# Sierra Boards???? YES OR NO????



## willylax

I am looking at buying a new board...I see these great deals on Sierras...Are they any good? Can someone please inform me more on these boards? 

Good, if so, why?

Bad, if so, why?

I am looking for a rocker board around 151-154


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## ilikeshred

most of the sierra line is manufactured by burton. Sierra just collaborated with them to make the boards to their specifications. like instead of putting the channel system on them or the three hole inserts for bindings they stuck with 4 holes. i havent ridden one myself, but if you read around on trusnow (what used to be sierra snowboard) there are posts and reviews of the boards. i've heard nothing but good things about them tho.


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## david_z

willylax said:


> I see these great deals on Sierras...Are they any good?


They provide the illusion of a "great deal" by pretending that the Reverse Crew is really a $600 snowboard. It's not. Pracitcally nobody paid more than probably $299 for it and many people have bought it for under $200 when it goes on sale which is like every other week.

That said, my friend Brad recently replaced a 10-year old K2 with a Sierra Reverse Crew and he likes it. He is not a super-serious snowboarder though and I'd venture that just about any board would be better than the old plank he was riding.

I haven't had a chance to ride it yet, sorry can't be of more help...


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## willylax

Thanks for the reply...I did read a bunch on trusnow...just found it odd that there are like over 243 reviews and over 300 reviews for some of the Sierra boards and very few reviews for other more popular other brand boards such as Burton etc...just seemed to be an inflated number of reviews ya know...


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## david_z

Here is a decent review:

Review: ’10 Sierra Reverse Crew 

i think the biggest thing to consider if you're looking at one of those boards is just not to buy in to the hype. For example they marketed the Reverse Crew as though it was literally a Burton with a different graphic on it. But AFAIK that's not really true, it was dumbed down tech, cheaper materials, etc.

Still, it is probably a decent board if you snag it at the right price just don't think "Hey I'm getting this snowboard for 75% off!!!!" understand that it really is just a $299 board and maybe a decent one at that. If you're an avid/frequent rider it might not be the best option but if you're an occasional rider looking for a bargain board with some of the newer tech, it's probably an OK choice.


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## Leo

ilikeshred said:


> most of the sierra line is manufactured by burton. Sierra just collaborated with them to make the boards to their specifications. like instead of putting the channel system on them or the three hole inserts for bindings they stuck with 4 holes. i havent ridden one myself, but if you read around on trusnow (what used to be sierra snowboard) there are posts and reviews of the boards. *i've heard nothing but good things about them tho*.


That comment means one of two things (possibly):

1) You are a mole planted here by Sierra. You have 1 post that sounds a lot like marketing for their boards.

2) You have been under a rock (in relation to these forums). Look around, plenty of negative reviews for Sierra boards on these very forums. All of them say basically the same thing: board rode good til it broke blah blah blah.

Bottom line, I'd much rather increase my budget slightly and get a much better board for my money. I hear too many things about their boards breaking easily. Not shocking in the least bit to me.


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## DrnknZag

willylax said:


> Thanks for the reply...I did read a bunch on trusnow...just found it odd that there are like over 243 reviews and over 300 reviews for some of the Sierra boards and very few reviews for other more popular other brand boards such as Burton etc...just seemed to be an inflated number of reviews ya know...


Because Trusnow owns Sierra.

I will never support Trusnow or Sierra. Shady business dealings from the former Sierra Snowboards owner and a crappy second rate product.


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## vanner

I bought a sierrascope and found it to be slightly lower quality compared to the real horrorscope. though they are not supposed to be exactly the same board (sierra is supposed to be lighter), it found it to be lower quality. maybe it was to make up for the ligher weight....i dunno.


