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PR: Burton's '98 Line of Snowboards |
SIA Snow Show and On Snow Demo (Undercover!) (1-19-24-97) Airwalk and Burton Step Out of Step-In Market For Another Year (10-15-96) |
The new '98 line of Burton Snowboards is about 8 months away from the retail showroom, but you can ride them, one at a time, at a Burton on-snow demo near you. The new line consists of 68 models, in 13 series. On the freestyle side, the trend has been toward more length, better turning characteristics, and in many models, more stiffness to handle greater speeds, deeper carves, and landings from bigger airs. The freestyle FL Projects and freecarving Ultra Primes both take advantage of Burton's new Carbon Beam Effect. A beam of carbon-fiber down the centerline of the boards allows a "natural" flex for smooth turns, while reducing weight and increasing strength. Johan Olofsson designs his own Pro Deck this year, with a 162cm, widened version of the Supermodel 62 he rode/helped develop last season. Johan joins Cara-Beth Burnside, Shannon Dunn, Victoria Jealouse, Jim Rippey, and Terje Haakonsen in the signature model department. Johan wasn't the only one on a Supermodel last season. The cap construction Supermodels had a super year in '97, quietly tracking the backcountry and carving up the corduroy. They return with a more consistent feel from length to length, and a new shorter length for smaller riders. Built for fast turns, big airs, and varied snow, riders are advised to add 5 - 10cm to their preferred length when stepping up to a Supermodel. The Customs return with added stiffness in response to demands by riders going bigger and faster. The premier freestyle snowboard, the Custom, has had phenomenal success in competition and, where it really counts, with riders all over the world who rely on it as their main board. Like the Pro Decks and the Supermodels, the Customs are built around the new Super Fly II core, 45% lighter than standard wood. The new Specials series is dedicated to man-made terrain, from parks to pipes. Based on the Custom series, the Specials increase stiffness, add sidecut, and slightly reduce width. The Super Fly Core and 45-Weave Glass Laminate glide on the new Burton-developed Lightspeed Base, for more speed, more hits per run, and a longer life. The Floaters return, lighter and stronger than ever, with slightly reduced width and a new 167cm length added to the line-up. Lightspeed Base, 45-Weave Glass, and a Super Fly Core put the Floaters in the Customs class of performance, with width for riders with larger feet. The Twins continue to spin through the line-up. Identical tips and tails balance spinning and fakie/forward riding. The new Lightspeed Base adds speed and durability to the proven Twin performance, and the Fly Core reduces core weight by 20%. The Motions is an entirely new series designed to combine the freestyle performance of the Customs with the turning and handling of the Supermodels. All of this performance is packed into a single snowboard that blows away any other model in its price category: 45-Weave Glass, Fly Core, Lightspeed Base. The A Series returns with the basic features no Burton leaves the factory without: stainless steel inserts, full-wrap edge protection, wood core, team-proven directional, freestyle shape. The E Series stunned our top alpine riders. Fun and easy to ride, while allowing top riders a full range of performance, the E Series keeps its round, freestyle-derived tail, but adds length, stiffness, and edge contact for fast, deep carves. Definitely a sleeper model about to be awakened. The Alps come back with cap construction and additional edge, for freecarving control at world cup speeds. The wood precision core is milled to precise tolerances--a direct benefit from our world cup development program. Speaking of competition, the Factory Primes and Burton riders continue to be the major competitive threat in alpine events. The unique aspect about Burton's Factory Prime program is that any rider has access to the same boards currently in use in world-class competition. Try to buy a race car at your local car dealer. The Ultra Primes are a new series that go a step beyond the Factory Primes in performance. Basically, hundreds of great ideas and materials are shelved because of the unique requirements of this year's ISF regulations, or our team riders. The Ultra Primes un-archive this technology and combine it into the ultimate freecarving snowboards. The '98 line is as vast as the diversity of the sport itself, and a reflection of the diversity of the Burton Design Team.
PR: Burton's
'98 Line of Outerwear |
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