Location: Loveland, Colorado
Snow Conditions: Snowing with hardpacked groomers to icy groomers to fresh snow on the runs.
Setup: I rode the Burton Hero with Burton Escapade bindings and my Vans Omni Focus size 8.
First Impression: ooh this is another fun board
Size: 155cm
Weight: lighter than average
Flex: It felt stiffer underneath and between the bindings, definitely softer nose and tail. I was expecting a really soft board, but got a board that could be rode anywhere…freeriding or freestyle with the flex. Nose and tail were easy to press on.
Turning: Hands down…really good for carving. Probably the most noticeably best for holding an edge, staying stable on the edge and just laying it over. I never felt like I could even get close to catching an edge, which was nice…even in rougher spots. I’ll definitely vouch on PDE (Pressure Distribution Edge) being something to consider, I had some fun with it and never felt like the board was in control (like mtx) and had the rider control but with more increased edge hold.
Stable: I thought it charged, good for just hauling and going fast with. I didn’t feel any squirrely -ness or unstable when riding at all.
Pop: It took time to get used to ollie’ing on it but it was really easy to press and butter the board on the groomers.
Switch: really easy to ride switch on, no problems with the edges catching when going into switch riding and still fun when riding switch.
Powder: I rode it in a very small amount of powder but not enough to judge it. I want to try it on another day in some powder to really test the scoop in some powder.
Overall Impression: I admit I am a fan of the ICS/EST tech for Burton…and this board gives that tech to a reverse camber feel. I felt very attached to the board with good response when riding.
Shay’s Honesty Box: With my only disappointment being the dampening over bumpy chop…the board was a fun fine ride. I can’t wait to see the reverse camber being expanded to other models and what Burton does with it. I wish this board would have kept the under $400 price tag…especially after winning the good wood in that category.
hoon
December 15, 2008 at 11:57 amit was originally slated at $399 and you can definitely find it for that price or slightly cheaper at store (offline and online). i dig the red graphic. LOL.
Shayboarder
December 15, 2008 at 5:01 pmThanks Hoon, yeah Porters Tahoe is honoring the good wood price which is rad.
dang really…ugh i think it’s just too boring.
Anonymous
December 15, 2008 at 5:53 pmall shops should be honoring the 399 price, if you find one that isn’t forward the info to Burton
Shayboarder
December 15, 2008 at 5:59 pmReally? I just did a froogle search for hero and came up a lot of shops that don’t offer it for $399
jean-luc
December 15, 2008 at 11:59 pmHello! Great review. I would be curious to know your opinion about how the Hero compares to the NeverSummer boards, especially the SL-R. I demoed both but did not get the chance to ride the Hero on the ice. I was amazed by the SL-R hold on the ice and was wondering if the Hero was comparable. The main difference I found was the Hero being softer than the SLR an d easier to press. I didn t try to many Ollies; did you get good pop out of the Hero after getting used to it?
For the graphics, there is a limited edition of the Hero with sick graphics (Cowgirl and Mickey Mouse)
Anonymous
December 16, 2008 at 2:26 amMy God Shay, you’re making me consider selling the 08 Uninc Burton sent back to me on Warranty and picking up a 158. Why do you hate me so?
-KimChi
Anonymous
December 16, 2008 at 11:32 amthats because most shops probably have an automated system for entering the info and the heros were incorrectly tagged, a simple phone call should be all it takes but some sites are slow to update. also, most shops will price match so all you have to do is show them porters or dogfunks or sierras price
Anonymous
December 29, 2008 at 4:54 pmJean-Luc – In regards to your question about if the Hero holds a comparable edge to the SL-R, it’s pretty close. I recently bought both boards to compare. Took the SL-R out about two weeks ago and the Hero yesterday. Both boards are solid. As Shay mentioned in her Hero review, I put alot of speed on it and it felt very stable at high speeds. The mountain had a combination of powder and icy on some parts. Hero performed very well in the icy groomers and in the powder. At this point I’m having a hard time deciding which board I’m going to keep.
Shayboarder
December 30, 2008 at 9:45 amDefinitely comparable. I think the SL-R holds an upper hand on ice, but the Hero still does good on ice.
M
January 2, 2009 at 2:24 pmShay, thanks for the great reviews. Which did you like better, the 08 Burton X8 or the Hero? I’m debating between the two for something good for ollies and butters, but also can handle the icey NE conidtions in between. Thanks!
Shayboarder
January 2, 2009 at 7:02 pmI rode last years X8 but not this years X8 but between the two I really liked the Hero and the X8 I wasn’t too fond of at the time. Hero was just fun but still handled the mountain for carving.
jean-luc
January 20, 2009 at 2:32 pmSo I finally bought the hero and rode it 3 days in the Alps in the backcountry , and 3 days on icy east coast. It is definitely a fun board, very easy to press and with lots of control at low speed. Very nice feeling in deep powder in the backcountry, feels like flying over the snow, especially whith the EST bindings that have a very thin plate.
On groomers, it is stable at high speed if the surface is flat, but on choppy run the dampening is a bit of a problem as mentioned in the review and can be exhausting (that also comes from the est bindings construction; there is more dampening with regular bindings).
The main problem I have with my board is the ice. I found it disapointing (especially compared to the SLR), which is weird because everybody else seems to say it is good on ice. It maybe that my board came detuned (for rails)? I have the special stock edition, so it may not have been tuned the same way as the normal board. I should have it sharpen and see. Anyone had a similar problem?
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