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2013 board & binding demo reviews

7K views 9 replies 3 participants last post by  BurtonAvenger 
#1 ·
I had the opportunity yesterday to demo boards and binding from Burton, Rossignol, and K2. If anyone else has demoed 2013 gear i think this would be a good thread for everyone to post reviews. I will also be using Angrysnowboarders format of review.

(1st out of 4)
Board: Burton Ration

Size: 152

Camber Option: Camber

Bindings: Burton Cobrashark (reflex)

Stance: 23 1/2

Angles: 15, -15

Boots: K2 haymaker size 12

My Weight: 175lbs.

Resort: Granite Peak

Conditions: Couple inches of fresh semi-heavy powder and light snowfall

Preconceived Notions: The Burton Reps said it was their softest board for next year so i thought it would be a great jibbing board and since it was camber i thought it would handle speed really well.

Flex: The board seemed stiff in the middle but it was softer after the feet and had a little play in it, the stiffness is comparable to the NS Revolver.

Ollies/Pop: Since it was cambered it has quite a bit of pop like most cambered boards.

Stability: This thing was great when hard charging down runs and plowed through crud like nothing. Has some forgiveness on landings for jumps.

Butterability: This board butters really well for being a somewhat stiffer park board.

Cruising: The board carves effortlessly from edge to edge.

Jibbing: Great camber option for jibbing, presses were ok and no hang ups on rails. It is a little more difficult to spin while you're on the rails, since it has the camber but it's great for basic jibbing.

Rider in Mind: If you are just starting to hit the parks or looking for a cheap cambered board for doing it all (or learning to) then this is definitely a good choice.

Personal Thoughts: I loved the camber for carving and it held up well on jumps, i'm use to the horrorscope for jibs but i could definitely see myself using this as a all mountain freestyle board. It seemed almost exactly like the neversummer revolver except the revolver would perform a little better for presses and buttering on rails, but for $250 less i would choose the ration.
 
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#2 ·
Board: Burton Mystery EST

Size:158

Camber Option: V rocker

Bindings: 2013 Burton Malavita EST

Stance: 23 1/2 (1 inch set back)

Angles: 15, -15

Boots: K2 haymaker size 12

My Weight: 175lbs.

Resort: Granite Peak

Conditions: Couple inches of fresh semi-heavy powder and light snowfall

Preconceived Notions: Well since this is one of burtons most expensive boards and from what the reps told me it seemed like it would be some insanely lightweight powder slaying machine.

Flex: This board was very flexible all over and lots of play to it, but considering it's made out of such light material it should be flexible.

Ollies/Pop: Crazy amount of pop and ollies were effortless I hit some small natural features and it sent me pretty high, I didn't hit any actual jumps because the reps told me not to do any jumps or jibs on it and i had a setback set up so it wasn't really set up for those types of features.

Stability: Really stable on landings but wouldn't send it off of anything too big unless on some backcountry

Butterability: For having a set back on it, it still buttered really well.

Cruising: The V Rocker gave it a very surfy feeling, i felt unstable at higher speeds but that's because i'm use to the camber under foot and it seemed like it would do better in a real backcountry scene with lots of powder.

Jibbing: Didn't jib with it, but presses were pretty easy with it and it was very playful.

Rider in Mind: This thing is almost lighter than air, but unless you're willing to drop $1500 on this board and ride in alot of soft light powder this thing just seems like a waste of money.

Personal Thoughts: The noise that the carbon or teflon makes on snow is fucking annoying, but there is lots of great new tech in this board that will hopefully trickle down to other boards in the next few years. My favorite tech out of this board would have to be the frostbite edges which is basically a stainless steel edge and although very expensive it is a great idea.
 
#3 ·
Board: Rossignol Jibsaw w/magtek

Size: 157

Camber Option: freestyle camber, or flat camber for short

Bindings: Rossignol Cobra

Stance: 23 1/2

Angles: 15, -15

Boots: K2 haymaker size 12

My Weight: 175lbs.

Resort: Granite Peak

Conditions: Couple inches of fresh semi-heavy powder and light snowfall

Preconceived Notions: From what the Rossignol rep told me it seemed like it would be a great all mountain freestyle board but mainly focusing on jumps.

Flex: A little bit softer than the Burton Ration and it had a lot more play.

Ollies/Pop: I couldn't believe the pop on this board it had more pop than every board i have ever tried up to this point other than the K2 Happy Hour. This thing could ollie onto boxes and rails pretty good but i'm sure if i could've tested out a smaller one it would have been a lot better.

Stability: It was very forgiving on jumps and definitely can handle any jump thrown at it, it can also plow through anything it went through and rode over bumpy terrain without even feeling it.

Butterability: I was able to butter pretty well on it even though it was a little to big for

Cruising: The Magtek worked awesome on ice and the freestyle camber is great on all terrain

Jibbing: Jibbing was a little bit more difficult with it being a little bit too big but it would be a good mid stiff jibbing board and the flat camber helps a lot for spinning on rails

Rider in Mind: If you're looking for something to use on icy terrain,like to hit the park, and can only afford one board then this would be a good board for you and it's at a reasonable price.

Personal Thoughts: Even though they aren't very original on their tech, they still put together a great all around board in the jibsaw.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Board: K2 Happy Hour

Size: 151

Camber Option: Flatline

Bindings: K2 Cinch Ctx
Stance: 23 1/2

Angles: 15, -15

Boots: K2 haymaker size 12

My Weight: 175lbs.

Resort: Granite Peak

Conditions: Couple inches of fresh semi-heavy powder and light snowfall

Preconceived Notions: By the looks of the board i could tell i was going to have a "happy hour" with it.

Flex: semi stiff in the middle and decent flex on the tip and tail

Ollies/Pop: The Ollie bar definately makes a huge difference, i was overshooting jumps and getting too high in the air for even my comfort level with it but it held up great on landings.

Stability: For being a 151 this thing was stable at higher speeds and i felt surprisingly safe on ice.

Butterability: because of the tips on it this board butters like shit in my opinion but it's not really made to butter

Cruising: It felt like i was on a skate board basically, one of the most fun boards i have ever just cruised around on and i almost felt invincible at one point on it. I also was carving so hard and low i almost thought i was hard booting!

Jibbing: It was fun to jib on and I worried about the tips a little bit but they didn't seem to catch at all on the rail or boxes but i would be very cautious on corrugated tubing.

Rider in Mind: This board is definitely for someone that wants to have a good time on the hill no matter what they do. If you ride in the park a lot ride it small, if you ride in powder then ride at your normal size.

Personal Thoughts: Best board i have ever rode hands down. This board and Burton Cobrasharks would be a deadly combination in the park and if you ever get in a fight with an asshole skier at least you will always have a weapon on hand. :p
 
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