ns raptor vs salomon burner?
 

Hey peeps,

Been freeriding an '09 NS Titan 160 (i'm 6'/155lbs) for a few years and would like a lighter board that handles better on jumps. However, I don't want to give up too much speed, stability, dampness, edgehold. Since NS has pretty much gone all R&C, I've read that the Raptor feels quite different and less stable at high speeds and cannot pull turns like a full camber board.

So I've been looking around for a fast (probably plain camber), light freeride board and read lots of rave reviews about the Salomon Burner which is supposed to be blindingly fast, stable/damp and better at jumps but worse edgehold than the Titan (maybe cause it's tapered). I know NS is renowned for board quality and durable construction & topsheet. Salomon has much less history with boards, so my concern is quality. The Burner is priced in the same range as the Raptor, so I would hope it can take several years of punishment and be a deserving replacement, but who knows?

any helpful advice or possibly other worthy boards in this class would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I've had three Salomon boards in the past few years, including an '07-08 Burner.
No worries about durability whatsoever. Salomon builds solid products.
And yes, the Burner is stupid fast.

fwiw: don't worry about weight. plenty of other tech to consider that your board probably lacks.

2 glasses of water = the difference in weight between most boards. (most people are dehydrated by at least this much water/day)

I rode a B-Line (pre-NS NS) a few years ago that is lighter than most of the modern NS's I've seen.(for example)

2 glasses is still quite a lot of weight and inertia, especially in the air. i would rather mount a gopro on the board instead. (just bought a v3 black edition :D)

thx for the advice!

I bought an 11/12 Salomon Burner last year and used it for 5 days at Mt Bachelor, Oregon and absolutely loved it.

I'm 5'9" 160lbs and bought the 163. The board was light for its size; lighter than the NS Premier F1 161 it replaced. I'm a guy that loves to just straight line it and the Burner was more than up to the challenge. I never felt unstable on it. It handled steeps, powder, groomers, trees, chop, etc rather well.

The board has a strip of rubber that runs along the effective edge that definitely helped reduce vibrations. The board had great float in powder for a traditional camber board, but it still won't be as effortless as it would on a Raptor just because of NS' RC tech.

But, the one thing I definitely loved about the Burner over the Premier F1, was the pop you got coming out of a turn. I forgot how great that feeling is on a traditional camber board.

I only used the board for about 10 days last season, so I can't comment on the durability. The only reason I want to get rid of it is because I'm an idiot that buys a new board every season :D. Speaking of which, I still have the Burner along with a pair of Caliber bindings if you're interested.

And if you're still not convinced about the Burner, then just ask Josh Dirksen:

trigger pulled on the Burner 160. thx for the votes of confidence!