4 boards in 4 runs! Review

It was so great to try out some other boards and really feel how different they are from each other. I’ll give a little write up on all the boards, and be very honest on how they felt to ride. Although, I didn’t get to ride them for long and I was just hitting up groomers, more time on each board would give a better picture.

But anyway, the boards were:

* 2012 Burton Joystick 159
* 2010 Burton Custom X 160
* 2011 Yes Typo 156
* 2011 Custom Flying V 160 (mine )

I first Demoed the Joystick, which was my first time on a full rocker board (V-rocker). Pete (rah) demoed the 2012 Hero, which is also V-rocker and apparently even more soft and flexy (“feel” as Burton like to call it). I got to demo it for a bit over an hour. My knee didn’t feel right for most of that time, so I wasn’t that confident riding and my focus was more on my knee than the board. But still, what was apparent straight up was how nice and easy the board flexed. It was good for buttering and nice and playful. It actually wasn’t really that much softer than my Custom FV but the flex felt nicer, it was more consistent and even the whole length of the board. However, it also did have less grab when turning. I noticed how the force through a turn was more in between the bindings, whereas with my board the camber under the feet helps give it a bit more bite and bring the contact points further out.

So my 2nd board was Pete’s Custom X. That’s when things got crazy hahaha! Oh and cause we straight swapped boards (he’s reg and I’m goofy) his set up was so whack for me. Had a long tail, short nose haha. Wow, going from a full rocker to a super stiff camber board was like night and day. I also haven’t ridden a camber board for about 2 years. The Custom X is a plank. Horribly stiff but so much fun. Edge to edge it felt like I was on rails. Carving was a breeze and by then my knee was feeling better and with that board you can go at good speed with confidence. It literally felt like auto pilot compared to the Joystick, and I hate to say it, but also mine to an extent.

On the way up the chair we saw Mike working and he suggested I have a go of his 2011 Yes Typo 156. So after just 1 run with Pete’s I swapped to Mike’s. I don’t know the specifics of the tech for the Yes Typo (maybe Mike can elaborate), but it’s a hybrid. Just looking at it, the profile seems quite flat with not too noticeable rocker or camber. It felt very different to my hybrid though. It was noticeably stiffer and felt more like a camber board to ride. I was carving easily with this board too. In fact it rode comparably to the Custom X, with a little less bite and stiffness. Of course I only had one run and was only hitting up groomers so couldn’t really see the advantages that the added rocker might give it in pow or park.

Lastly, for my 4th board, I rode mine I noticed it wasn’t as easy to carve, and I had to battle to stop it from washing out more than Mike’s or Pete’s, particularly in tougher conditions like ice/hard pack. Which meant at speed I didn’t feel as comfortable (on my own board dammit!). However, It’s not bad by any means on and edge. I haven’t sharpened my edges once this season, so hopefully that might help. However, having ridden it for ages, I do appreciate the added flex and rocker, and all the benefits that come with that… However, it still had more bite where you want it compared to the Joystick. The FV is also the lightest feeling of all the boards. The Custom X and Yes felt noticeably heavier and clunkier.

Looking at stiffness and edge control the order was definitely the Custom X, The Yes Typo, my FV, and then the Joystick. But of course more flex/rocker and playfulness have significant advantages too. I now know that I would never really want a full rocker, mine is definitely close enough. However, I may need to ride a full camber board a bit more often, having that edge control and carving was so much fun