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## ilikeshred

Leo said:


> That comment means one of two things (possibly):
> 
> 1) You are a mole planted here by Sierra. You have 1 post that sounds a lot like marketing for their boards.
> 
> 2) You have been under a rock (in relation to these forums). Look around, plenty of negative reviews for Sierra boards on these very forums. All of them say basically the same thing: board rode good til it broke blah blah blah.
> 
> Bottom line, I'd much rather increase my budget slightly and get a much better board for my money. I hear too many things about their boards breaking easily. Not shocking in the least bit to me.


this actually made me laugh. thanks you. i, for one, am not a "mole" from ss and me having just one post on this forum means nothing. i was simply stating what i know and answering the OP's question. someone had suggested this forum to me when i was looking for a used board so i created an account, simple as that. 

to the OP, yes there are 264 reviews for the sierra rc. read them, snowboarders arent going to lie about the quality of a board just because they are a member of the ss community. if the board sounds like something that would suit your riding style i say go for it.


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## Cobra

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is like any other hobby- they better gear you get, the better feel you'll have and ultimately the more fun and reliability you'll get out of your stuff. That said, I'd fork an extra 100 or 2 for something handmade, with all the bells and wistles instead of getting a mediocre board and then upgrading sooner than later.


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## Gigglinpig

I have owned a Sierra Reverse Crew 155, and Sierra Union Bindings since last January (2010). I have used the board/bindings for almost 20+ full days of boarding, and it is still in great condition. It has been through crud, gone over rocks and twigs and crashed (at low speed) in a tree. It may not be a Burton, but I have no complaints at all, and would recommend it if you can get it for a good price.


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## SnowKanin

I am currently riding a Sierra Crew with Rome 390 bindings. This is the model that is very similar to the Burton Custom. I am a newb and have wiped out on it more than a couple of times, nosing hard into some pow on my last trip to Wolf Creek, causing me to flip over a few times as the front edge caught hard pack under the powder. Still going strong. The board feels solid, well built, and it is serving me very well. We'll see how it lasts, but soo far soo good!  It was heavily recommended to me by several experienced boarders who are a part of the trusnow community, some having snowboarded for the past 23 years.

I'm not trying to sell these boards, and I know this community doesnt have much respect for Sierra as a company, and rightfully soo! I'm not denying that they screwed the snowboard community over as a whole with some of their dealings, not in the least. But I don't think their boards, which are great, affordable boards should get a bad rap for that. They are not high end boards, but they serve their purpose, and allow us to extend the joys of our sport to some who could'nt afford to get into it otherwise.


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## Krug

SnowKanin said:


> I am currently riding a Sierra Crew with Rome 390 bindings. This is the model that is very similar to the Burton Custom. I am a newb and have wiped out on it more than a couple of times, nosing hard into some pow on my last trip to Wolf Creek, causing me to flip over a few times as the front edge caught hard pack under the powder. Still going strong. The board feels solid, well built, and it is serving me very well. We'll see how it lasts, but soo far soo good!  It was heavily recommended to me by several experienced boarders who are a part of the trusnow community, some having snowboarded for the past 23 years.
> 
> I'm not trying to sell these boards, and I know this community doesnt have much respect for Sierra as a company, and rightfully soo! I'm not denying that they screwed the snowboard community over as a whole with some of their dealings, not in the least. But I don't think their boards, which are great, affordable boards should get a bad rap for that. They are not high end boards, but they serve their purpose, and allow us to extend the joys of our sport to some who could'nt afford to get into it otherwise.


Can someone elaborate on the "bad dealings" of Sierra Snowboards and the owner? I was unaware and have bought many items at a discount and always been really satisfied. 

Just curious if I should be steering clear.

Krug


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## david_z

Krug said:


> Can someone elaborate on the "bad dealings" of Sierra Snowboards and the owner? I was unaware and have bought many items at a discount and always been really satisfied.


