board was a Burton Nug 154, Flying V. Hysterical board, but really nervous at speed.

So, next up was the 2015 163 Custom Camber. Now we´re talking. This thing was so incredibly stable in comparison. I´m still just turning and "carving", and going fairly fast downhill. No switch, butters or anything. Only leaving the ground involuntarily when the speed is high enough.

Then I saw some Youtube videos with buttering and presses, and figured I had to try that. The Nug was great for this, although when pushed hard it sort of collapsed on me. The 163 Custom Camber was like pressing a 2x4". Couldn´t do it.

Then I got to try a few different boards (didn´t like any of them), but found out that maybe weight shouldn´t be the only factor when choosing a board.
Along comes an offer to get a cheap 2016 158 Custom Camber, and I go for it. Now we are REALLY getting somewhere. This thing is still stable, and so much more nimble than the 163. I can even press it to a certain degree if I hurl myself over the nose or the tail, but no way if I can maintain it. No doubt a skill issue, not a board Issue.

I am motivated to trade the Nug for something more grown up now. There´s a minimum of buttering being done, but hopefully a lot more to come. I´m keeping the 158 Custom Camber for carving, speed and that glorious day when I can ride as big that this board really demands.

The Process really speaks to me, perhaps a 159cm model. I like the twin design as my switch riding is getting better, and I suspect the Flying V profile would do me good on this board. The Custom Camber kills my thigh in fluffy powder as well. It´s like a grown up Nug, probably a lot more stable at speed.

I´m just wondering if the flex is more like the Nug or the Custom on this for pressing and such, as there´s no chance of sensible pressing on the Custom for me, and I´m guessing the Process Camber would be somewhere along the same lines. Have anyone tried both the Nug Flying V, Process Flying V and the Custom Camber and can shed some light on this?

tl;dr; Anyone know how the 2016 Process Flying V compares to the 2015 Nug Flying V buttering-/presswise?

And I´m norwegian, hence the weird english.
 
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#2 ·
Flying V is awesome in powder, good snow and butters like a champ. Unfortunately it's not great on ice and I don't know a ton about Norway but I suspect you have to deal with ice.

I really like profiles that have camber in the middle and rocker at the tips (Burton calls their version Pure Pop Camber). They have the control of camber but edges don't catch as easily. They butter nice and they float much better than camber but not quite as well as Flying V.

I would suggest looking at the Process Off Axis (Pure Pop Camber) as it would compliment the Custom Camber nicely.

You could also check out next year's Custom Twin and next year's Trick Pony. Burton also has a history of releasing a special edition Custom with the Pure Pop Camber (last year it was the Marilyn, this year the Anniversary Edition and next year who knows what).
 
#3 ·
The conditions fluctuate wildly. Last weekend I was waist deep in the fluffiest of fluff, this weekend it was ice at the top, slush at the bottom. At least I really noticed the difference between camber and flying v in the powder. I thought my rear thigh was going to fall off after riding half a day in powder on the cambered board. The 154 Nug was so much easier to keep afloat. Should have thought of that earlier.

Thanks for your input, I´ll have a look and see if I can get my mitts on a pure pop. Seems like a good idea, at least if I compare it to the Nug Flying V which pretty much just jumps in every direction at high speeds on mildly uneven surfaces.
 
#4 ·
Time to build a quiver!

I'd get rid of the 158 Custom Camber, replace it with a 157 or 159 Process off Axis for something more playful but still capable everywhere. Keep your 163 Custom Camber for when you want to charge groomers, and then lookout for a secondhand Burton Fish or something equally powder focused.
 
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#5 · (Edited)
This isn´t helping. You make sense, and I have poor impulse control.
As far as I can tell the 2015 and 2016 Customs are pretty similar with regards to tech apart from the graphics?

I´m actually going to a bigger resort this weekend (Åre in Sweden), so with any luck I´ll be able to try the Processes there. My only worry is that the Off Axis seems to be hard to get a hold of around here, the Flying V is no problem though. I really like the 158 Custom, but I suppose you are right if I have a 157 or 159 Process. I would just be using the Custom for charging, so why not have the bigger one.

Definitely drawn to the 157 Process, but I suspect I am a bit on the heavy side for it? I mean the 154 Nug is rated up to 95 kilos (I am 93) and I can pretty much fold that thing up if I lay into it coming out of a tripod (for example).

I´ll just wait for next season to buy a Landlord then. :grin: I feel like I need that board, even though I don´t. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
Quick update, thanks for your input guys. I got my sweaty hands on a 159 Flying V, and took it out this weekend.
The first day was at a resort I haven´t been at, and the conditions were horrible. My initial impression as I got on the board and rode the first few metres were that I could have gone for the 157 easily, and that the board feels a little more "dead" underfoot than my Custom Cambers.
The conditions were either ice or slushy moguls, so I would have had a bad time either way. On ice the board was worthless, as I had expected from Flying V, and I missed the 154 Nug in the moguls, as you can just chuck it around.

However, today I took it to my "home resort", and the conditions were good for a warm, sunny easter day. I have to say; the Process Flying V is definately the board I have been looking for. I had one go with my 163 Custom first just to see if I wanted to keep that for charging over the 158, and I´ve sold the 158 today. :D

The Process tells me "I see what you are trying to do here, you need to up your game just a LITTLE bit more, and I will reward you in spades."
The Nug is more of a "I see what you are trying to do badly here, let me contort myself to make you look slightly better, and then collapse on you or just nervously jump around."
And for the Custom Camber, it´s more of a "I see what you are trying to do here, if you don´t stop now, I swear to God I will break both your legs and leave you in a ditch."

