Board: Burton Flight Attendant
Size: 156 cm
Shape: Directional
Flex: Mid+
Camber: Hybrid camber/rocker
Days ridden: 8
Ridden with: Burton X-base EST bindings and 3 season old Burton Raptor boots
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 rainbows
The last few seasons I've ridden two variants of the rocker Burton Hero and a rocker, directional Burton Nug. My preferred riding conditions are steep, deep, with a good measure of cliffs and as much hang time as possible. While the Nug is a hilariously fun board that shreds pow surprisingly well, I wanted something a little more purpose built that would allow me to push my abilities and confidence to the next level.
The Flight Attendant is built with eco-friendly materials with design input from Nicolas Muller so you can imagine the potential this board has.
Even though the snow this season has been pretty sub-par I was able to ride the FA in pretty well every condition imaginable, from deep powder turns, chunky, hard crust, and what can only be defined as skating rink ice. While it could handle anything mother nature could throw at me, it was definitely most at home in either slack country pow or bombing perfect corduroy.
In deep snow the FA rode exceptionally well. The rockered, fat nose, tapered tail, and set back stance ensure flotation at any speed. The longer nose was extremely forgiving on hits you couldn't land quite right, keeping me on top of the snow instead of cartwheeling through the pow. This board made me feel invincible; the harder you pushed it, the better it rode. Aggressive turns and hard charging lines reward one with incredible control and it dares you to hit everything that comes your way. Turns quickly in the trees; even in really tight, steep, technical glades I was never wishing for something shorter. On sub-par days where the pow isn't deep or is super chopped up, the mid flex and chunder buster stability ensures that you will still be able to ride the lines you want.
That confidence inspiring performance isn't limited just to deep days though. The FA is cambered underfoot with rocker from just ahead of the front foot to the tip of the nose (S rocker). The result is that the big fat nose stays off the snow in hard pack conditions, simulating a slightly shorter board with phenomal edge feel and carve holding performance. The faster and more aggressively you ride, the more it seems to bite and rail the turns. Another great side effect of this is that the board actually rides pretty well switch. It's got plenty of pop and spins well too. It might not be the weapon of choice for park laps, but on days where the conditions didn't deliver you can at least go hit some jumps in the park instead of going home.
I wouldn't quite call it a jack-of-all-trades, the FA is definitely out of it's element on rails, but I'm not disappointed that it's the only board in my quiver. I rode lines and hit drops that I wouldn't have been comfortable with on any of my older boards; it allowed me to progress my riding and truly enjoy every day on the mountain. It's hard charging attitude takes a few runs to get used to, but once you are on board (heh heh), it takes you places you'd only dreamed of going before.
I'm trying to think of something I didn't like about it, but nothing significant comes to mind. The channel system bindings require frequent tightening (once every couple of days, 4 screws, not a big deal). Yup. That's about it.
Awesome board. Definitely recommend it!
P1100068 by
THE EDJ, on Flickr
P1100070 by
THE EDJ, on Flickr
