The Hometown Hero and the Flight Attendant are two of Burton's most popular boards. The two boards have a lot in common; they are both directional, all-mountain boards that rip in the powder. However, there are a few small differences between the boards that make a big difference in how they ride and which kind of rider they are suited to.
Not only are these two boards some of the best-selling in the Burton line, but they are also some of the most widely ridden by the Burton pro team. So what makes them so good, and how are they different from each other?
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| Flight Attendant | Hometown Hero | |
|---|---|---|
| Camber | Camber Rocker | Camber Rocker |
| Shape | Freeride Directional | Freeride Directional |
| Flex | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| All-Mountain | ||
| Park | ||
| Powder |
Read my full review on the Hometown Hero
Comparing Shape
Both boards have Burton's Freeride Directional shape. This shape has a set-back stance with a sidecut that is centered on the stance. The result is a board that has more nose than tail creating lift in the powder, but with a centered, balanced feel on the groomers.
They both have a tapered shape, meaning the nose is a little wider than the tail. This helps create float in powder by allowing the nose to ride up above the snow whilst the tail sinks a little deeper.
Although the shapes are very similar, there are a few subtle differences once you dig into the dimensions; the Hometown Hero has 5mm more set-back in the stance and has 12mm of taper compared to the Flight Attendant's 10mm.
In terms of shape, this makes the Hometown Hero more directional than the Flight Attendant. But that's not the whole story…
Comparing Camber
Both boards have traditional reverse camber profiles between the bindings, meaning both boards rise up in the center between bindings and touch down at the tip and tail contact points.
In the nose, both boards have early rocker that lifts the nose up out of the snow. This is great for powder, although the Hometown Hero will rise up a little more thanks to its greater amount of taper. On hardpack, the rocker lifts the longer nose off the snow, giving the boards a more balanced, twin feel.
Comparing Flex
Flex is where the two boards differentiate themselves, and this comes from the construction. The hometown Hero has a construction similar to the Burton Custom that gives it a twin flex, meaning the nose has the same stiffness as the tail.
The Flight Attendant has carbon I-beams added, running the length of the board. This makes the board stiffer towards the tail, which makes it stiffer along its length than the Hometown Hero and adds more pop in the tail.
Hometown Hero construction
- Topsheet
- Top glass 0°/UDG & +/- 45° stitched
- Core
- Bottom glass 0°/ carbon & +/- 45° stitched
- Base
Flight Attendant construction
- Topsheet
- Top glass 0°/UDG & +/- 45° stitched
- Core
- Bottom glass 0°/ carbon & +/- 45° stitched
- Base
Underneath, both boards have a high-grade, WFO sintered base that runs super fast, holds wax well, and is tough enough to withstand a few rocks.
How does the riding compare?
As we have discovered, there are a lot of similarities between the two boards. They have the same kind of directional shape, and both are camber boards with rocker in the nose.
The main difference is the flex pattern, with the Hometown Hero having a twin flex and the Flight Attendant having a stiffer, directional flex. Let's see how this affects the riding.
All Mountain
The Hometown hero is a nice ride on groomed snow. The camber gives it a nice pop and allows it to carve well. The early rocker in the nose shortens the effective edge length making it easy to turn, and reduces the chances of you catching your edge.
I found the flex to be a little softer than the Hometown Hero, making it easier to turn at low speed or to link up quick turns if you are riding in the trees.
Thanks to the stiffer tail, the Hometown Hero starts to perform better in mixed snow conditions, such as chopped-up powder, or when things start to get a little bumpy
Park
Although neither of these boards is a park board, they are both versatile enough to take a couple of laps through the park once you tracked out all the powder.
That said, I definitely preferred the Hometown Hero, especially for hitting jumps switch. The Flight Attendant's stiffer tail makes switch jumps feel a little sketchy, but it's great for ollies and big ‘ol straight airs!
Powder
Both these boards are amazing in the powder! But in slightly different ways
The Hometown Hero is one of my favorite boards in the pow! Its large amount of taper makes the nose naturally float up, and its softer twin flex makes it super nimble and great for tight turns in the trees.
The stiffer Flight Attendant is more stable at high speeds and easily plows through chopped-up snow
Which one would I choose?
A few years back, I owned a Flight Attendant, which at the time, I loved. In fact it was my go-to board for almost every day, except if I was going for a park day.
As much as I loved the Flight Attendant, for me, the Hometown Hero is a better board. I think it better suits my style of riding, where I try and throw in tricks wherever I can. Also, because I'm not the biggest of guys, I don't need the extra stiffness of the Flight Attendant.
I would say the Hometown Hero is a little more versatile, but if you just want to charge on the mountain or you are a bit of a bigger guy, I would go for the Flight Attendant.
The Hometown Hero is also one of Burton's unisex boards, with a larger range of sizing between 144cm and 165. Both boards are also available in a wide version in larger sizes.
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