For the tings I want to do - and especially at my level - it´s pretty much the perfect board.
 
#8 ·
Fun fact : I communicate with snowboards, and have been known to whisper at horses.
They do compliment eachother nicely, and I see no reason to get any other boards now. More money for riding, I suppose! Unless 10 feet of snow suddenly lands, and I feel the need for a powder board.

Next weekend I´ll try different bindings. Half a day with 2016 Cartels, and half a day with 2016 Malavita reapers. I used the Cartels this weekend.
And then it´ll be a long and painful wait until the snow is back, I suspect. We might go to Stryn here for some summer snowboarding though. That´ll be fun.
 
#11 ·
So I'm at sports authority picking up a Burton chopper for my 4 year old. He might be a bit on the light side for 120 but the board is 70 percent off since the store is going out of business. I found a 155 Burton process flying v also 70 percent off. I might get it just for the deal. What say ye?

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
That's interesting. I never really thought of trying ollie 180s. I can pop frontside 180s on slopes without too much difficulty (backside is still work in progress), my ollieing has improved a bit, but I never thought of putting the two together.

But yeah, as you rightfully said in the previous post, technique count the most, at least for the stuff we are trying to do. A few weeks ago me and a couple of others were trying to do 360 butters. In the group only one person could do it and he was teaching us. One of the other guy had a pretty stiff board and asked our "teacher" to try butter with it to make sure it could be done. A you can guess, he managed it as if it was his own board.
 
#16 · (Edited)
It was a thing of necessity if I was going to get the board around. My buddies at squash practice claim I have the agility of a fridge. But it takes me forever to do them, as I´m old and like to minimize the chances of having my hip replaced. "Ok.. load the tail up, initiate upper body rotation, we´re on the heel edge? Check! Swing upper body around, pop the tail, hope for the best. Rotate! Ok, soft knees on the landing, accept the switch stance, get back from looking uphill, holy crap, I did i..*EDGE!*".
When I was a kid, you nailed skateboard tricks just because you were fit, stupid and had no respect for consequences. The approach now is completely different. Which also explains why kickflips were a lot easier to pull off in my 30s as opposed to my teens! :D

Had the same thing happen to me, I couldn´t press my 163 Custom camber even if I hurled myself over the tail or nose. Buddy of mine who has been riding pretty much all his life and weighs less than a fart folded it up like it was origami. Damnit.
 
#17 ·
I highly recommend yoga as part of your fitness routine. It is fantastic for building core, leg and shoulder strength which are all key for snowboarding. It also helps with flexibility which I find I have to work increasingly hard at as I get older. Mix that in with some aerobic stuff like squash, running, soccer, biking, etc and some free weights and you are good go to!
 
#19 ·
I hear and appreciate what you are saying, I´m just not sure I´m confident enough in my sexuality to do yoga. The flexibility part really is noticeable, riding switch and doing tripods is no bother at all, but if I ride regular and try them there is no way in hell that I can do it. I do stretch my legs after squash though, I have had a habit of snapping things. But I clearly need some upper body action as well.
 
#18 ·
Got to try out my new Burton today. I've always ride camber boards but will butter 180s and such but it can be ready to end up on my back if I try to press to long. Today I find out what task buttering is like on a flexy rocker. Wow I think I buttered halfway down a run. The board was fun but the snow underneath was a little crusty so I went to my stiff board for the rest of the day. It is a bit better at getting primeval on sine if these crusty areas and Blast through some moguls.
I may switch back to the process later cuz it was fun as hell too

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#20 ·
That was what I thought of the Process when I rode it as well; fun. :grin:
It does feel "cheaper" underfoot than the Custom Camber though, that´s maybe because I´ve only ridden camber boards lately. If Burton come out with a Process with Custom tech-level and the same flex rating, I´m on board. I just don´t ride big and hard enough for say a Custom Twin.
 
#24 ·
I thought it performed well yesterday at snowbird but the crust underneath at times and the moguls I was going through here and there were easier to charge through on a camber dominant board. I will definitely enjoy the process on some of those softer days and on groomers especially if I'm just taking my time. But after 3 runs I was already was feeling comfortable charging through things before I switched boards,so I imagine just getting used to that rocker is part of it.
It definitely was a good purchase that after riding I can now justify. Before it was because of the unbelievable deal, now is because it is such a different board from anything else I have. I can ride a little bit different style and do some different things with the flex and pop. Before I charged everything and hated riding with slower people. This is a board you can slow down on and have fun with, but I was able to also get aggresive on it if need be.

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#28 ·
I think the Funslinger would fill a similar quiver slot as the Process Flying V.

The current quiver of Custom Camber, Process Off Axis and Process Flying V really covers most of your bases except for powder, but the Custom or the Flying V are both totally adequate in powder... maybe even the Off Axis would be decent.
 
#29 ·
I know, but I waaaaant iiiiiit. It´s so pretty! <3 I suppose the Process FV would be just fine in powder, the Custom was a nightmare in really fluffy and deep powder after a few runs, even after setting the bindings even further back. My rear thigh was about to catch fire.
I just miss jumping on a tiny, noodly board at the end of the day to just butter and goof around on. The Nug was perfect for that, but I gave it away. :)
 
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