One of the means by which Sierra was able to give those discounts was by breaking their contracts with the manufacturers. Example: contract stipulates that no discounts on current year's merchandise be offered until March 15, Sierra discounts everything by 40% on February 1. So there's that whole shady-not-honoring-contracts thing going on, regardless of what your opinion is on that sort of agreement (I may be in the minority but I think things like MSRP are bullshit Sloan/push-marketing dinosaurs that are hopefully on their way to extinction but that doesn't give anyone a free pass to break their commitments even if I think the OEM's are about 50% to blame for the situation).

As a result of a bunch of other bad decisions (probably) Sierra then declared bankruptcy, completely f*cking about half of the manufacturers. 

Over the summer, Sierra was bought out by the company that owns The-House.com and changed the name to TruSnow.com.


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## SnowKanin

^^^And there you have it, those are the facts as far as I'm aware. Sierra has paid for their shady business deals, they are no longer in business. Trusnow is being completely overhauled by the-house as we speak, with things about the site and business changing almost daily. They still have their awesome giveaways, and they still sell Sierra boards for the now "raised" prices they are supposed to be at as far as I know.

If you want to spend your money there now, power to you! I know I for one will continue to be part of the community there, as there are many knowledgable people and they do have good prices on some things. The chat room is awesome, one of the best things about the site, and thats actually where I bought my used setup of my Sierra Crew and Rome 390 bindings from, for $200 shipped (I know right! quite a deal, at least I thought so). I personally have'nt bought anything from the website directly. But I have been nothing but pleased with the feel of the community as a whole thus far. What went down with Sierra is in the past, and I think we can all spend our money there without guilt now, if we so please.


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## SnowKanin

On a different note, david z that is one steezy photo you've got there for your avatar. Where was that taken?


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## david_z

Breck, somewhere on Peak 7 IIRC... we were there a few days in mid-December. Thought to myself it would be cool to try and get a shot of the sun behind me all flared out with the snow flying off my tail. This is actually a single frame from a GoPro video. The video didn't turn out all that well, but a few frames like this one were just what I was looking for


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## SnowKanin

Dude, GoPro's are the bomb... I want one! I'd use it to film my other hobbies such as my car too...

I would have to agree, that is one very nice shot. I need more shots of me boarding!


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## kimchijajonshim

Owned a few Sierra boards. Last year's Crew 159 (based on Burton Custom), the Sierrascope 156 (Capita Indoor Survival guts in a Horrorscope shape), and the O.G. Crew 155 (based on a Capita Stairmaster with a cheaper core). All of them are reasonable quality boards. I actually like the Crew 159 better than the Custom because it was a bit stiffer (overbuilt core and no ride through the infinite ride machine). The topsheet on the Crew 159 was very weak, but I've found Burton topsheets to be weak in the past. Topsheet on the Sierrascope was also very weak but I haven't owned any Capitas. I had no problems with them.

As for Sierra's bad business dealings... there was a lot of shadiness that went down on Sierra's part. But I have very little sympathy for the manufacturers who claim they got screwed by Sierra's policies. For one, the companies (especially Burton) encouraged it by overproducing and flooding the market with crap. Second, the owner was breaking vendor agreements for YEARS before anyone did anything about it. During that time, many companies were very buddy-buddy with Sierra because they saw it as a lucrative business arrangement. Capita, Rome, and ESPECIALLY Burton did a lot of collaborations with Sierra before it went bankrupt. The manufacturers are not blameless in that situation.


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## david_z

^^ my thoughts, exactly.

bottom line: if the manufacturers _really_ wanted to remove/minimize the incentive for over-discounting, they need to stop giving the retailers that much margin to play with. If they want to support the "little guys" and the local shops, AFAIK there is nothing that would (legally) prevent them from offering different wholesale prices to Mom & Pop than they do for Sierra. Give the little guys more margin because they have more overhead (relatively speaking) and the rest should work itself out.


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## SnowKanin

^^^Glad you both could set us straight. I had'nt heard that much detail on what all went down between the other boarding companies and Sierra. Sounds like everyone wanted a piece of the pie till it was gone...


