Snowboard Review: 12-13 Burton Root

Location: Winter Park, CO

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to softpacked groomers.

Setup: I rode the Burton Root with Burton Genesis bindings and Vans Ferra boots size 8.

Size: 144cm

First Impression: Want something more all mountain than the Nug, this is it.

Weight: Average.

Flex:  The Root continues where the Nug left off. Similar in flex, it’s medium with a tad softer nose and tail for playfulness. Torsionally it’s softer, easier to get response from. The Root has flat top technology, a flat profile between the feet for stability, better balance and continuous edge control. The tip and tail kick off with an early rise for catch free. The Flat Top makes it noticeably a bit more stable for handling than the Nug with V-rocker.

Turning: Easy to engage into turns and get quick response out of. Easy to get into short radius turns and did a decent job at handling longer radius turns. The effective edge on the Root rides like a longer board so it doesn’t really feel like you are on a 144cm short board.

Stable: The Root definitely handled on the mountain for stability, it didn’t feel like a 143cm board. Cruised well, turned well and for the most part handled the hardpacked conditions. There were some icy spots where I expected the frostbite edges to grip better and had some slippage.

Pop: I did not play with this board on any park or popping features around the mountain. Just a couple butters and presses here and there. It still has the playful feel of the root but not as insanely butterific as the Nug is.

Switch: The Root is a directional shape with a taper and flex so there is some adjustment to riding switch on it. If you plan on riding switch a lot, go for the Nug. If you want to cruise and get in some mountain to powder, go with the Root.

Overall Impression: The Root is new for 2013, it’s meant to be the flatline directional version of the Nug. It’s built for riding a smaller size, about 10cm’s shorter than you are used to but it still handles like a normal length board. The Root offers up a good mountain riding board in the short and sweet style but with directional and flat top tech.

Shay’s Honesty Box: The Nug is playful with V-rocker and the Root coming out is similar but with Flat top so it handles the mountain with a bit more stability. It still keeps the softer park flex but with a tad more handling so you can enjoy cruising around on a 144cm board without thinking you are riding a 144cm board.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo to shop the full line of 2011-12 Burton snowboards until the 2013 snowboards come out.

On Snow Photo

[singlepic id=13190 w=500 h=281 float=]

Burton Root Description

[singlepic id=13289 w=500 h=355 mode=watermark float=]

Review Disclosure: I demoed this board at the SIA On-Snow Demo at Winter Park, CO.