The Burton Clash is…A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
I read the reviews, and it was even featured on my “To Carve the Learning Curve” post a year ago. I finally put up the cash to purchase a used Burton Clash 142. No regrets.
I started snowboarding on a Burton LTR. It is probably the most basic of all beginner boards. It’s sturdy, wide, heavy, and will definitely get the beginner up and going. But it was a tough board to carve on. Good for leafing, not so much for the cruising and carving. Definitely do not attempt jumps on a board that heavy and unflexible. Overall, after mastering what my friend, PD calls “the ancient chinese art of Leafing”, I felt the need to move on.
I bought the cheapest board I could find on ebay. It was an Artec Vixen. It was cute; it had hearts. It was longer than my LTR. It was narrower. It was also lighter. I rode that board and didn’t want to go back to my LTR. It was just a lot lighter and easier to maneuver. But it still wasn’t enough. I was catching edges. It wasn’t flexing.
So, I sold the LTR and used the proceeds to buy my Clash.
I rode it for the first time this weekend at Big Bear (Bear Mountain), and whoo boy…I’m in love. Okay, so I would disclaim that Big Bear had just had about 5-7 feet of snow dumped on it in the last four days, so the conditions were top notch (for Big Bear). But the board…well, it made my day, too. It’s responsive and light. It is so maneuverable that it made carving just all that much easier and snowboarding exponentially more fun. It’s got Cruise Control technology which really cuts on my tendency to catch an edge. It’s slightly directional, so it’s set-back a little bit which makes carving a bit easier (i.e. catching an edge less likely). But it also means it’s not really for those who ride switch often (which is something that only happens accidentally with me).
It’s just great to find a board that fits. This is the board that will definitely help me progress. And to top it all off, it only cost me $70 on ebay. *grriiins*
Snowboarding is love.