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## legends6spd

I'm in agreement with everyone about what Sierra's done. It wasn't right. They are no longer in business. Bash them all you want. I'm okay with it. 

However, this person asks for Sierra board reviews so let's give him an unbiased review of the boards. If you have not ridden one, owned one, then please do not throw your opinion in and throws the baby out with the bathwater. 

I have owned 2010 Burton Custom V-Rocker Limited, rode Sierra Reverse Crew for 3 days, owned Sierrascope and Sierra Stunt. Here are my thoughts:
They are a great way to buy a good board at a cheap discounted price. First of all, do not look at the MSRP of Sierra boards. They were set artificially high just so it'll look like a better deal % wise when they do go on sale.

Second of all, these boards are produced by Burton and Capita - just to the specification and graphics of Sierra. I was disappointed to find out my Custom VRocker rode exactly the same as my friend's Sierra Crew. I didn't notice any difference and will have to disagree with above poster about the Crew being slight bit more stiff (could length have to do w/ it? maybe)... The Sierrascope is unlike any other Capita since it is an in between Horrorscope and Indoor. Closest thing would be Ultrafear but one thing I'll note about the Scope is that the top sheet is very week. It was easily nicked and damaged and even though Horrorscope suffers through similar problems, I'd say the Sierra version has more problems. This could be due to mass producing the board and rushed for Sierra's sake. Finally, the Blunt and Stunt are also the same board. The Stunt's graphic is a bit 'cooler' so I went with it.

Now, do I use these boards? Not really. They are fine but I've sold them all because I'm just not a Burton fan in general and prefer some other brands. However, I feel like they are adequate and good for the price. For those that thinks their Burton counterparts are that much better than the Sierra marketed ones, please wake up and get over the brand image that is clouding your judgement. They are the same thing for all practical purposes. 

Yes I recommend hand crafted one like Never Summer or Mervin but if budget is an issue then feel free to pick up Sierra boards and go out and have fun!


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## Leo

You guys are forgetting to mention the other big reason why Sierra was shady with what they did... They basically stole all of their competitor's customers. I know what you're thinking, customers do not belong to any one company... correct. However, you have to realize that other retailers simply couldn't compete with those discounts. Most of all, whether or not retailers agree with the rules, they are there. They have to agree to them if they want to continue carrying those brands. Sierra decided to break agreement and offer discounts that they knew others couldn't follow. They didn't do it just to be altruistic and give riders a good deal. They did it to get rid of as many Burton gear as they could since they over-ordered. That's a big "F U" to all the other retailers who are following the rules.

The worst part of it all was that they came into these forums and tried to justify what they did as being "for the riders." BS.

I may not have ridden a Sierra board, but I know it is not the same quality as their brand name counterparts. Different cores and such like Kimchi stated. 

I guess the amount of breakage I hear about can be attributed to the fact that they don't go through things like Infinite Ride. Obviously, more defects will leak through this way.

But yea, you guys are right. It's a snowboard that is cheap. Serves it purpose. Personally, I'd ride a Lamar before a Sierra.


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## kimchijajonshim

Leo said:


> You guys are forgetting to mention the other big reason why Sierra was shady with what they did... They basically stole all of their competitor's customers. I know what you're thinking, customers do not belong to any one company... correct. However, you have to realize that other retailers simply couldn't compete with those discounts. Most of all, whether or not retailers agree with the rules, they are there. They have to agree to them if they want to continue carrying those brands. Sierra decided to break agreement and offer discounts that they knew others couldn't follow. They didn't do it just to be altruistic and give riders a good deal. They did it to get rid of as many Burton gear as they could since they over-ordered. That's a big "F U" to all the other retailers who are following the rules.
> 
> The worst part of it all was that they came into these forums and tried to justify what they did as being "for the riders." BS.
> 
> I may not have ridden a Sierra board, but I know it is not the same quality as their brand name counterparts. Different cores and such like Kimchi stated.
> 
> I guess the amount of breakage I hear about can be attributed to the fact that they don't go through things like Infinite Ride. Obviously, more defects will leak through this way.
> 
> But yea, you guys are right. It's a snowboard that is cheap. Serves it purpose. Personally, I'd ride a Lamar before a Sierra.


