2008 Burton Hero Review

Finally snowboarding has returned. With a basement full of boards I'm happy to finally get into reviews for the 2008 - 2009 season. Right out of the gate my first review is one that came unexpected to me. On day one of the season I found myself up at Stratton, VT and looking at a 155cm Burton Hero board with 08 Uninc EST binders. Interestingly enough I had not planned on riding this board and was happy with my Gnu riders choice under my feet. But, Frank had brought this along with the explicit intent of getting my opinion on Burton's version of a board with rocker. Game on

First up it should be noted that i haven't ridden board under 160 CM in eight years. I'm not a job kid but I do enjoy having fun in the terrain park. Overall, when it comes to jumps and jibs, I like to mix them into riding down the mountain. Natural or unintended terrain seems a bit more fun and experimental. Plus I am typically 15 - 20 years older than everybody in a terrain park. Aging old man ego aside freeride/freestyle boards tend to be the most fun for me.

With that in mind I was skeptical of the Hero. All I heard was jib board/ park board to this point. Skepticism was crept by in ever larger quantities when it came to the EST. Being built genetically more for football than snowboarding I've found myself in the unfortunate position of breaking bindings and pulling out inserts before. So, full of doubt it was into the gondola and up the hill.

After one run I went through my seven stages of review ...

Shock or Disbelief -- I was in left in wonderment over how well the board rode. Cruising speed allowed to really feel how playful the board was. Quick butters, 180's all felt effortless. I counted a few instances I should have caught and edge but the hero rolled away.
Denial -- High speed groomers, rollers, trailside jib all felt amazingly stable under my feet at fast clip. A little loose but stable overall. On a 155 deck? Not a chance, yet it did.
Bargaining -- I immediately wanted to compare this to the Lib Tech Phoenix BTX 160 in my car.
Guilt -- Well, no guilt really.
Anger -- Crap, I've been screwing myself out of some fun.
Depression -- I had to give the board back to Frank.
Acceptance and Hope -- Perhaps the Lib tech Phoenix will ride as well or perhaps better. If not, maybe Burton will let me scoop one up on proform.

On the binder side the EST worked like a charm. Being so close to the boards topsheet allowed me to leave the forward lean in a very neutral posit on and the result was very natural skate feel to the deck. Not quite baseless ala' drilling holes on the outside of your board and getting crazy with t-nuts. But, there was enough of a difference for a noticeable change in the boards ride. Going back to my C02's at the end of the day was like going back to a hot ex girlfriend and meeting a chick you really dig. Still sexy but damn, you see so much potential on the other side!

The overall impression was solid. You can charge it and take it into the terrain park. Like any board you jib once you start it's a fast road to the board eventually falling apart. A side note of this was I had to really think about where to ollie. Dialing in the pop took a bit more effort. I think that would be solved with a slightly bigger version. Based on my style of riding this board was incredibly fun and I'm excited to try the 158 Cm at an upcoming on snow.

Thanks Frank for bringing up the deck and giving me an opportunity to put it through the paces.