What better way to gather inspiration for a new board line than to turn to snowboarding legends like Terje Haakonsen and Jake Burton; and boards like the Fish, Malolo, and S-Series. New, unique shapes, sizes, flex patterns, and graphics define the Family Tree line of boards. Burton team riders, engineers and designers were given access to Craig's - Burtons own R&D facility - and told to create snowboards meant to slay pow while telling the story of Burtons snowboard lineage.
Cheetah - Terje's powder weapon, the Cheetah, rocks a swallow tail, moderately tapered shape, and traditional camber to power through the deep stuff. This powder powerhouse is available in one size, 159cm, and will be what you'll turn to for getting epic face shots.
Con Artist - Inspired by the thick-coverage tree runs and narrow gullies and ravines of Japanese terrain, the Con Artist offers a serious 20mm of taper, S-rocker (Burtons powder rockin' rocker design), and a blunt tail to really keep that rear leg burn down. Soft flex patterns matched up with slimrails (minimized sidewall construction, shaving weight without loosing strength) give the Con Artist soft torsional flex for snappy, quick turns and edging into steep wall rides. Adding to its agility is its one, compact size offering of 152cm.
Juice wagon - In Burton's words, "Freestyle performance for the natural canvas." With traditional camber, 12mm of taper, 157, 163, and 170cm sizes and a modest 1/2" setback stance, what else needs to be said? Bust it out on that next pow day when you want to get into some serious terrain and let the worries float away.
Spliff - Avalanche center reporting 20" of blower, stable snow and a bluebird morning? How do feel about blasting down those 3000' of vert you climbed at 6am on a 148cm splitboard? You should feel great if it is on Burton's new Spliff, patterned after the already-proven-successful Burton Nug. S-rocker, 5mm of taper and the waist width of a 158cm board all give the Spliff super-float capabilities while giving you jib and spin potential of a short board. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Freebird - Back after it’s debut appearance last year, the Freebird finds itself in Burtons Family Tree lineup. Falling right in line with the rest of the family, the Freebird isn’t only aesthetically winning, but it also racks up points on build and design. S-rocker, mild taper, 10:45 sidewall construction (edge grabbing, dual angle, aggressive sidewall) with lengthened edge contact points and, well, a splitboard are all the reasons you need for it to be in your toolbox. Unless you are already throwing down on a Spliff, in which case, let’s get out sometime.
There is no question Burton knows how to make solid boards and powder crazed split boards, and the Family Tree line of boards continues to prove that. The Family Tree is proof that Burton still has it's priorities right where they should be and despite the trends, Burton will continue making some of the best boards on the planet. The Family Tree encompasses snowboarding's past, present, and future by offering unique, fun designs to the market of core, dedicated powder hounds. Let's just pray that next year brings us the powder these boards crave.