I'm not forgetting that element of Sierra's business practices at all. But it's too easy to scapegoat them and place ALL the blame on that for that situation. Perhaps they "stole" other retailers customers, but just as valid a perception is that the manufacturers sold out their vendors who'd been working with them for years (decades in some cases). Mike Harrosh was doing what it was doing for probably four or five years before he got nailed. His father at Tri-city was doing it before him. There's no way the manufacturers didn't know this. Yet every year, Harrosh was doing business with more brands, doing more collaborations, and buying up more inventory. The brands chose to look the other way because the guy was making HUGE orders, vendor agreement be damned. Never Summer was one of the few companies I know of who said "No thanks" when Sierra called for a meeting at SIA. It wasn't until Burton decided years after the fact that Sierra's practices weren't in its best interests that the hammer came down... that could have happened at any point during the previous five years of ridiculous sales. I think it's awfully one sided to act like the manufacturers weren't partially complicit for what happened.


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## Leo

I never said anything about it not being the manufacturer's fault. That's why I said "whether or not vendors agree with the rules". It's there and there is nothing we can do about it. Yea, so Sierra has been doing this for a long time... certainly not on this scale though. 40% Off when it's still in season for Burton products (the biggest brand mind you) is just ridiculous. Of course they got nailed. Do you think all the other retailers stood by idly on this? Burton probably got bombarded with complaints.

The only way to rectify the vendor agreements is for all the retailers to collectively boycott or give the same level of agreement breaking discounts on these brands. I don't see that being feasible. 

And like I said, this whole Sierra debacle was made worse with their justification.


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## legends6spd

Why is this still a debate on Sierra's old practices? They are bankrupt and defunct so it's over and done with. I agree w/ all the points that you said Leo. Sierra sucks! I know, we get it. Heck we are with you! But this section of the forum is equipment reviews so let's talk about gear review. 

Regarding the statement you know they are not the same quality. How do you know? Because someone else said so? It is still made by Burton/Capita. And does the different cores necessarily make it worse, in the case of the Sierrascope, it uses Indoor cores but just with Horrorscope shape. Does that mean it is any less quality? If anything, everyone would agree Indoor has a better core.

I'd like to know the bottom of why it is less quality and not just because Sierra business practice sucks ass. If Burton made the boards with the same design and material and marketed under Sierra brand as a collaboration then if it breaks then it is on Burton just as much as it is on Sierra.

Speaking of breakage, there are way more breakage of Burton boards than there are Sierra board just by the sheer volume. People just don't complain as loud because Burton's warranty and customer service is great as they'll offer you a new board replacement (sometimes the following year's model). I like facts


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## kimchijajonshim

Leo said:


> I never said anything about it not being the manufacturer's fault. That's why I said "whether or not vendors agree with the rules". It's there and there is nothing we can do about it. Yea, so Sierra has been doing this for a long time... certainly not on this scale though. 40% Off when it's still in season for Burton products (the biggest brand mind you) is just ridiculous. Of course they got nailed. Do you think all the other retailers stood by idly on this? Burton probably got bombarded with complaints.
> 
> The only way to rectify the vendor agreements is for all the retailers to collectively boycott or give the same level of agreement breaking discounts on these brands. I don't see that being feasible.
> 
> And like I said, this whole Sierra debacle was made worse with their justification.


The two years prior to last they were going 50% in late-February/early-March IIRC. They were also selling name brand boards for $100 on Black Friday. If anything, Sierra scaled it back in their last season of operation (at least until they went all F-U and closed out their Burton stock and started shipping internationally... kind of a dick move). Burton probably got bombarded with complaints, but I can guarantee you those complaints had been rolling in for a good two or three seasons before anyone listened. Coincidentally it was only when Burton ramped up its direct sales that they stopped dealing with Sierra.

