Eye Candy

One great thing about fall to help overshadow the less glorious things such as the fact that you have to go back to school, water is becoming colder and less inviting, and falling leaves are starting to clutter up you favorite skate spots is that new winter product begins to rain down on your local shops

Boards arriving at W3 (www.w3mi.com)

More and more products are arriving daily

Granted many different companies are making some great boards, one outstanding achievement I would like to spotlight is that This year Burton was honored to accept Goodwood's seal of approval on 7 different boards. What makes this even more special is that each company is only allowed to submit 7 boards to be tested. This is the first sweep of this nature in the goodwood testing history, with winners in every single category. Out of hundreds of snowboards that were put to the test, the Vapor, Custom V-Rocker, Joystick, Blunt, Lip-Stick, The Social and Easy Livin’ were recognized as some of the best most fun boards to hit the hills for this season.

New for 010, the TW Good Wood board test asked participating companies to designate whether the board was park-specific or all-mountain. Testers then filled out two different test sheets and took two different test routes down the mountain depending on the type of board. The park test had an emphasis on rails, boxes and jumps while the all-mountain board test had an emphasis on turning, stability and jumping.

The Custom V-Rocker and Joystick both took top honors in the over $400 in the all-mountain men’s category while the Blunt won in the under $400 park category. On the women’s side, the Lip-Stick won in the over $400 all-mountain category, while The Social took the park award in the under $400. The Burton Vapor, landed a spot in the pipe category for the second year running. Danny Davis’ late model Easy Livin’ took an award in the over $400 all-mountain category and is looking good with the late model red wings colors.

Five of the seven winning board models (Custom V, Joystick, Blunt, Lip-Stick, The Social) feature V-Rocker technology, which has a center rocker with additional rockers on either side of your feet. Naturally de-cambered, this design energizes edge control under your feet while disengaging tip and tail contact points for a catch-free loose feel. V-Rocker boards turn on a dime thanks to the added grip of Pressure Distribution Edges.

The Easy Livin’ features Flying-V technology, which gives aggressive freestylers the best of both worlds with a hybrid of camber and rocker performance. Rockers between and outside your feet create a loose and forgiving freestyle feel and float through pow. Underneath your feet, camber combines with the response and grip of The Channel, Lightning Bolts, Pressure Distribution Edges, and EGD to focus control and edge-hold for crisp snap, pop, and power through turns.

The Vapor features tried and true camber, known for power in turns and precision in the pipe. Acting like a suspension, camber creates a lively ride capable of slicing and stomping the entire mountain.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new 2010 Burton line head to Burton.com. And be sure to pick up a copy of TransWorld Snowboarding’s Buyer’s Guide for the full story on the Good Wood Board Test.

That said ride what you love, Ride what is fun, and have fun riding.