Burton produces a whole range of boards specifically designed for freestyle/park riding. Although these boards have a lot in common, there are some important differences between the boards that affect the way they ride. Here's my breakdown of the Burton freestyle boards for 2022/23 and what kind of riding they are best suited to.
Despite being one of the most innovative snowboard Brands around, in recent years Burton's boards have reverted to pretty traditional designs. What you can be sure of when you buy a board from Burton is great construction and quality materials producing snowboards that feel great to ride.
In the freestyle range, all the boards have a few things in common that I will lay out here, so I won't repeat myself! They are all twin-shaped boards with twin flex patterns, meaning the board ride switches the same as they ride regularly.
They are all, more or less, traditional camber boards. This tried and tested profile is the best for producing lively boards that produce plenty of pop to get you off the ground.
So that's what they have in common, now I'll go through what sets them apart:
At $439.95 the Good Company is the best-priced freestyle board from Burton. It has a True-twin shape with a centered stance so it rides exactly the same switch as in your regular stance. It has a soft, forgiving flex of 3/10 making it easy to press and butter.
The perfect board for learning new tricks on the small jumps and boxes.
Despite its entry-level price, the Good Company comes with a sintered base so it runs quick and is tough enough to withstand a few knocks.
It has a traditional, full-length camber that gives plenty of pop for ollies. Combine this with the soft flex, and you have a simply designed snowboard that is perfect for learning new tricks on the small jumps and boxes.
The Name Dropper, is perhaps the most unique board in the Burton freestyle line. Like all the boards here it has a true-twin shape, but it has a few other features that set it apart from the rest.
Pure pop introduces flat spots infront of the contact points at either end of the board. When you stand on the board these flat spot lift slightly off the snow, giving the board a looser feel and reducing the chance of catching an edge.
The flat sections also provide a platform for nose and tail pressing making it easier to butter, and to hold presses for longer.
The Name Dropper is one of the easiest to ride and most playful snowboards I have ever ridden
Next, we have the off-axis sidecut of the board. Traditional boards have a tip and a tail, but off-axis boards have a heel edge and a toe edge, meaning regular and goofy riders will set up their left and right bindings the same. The idea behind this is that you turn slightly differently on your heel and toe edges, so to balance this out, Burton has produced a board with a slightly tighter turn radius on your heels than on your toes.
The other feature that makes the Name Dropper such a good board for jibbing is found right under the bindings. The board comes with foam pads stuck to the top-sheet of the board that reduce vibrations and allow the board to flex more naturally under the bindings.
These features are combined into a super soft flexing board 2/10, making one of the easiest and most maneuverable boards I have ever ridden – Perfect for jibbing and messing around in the fun park.
Next we have the Burton Process, that is more of an all-rounder than the first two boards on the list. It has a slightly stiffer flex, coming in at a 4/10, which gives more stability for the bigger jumps and for riding at higher speeds.
Like the Name Dropper, the Process has the slightly modified version of the traditional camber profile with Burton's PurePop camber. However, the flat sections at the contact points are smaller than on the Name Dropper giving it more of the pop you'll find on a traditional camber board.
Although this board has a twin shape, the stance is actually setback 12.5mm. This means if you set the bindings at the recommended stance, you will have a longer nose than tail, making this more of an all-mountain snowboard.
However, if you want a pure freestyle setup, you just need to slide the bindings back a touch.
The Blossom is a step up in terms of stiffness and performance. It has carbon stringers running tip to tail, making the board quite a bit stiffer at a 6/10.
This extra stiffness is combined with a full-length camber profile to produce a board with loads of pop and life. When I tested this board, it was one of the most fun boards I have ridden to perform cruisy carves and pop ollies off rollers.
The Blossom was my favorite board to ride both in and out of park
Inside the park, it is slightly less forgiving than the Process but has amazing pop off the bigger jumps. Probably not the best board on the rails, but I can imagine it is a great board to take into the pipe.
If you like riding at higher speeds and are less focussed on buttering this board will not disappoint!