You're right that Sierra's justification was bull. I'm just saying, the manufacturers let Sierra to break the rules and get away with it, thus enabling Sierra's behavior. They put the rules in place but they didn't hold Sierra to the same standard as everyone else because there was money to be made in Sierra's behavior for them. It wasn't until Burton felt there was more money to be made elsewhere that they did anything about it.


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## Leo

It is my understanding that Burton didn't have a 40% cap prior to the Sierra thing. They had mapped pricing though, but I don't know the specific dates off-hand.

At any rate, this debate is pointless. What happened happened.

Legend: Sierra is still Sierra under a different name. New owner, same exact employees.

A lot of stuff is hear-say for me with regards to things like a brand's R&D and Sierra's boards. The thing is, it's not hear-say from any random person. I am hearing these things in from people who work in the industry.

Also, think about it. Why would Burton make boards that are supposedly the same as their top selling board (previous years' molds mind you) for Sierra knowing that they are going to sell it dirt cheap? They gain nothing by this. Something has to give.

And you are absolutely correct about defect ratios. Of course you hear a lot more Burton's breaking. For every one Sierra Crew, there are literally millions of Customs out there. Which is why I find it suspicious that I hear so many complaints about quality issues with Sierra boards. But yea, you're right... I don't know for sure beyond a reasonable doubt.

But now that you bring it up... I'm going to ask the Burton reps about this next time I see them 

But then again, it'll be hear-say to you since you have to take my word for what they said to me. Unless I record them, but I don't think I'll do that lol.

At the end of the day, I don't recommend Sierra boards because I don't view them as a good value. I'll cough up $80 more to get a K2 Raygun over a crew.


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## legends6spd

Leo said:


> It is my understanding that Burton didn't have a 40% cap prior to the Sierra thing. They had mapped pricing though, but I don't know the specific dates off-hand.
> 
> At any rate, this debate is pointless. What happened happened.
> 
> Legend: Sierra is still Sierra under a different name. New owner, same exact employees.
> 
> A lot of stuff is hear-say for me with regards to things like a brand's R&D and Sierra's boards. The thing is, it's not hear-say from any random person. I am hearing these things in from people who work in the industry.
> 
> Also, think about it. Why would Burton make boards that are supposedly the same as their top selling board (previous years' molds mind you) for Sierra knowing that they are going to sell it dirt cheap? They gain nothing by this. Something has to give.
> 
> And you are absolutely correct about defect ratios. Of course you hear a lot more Burton's breaking. For every one Sierra Crew, there are literally millions of Customs out there. Which is why I find it suspicious that I hear so many complaints about quality issues with Sierra boards. But yea, you're right... I don't know for sure beyond a reasonable doubt.
> 
> But now that you bring it up... I'm going to ask the Burton reps about this next time I see them
> 
> But then again, it'll be hear-say to you since you have to take my word for what they said to me. Unless I record them, but I don't think I'll do that lol.
> 
> At the end of the day, I don't recommend Sierra boards because I don't view them as a good value. I'll cough up $80 more to get a K2 Raygun over a crew.


actually i've heard exactly the opposite from industry insiders. sierra boards w/ burton collaboration are made in burton factories with same materials. please do check with your burton reps. unless there's significant facts to show me otherwise, i have no reason not to trust my sources. also, are people/doubters suggesting that sierra snowboards had their own factory and workers that knew how to make snowboards? 

burton was willing to do this for the same reason they collaborated to begin with - to sell more boards. bottom line was profit. also, nobody knew at the time of the collaboration that sierra was going to heavily discount them. remember sierra retailed it higher and was actually trying to make themselves a premium brand by charging so much to begin with (God bless those poor souls that paid retail for them!). 

another reason why the collaboration took place was simply that Sierra wanted to have full control over the sale of the board. these boards would not fall under the burton price agreement since it is branded under sierra name. 

but finally, the reason to sell it is simply to make more products out there to be marketed to different segments of the targeted audience. i mean, we've seen it happen with any products (same cars that share different model names...etc). co-branding when done correctly = more $ for both parties.


