1st year Burton kids board, AIR 1.1 (1994): This is the first year that Burton specifically designed a deck for little shredders per Burton’s archivist. one MN collector has acquired every year, model, size & colorway in the iconic "AIR" lineup. *This board found secondhand in Brighton, MI.
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1st year Burton female board - The Dolphin (1996): Designed with input from Shannon Dunn, the prolific female snowboarder of the time. It featured a softer feel for the lighter weight female rider and graphics to match. It came in blue and pink primary color bases, this pink being more scarce then the blue. The Dolphin base graphics also glow in the dark. Shannon got her her first signature pro model the following season.
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1st year Burton Split board (2004): This Burton S-Series is the first year split board Burton sold. While most boards were made to get you down the mountain faster, this hyper engineered split board and binding got you “up” the mountain faster. The complete system included dual bindings (ski & snowboard), crampons and skins. It was developed to allow for access to non-lift serviced back country powder by splitting (unlocking) the board to ski-skin up, and then locking planks together to snowboard down. It was surprisingly dependable and stable. It is this same model that Craig Kelly was on when a fatal avalanche struck at Baldface Lodge in the Selkirk Mt range, British Columbia, Canada. Craig's board, broken by the impact, resides in the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum. R.I.P. Ck.
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1st year Burton Custom “Pegesus” (1996): No other model in the history of snowboard manufacturing has been around as long as, has sold as many of, or is as well known as the Burton “Custom”. It remains a staple of Burton's extensive line up today with no end in sight. What else really needs to be said.
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1st year Burton Channel System Board - Jeremy Jones (late season release 2007): ***ISO*** The enduring Burton “channel” system has been accepted by many in the industry and is therefore still around over a decade later – long after other alternative binding systems have vanished. The performance idea behind it was to keep the rider more in sync with the board and therefore allow the rider to react quicker than the standard binding set up at the time.
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Early Burton Twins - Rentals, Ouiji, Blacktop (early 1990's): Although Burton's archivest maintains the Ouiji board is the first Burton park board, the answer lies within the definitions of "symetrical", "twin", "true twin", and "true park board". See descriptions of these boards and decide for yourself.
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1st Burton Rental Board - Rental Twin (1992): This board was manufactured exclusively for the generic rental market and is therefore known informally as the “Rental Twin” because no formal model name exists (only the brand name Burton is specified on the board). Nor was it was ever featured in a Burton catalog. It was an ill-fated attempt to produce a twin rental board with no locked on directional design. A special pull lever rental binding was used to allow the binding to be swiveled towards either tip – no more unscrewing the bindings to shift from regular to goofy with each renter. The words Heelside and Toeside were designated on the board to indicate witch way the swivel binding was to be positioned. Although twin in nature, there was a deeper heelside edge for both regular or goofy stance. Adjusting a swivel binding either left or right thus allowed for either regular or goofy foot riders to make easier heel side turns… in theory. The inherent problem was in releasing the board to the beginner rental market without testing it on beginners. Testers themselves are great riders able to ride anything underfoot, however the exaggerated side cut led to bad beginner falls where one binding would release. In short, Burton promptly sent notice that all boards be removed from the rental system, followed by a formal recall. The boards were then t-bolted (Notice the base plugs around the inserts to accept normal bindings post recall) and somehow passed on to shops, eventually recirculating back into the market (fitted with traditional bindings). These boards came in 160cm in length in green, and 150cm in red. Both are sought after by burton collectors due to the unusual history.
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1st Burton True Twin – The Blacktop (1994 Mid-Season Release): sought after and produced in very limited volume (500?), this was the first “true” twin from Burton. Although the ‘91 Rental Twin and ‘94 Ouija Board were symmetrical, the rental twin had a differing edge redius, and the Ouija Twin was long & bulky - not a true freestyle board. This was the period when many riders were jig sawing their nose and tails to reduce swing weight and increase freestyle ease. Pro’s like J2 (Jeremy Jones) were chopping down their Burton AIR’s into homemade twins, and persuaded Burton to push this board out quickly mid-season to keep pace with the ever changing landscape of freestyle jib & rail park riding. It was first offered to Team Riders, and then strictly limited to dealers who sold them instantly. Prior to this, Burton's reputation was somewhat known as the giant “corporate” snowboard company with a limited “coolness” factor. However, the innovative Blacktop true twin helped to reverse this image when underfoot of pro’s who could now push their limits. This cemented Burton as the brand for everyone from backcountry guy to skate rat, and Burton led the industry with the biggest team, biggest line up, and biggest market share. Nothing has stopped them since.
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1st Burton Park Board - Ouija Board (1994): The creative GOOD/EVIL YES/NO SUN/MOON ?/? graphics on this board are a classic play on the sinister game we all know. As if that’s not enough Burton’s archivist considers it their first park board based on its symmetrical twin design, despite its bulky size and length.
burton (burtin) mishi albin "ghost". art work by famed skatboarder mark gonzolez (gonz). glow in the dark base.
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button t6 199x. first board with snow temp sensors on base relayed to temp gauge on top of board. novel idea that helped with wax choice. most gauges fell off after use, but this gauge remains intact.
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Longest Burton snowboard: Another specially made, not available to the public board, this sleek race stick measures in at 195cm. For comparison the longest recreational snowboard Burton ever sold to the public was the 185cm Safari released in 1988. *This board was purchased out of Oregon and was possibly made for Leslee Oleson a snowboard pioneer raised in Bend, OR, who honed her skills on Mt. Bachelor, was a 9 time competitor at winter x-games, missed qualifying for the 1998 Olympics in giant slalom by .29 of a second, and was a featured character in the Playstation-II game “Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder”.
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Burton Test Board - Canyon (2000): This is a one of a kind test board from the Burton factory. It was built to test different materials, fibers, flex, durability, laminate strength, core strength, base, edges, and sidewalls. The base is what pegs it as a 2000 Burton Canyon. *This board acquired from H. Beauchamp of the GCDC Snowboard collection in Quebec, Ca.
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1st year Burton Snow Skate - Junk Yard (2001): As explained by others, this Snowskate board was not available to the general public, but rather made as a limited run as gifts to Burton employees. As we understand it, Jake presented unique Christmas gifts to his employees every year. This snow skate was the employee Christmas gift in 2001. It's lower deck graphics harkened back to the 1985 Backhill. This particular snow skate is in virtually flawless condition. A similar Junkyard was made available to the general public the following year in a version similar to the 1986 red Performer graphics.