Hardgoods 23/24

[Msteff]

Also rode the power wagon. Good sidecut and fun to turn but that thing is a plank. It felt stiffer than my nitro t3 in the same size (154 PW vs 155 T3).

[Spenser]

My buddy Lars participated in a Burton demo day in fernie, and had a couple things to say. Keep in mind, this is a guy who rides boards with a long edge, larger sidecuts, longer boards in general, and is quite a good rider - who also tunes brand new boards to have a more ideal bevel/clean edge for carving. A bit particular. Burton in general doesn't design boards that fit his preferences, so it's all relative. He's also light (135lb) so fits on a lot of decks.

"The gril master was amazing. Not a Burton. Totally different feel. More like Nidecker or k2. Power wagon was crap. Their factory tune is so insanely bad......

For some reason that Gril Master had decent edges. So that made the ride better. But the main thing was the flex and dampening. The stiff tips of Squeeze Box were much less noticeable and the board was calm and damp. Literally the opposite of the last 15 Burton boards I’ve tried."

We chatted sometime ago about flex patterns, and how a lot of Burton boards tend to have stiffer tips and more forgiving midsections, which makes sense for park & freestyle riding, but is virtually the opposite of how proper carving boards are designed - not to mention the difference between calm/damp and reactive/lively. For contrast, just think of a typical freeride flex, where it stiffens up progressively from tip to tail. Stranda takes it further with their exact tuning & materials, which is part of why they're so good for that type of riding. So, it makes sense that he tends not to like Burton boards. That said, his feedback on the gril master makes it intriguing, though not on my radar. I believe he felt similarly about the HTH as the power wagon, due to their typical flex patterns as it relates to his level of carving. I guess my only point is it's always interesting hearing feedback from different types of riders - we often forget that makes a huge difference.

[Msteff]

Interesting. I typically like to ride the same types of boards as Spencer’s friend (open sidecuts, stiffer, long ee, longer overall length for my size, generally don’t like burtons (could possibly be into the first cut)) and while I didn’t hate the grillo I also wasn’t blown away.

I do agree with much of what was said, particularly that Burton’s factory tunes are unadulterated garbage, haha. As well as the grillo feeling k2ish.

The grillo was by far the better of the two boards and I agree it has a calm flex and the point regarding the tip tail flex is accurate. I would describe it as a typical free ride profile where it stiffens up from tip to tail but it has a more approachable overall flex as compared to many freeride boards.

I think my main complaints are that the torsional and tip to tail flex’s seem unbalanced. It is way more torsionally stiff than tip to tail. This combined with the width, tight sidecut, and bad edges made it feel like it “gave up” at some point during the turn. I also didn’t find it very damp and was getting bounced out of turns.

Most of my complaints are similar to those I have about Burton boards in general. That said neither the grillo or wagon had good edges and I was on sloppy east coast variable spring snow both of which could have made a difference. The grillo was also about the best Burton board I have been on in probably the last ten or so years, which I suppose says something for a guy who hasn’t liked a Burton since about 2010.

I should also note that I was something of an outlier and that most everyone else seemed to love it.

[Spenser]

Stoked on this 2024 transcend color - pretty much exactly what I was hoping to see

CFABCE0A-F33C-4D27-B6D2-8067DE580255.jpeg (656.5 KiB) Viewed 2070 times

[Blessed420]

isnt grilo made in vermont?

so the factory tune should be a bit better i guess.

[Kevington]

Russell Winfield talks about those flat kicks on his Bombhole episode. He came up with the idea for his original pro model on Ride.

[dpartridge7]

joyride were doing flat kicks before ride existed. i was engineer at the factory that built those joyride's and ask the innovator why the flat kick. he said it was because skate decks had them and are great for ollies. i said to him skate decks have them because of the flat soles on shoes.

[alex]

I also had the privilege to test Power Wagon 160, on icy morning groomers. I agree, it did not feel as Burton board, it is aggressive, long sidecut radius and wide, but still have Burton’s exceptional steering, was immediately easy to control. There was nothing wrong with factory edge tune, very grippy on ice even compared to Amplid Pentaquark or Stranda Cheater.

Personally I disagree, that Burton’s flex or geometry, in general, has something wrong for carving. My Burton’s boards (Sensei 170, Straight Chuter 162, Leader board 162) work perfectly for my weight (~ 83kg /183lbs) translating in very easy and predictable steering while on edge. It is not given with smaller brands, for example Pentaquark does not have correct steering geometry (it is just burly old-school board), probably only latest addition to “centrifugal collection”, the Souly Grail does have.

To put this “in numbers” I try to do something difficult on edge, as circle carve on heel edge in specific location, with Burtons boards I can carve almost 2 full loops, with Pentaquark – barely any.

Btw, I was able to see specs for Short Stop:

[Spenser]

As I said, it's really all preference and dependent on the individual rider/style, but the three Burton boards you have are all freeride designs that generally fit the style I was talking about, which tends to work well for carving. Those designs are not nearly as common in their lineup compared to decks rooted in freestyle, whether mountain or park oriented. Burton makes great boards, don't get me wrong, but each brand sort of has a "core flavor," if that makes sense.

One of the biggest things for me with the vast majority of their boards is tight sidecuts. To each their own for sure, but there are very few exceptions even over 8m - but again, the ones you listed are models I would probably like well enough. Other than keeping my now 12+ years old fishes, I don't know that I'll ever own another Burton, due to my personal taste. However, so many riders love them and find them to work well for their style. And there are tons of people who dislike my preferred boards. Whatever works for an individual is the right answer

[unsuspected]

Amplids
https://foumarts.jp/collections/amplidスノーボード
https://foumarts.jp/collections/amplid-bindings