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## Sick-Pow

fuck skierra/sierra they fucking suck, support your local shop, and if you must buy mail order, try a reputable company like PortersTahoe, or similar.


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## SnowKanin

Sierra is gone, it is now Trusnow. It is true that most of the same people work there as did before, but they are now doing things the way The-House is telling them to do it. I see evidence of this in the way the website is changing every day. I know a few of the staff members that work there, and I know for a fact that they are in the business FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SPORT and not to make a quick buck. And I don't think the staff of Trusnow should be "hated on" for the way their old company handled their dealings. Sierra was shady in some of its business, someone finally did something about it, Sierra went bankrupt... its a new day with no mistakes for them, and until they screw up again... I don't think anything more need be said about them.

I am inclined to agree with legend more on this, as his facts seem to make the most sense and are more in line with what I've heard as well. But in the end, if you want to do business with them then do so, guilt free... while it is still being staffed by many of the same people, it is not being run in the same way at all. Don't feel bad for ordering things from them...


To the OP:

Sierra boards are solid boards that will last you a long time. Their main downside is their week topsheets, as some have stated and I can attest to, as my Crew is basically brand new and has a few marks in it already from minor impacts and scratches. But this is purely cosmetic and all boards get marked up with time..... which is why we have sooo many sick stickers to choose from from snowboard companies to cover them up  So go read some reviews, and if one of them suits what your wanting to do with it, get it! The Crew and Reverse Crew are both solid performing boards, and I would heartily recommend either of them.


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## Leo

Nobody is suggesting that Sierra made their own boards. It is my belief that Burton was making boards for them out of their Custom mold with lesser tech. I know for a fact that all the tech was not there such as frostbite and lightning bolts.

I have this belief that they are using materials from their lesser boards. So basically like a Clash made from a Custom mold. I do remember hearing that they used the same materials from their Process in the newer Sierra Crews, but I don't know how reliable that info is. I will definitely ask the reps or even our buyer here. Damn, I wish I would have thought of this sooner. I was at a private Burton showing and the guy that deals here is personal friends with Jake Burton. He would have known for sure. I hope he's at the test fest. He'd be the most reliable source.

I'll definitely let you know if I am able to squeeze info.


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## legends6spd

Leo said:


> Nobody is suggesting that Sierra made their own boards. It is my belief that Burton was making boards for them out of their Custom mold with lesser tech. I know for a fact that all the tech was not there such as frostbite and lightning bolts.
> 
> I have this belief that they are using materials from their lesser boards. So basically like a Clash made from a Custom mold. I do remember hearing that they used the same materials from their Process in the newer Sierra Crews, but I don't know how reliable that info is. I will definitely ask the reps or even our buyer here. Damn, I wish I would have thought of this sooner. I was at a private Burton showing and the guy that deals here is personal friends with Jake Burton. He would have known for sure. I hope he's at the test fest. He'd be the most reliable source.
> 
> I'll definitely let you know if I am able to squeeze info.


Sounds good Leo. I'm pretty sure you'll hear the same thing I was told - UNLESS that whole sierra/burton squabble got so ugly and personal their reps will now do anything to slander Sierra even more 
What you said about the Custom mold is true. It is the previous year and with less tech like you said. But that whole thing about the Burton Process is not. Also, keep in mind the Custom/Crew is not the only collaboration here. Capita did the same thing and there was no shortcut taken in material - in fact the core was upgraded. 

Only problem was that the topsheet sucked ass - 2 days on a brand new board and it was chipping off. In fact if you guys want to look I notice a Sierrascope for sale here on the forums and you'll clearly see what I'm referring to. IMO, these companies just mass printed these boards for Sierra and did not go through the same QA process that it normally would for their own board.
Nevertheless, if the board sucked and it was made out of Capita/Burton's factories, then I put the onous on them. I believe anything you make, you should back it up with quality and reputation. The fact they break or has less quality or not is still on the factories/manufacturers. When they were collaborating together they were probably thinking they'll do it for years to come and their intention was not to make a cheap board that sucked especially when Sierra made no intention to hide these were Burton/Capita made (or counterparts). 
Finally, personal experience tells me I've not had performance issue with them at all (just small cosmetic ones). Because of that, if a budget conscious rider wants a discounted board to have some fun on the slopes then so be it. I'm not going to tell them not to do it simply because I hated Sierra's bad business practices in the past. For me, boarders come first. I'll always try to take care of the fellow riders before I take care of the companies that try to make $ off of us or this sport :thumbsup:


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## SnowKanin

Leo I too am interested to see what you hear from the reps. I'll be looking forward to hearing what you find out...  When will this test fest be??


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## kimchijajonshim

legends6spd said:


> Finally, personal experience tells me I've not had performance issue with them at all (just small cosmetic ones). Because of that, if a budget conscious rider wants a discounted board to have some fun on the slopes then so be it. I'm not going to tell them not to do it simply because I hated Sierra's bad business practices in the past. For me, boarders come first. I'll always try to take care of the fellow riders before I take care of the companies that try to make $ off of us or this sport :thumbsup:


This about sums up my position. I don't condone what Sierra did. However I've had no performance issues with any of my Sierra boards. I've not heard of any major breakage issues except for one friend who rode her V-spot into the ground. I have heard a ton about cosmetic issues and weak topsheets (and seen this myself). But no performance issues. In fact I found the base on the Crew to be more durable than the one on my older 08 Burton Uninc (super fun board but that base was made of glass). The only board I said had downgraded tech was the very original Sierra Crew. As far as I know the others were high tech as any other boards (if off molds and tech a few seasons old). Whatever you think of their business practices, I think their boards are a decent value (even with inflated MSRP).


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## Skoojoo

I know this thread is kinda dead but i decided to toss my 2 cents regarding Sierra (now trusnow). First off, their Sierra Stunt board is a POS made in china. Im on my replaced copy cause the first one delammed, and this one is doing the same thing and i havent even ridden it. I spent a lot of time trolling their forums gathering points for free crap. In that time I have discovered that the community attracts a lot of scenester snowboarders who think every board they buy is awesome cause they dont know any better. Its ridiculous how many people post threads asking what kind of board they should get or people who write how good the board is that they demoed in one short sentence. If you are looking beyond some decent sales and free stuff, you will come up moderately empty handed. Trusnow's community has become a collective of trolls looking for a discount. Im going to go back to getting crazy deals from board reps not idiots sitting in offices.


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## DrEricFautstein

I will echo many words here.

I have a 2011 Sierra Crew - purchased in early 2010 for about 200 bucks, I think it was like 50 or 60 percent off retail. Looking back, I think the crew is worth 200 bucks new, but I would also recommend (if you can) to throw a little more cash in for a nicer board.

PROS: Price, Ridability. I thought it was a great ride, certainly doesn't feel like a POS. I progressed rapidly, even the people I went with who are far more experienced riders than me were quite surprised by how fast I was improving. By the end of my 3rd day ever on a snowboard, I felt comfortable enough to pretty much have my way around groomers. After I got my toe edge down, it was all downhill from there (no pun intended).

I think it's also a pretty versatile board, so that is also nice.

CONS: Durability. My board is already starting to de-lam, and it hasn't even been through a half dozen trips to the mountain. Very dissapointing. Somewhat unstable at high speeds, but it is also somewhat of a narrow waist width, so I think that has something to do with it. Never really felt like I was out of control, or that the board would give out on hardpack/ice though. Honestly, I haven't had any problems whatsoever with my topsheet, not that I care about stuff like that anyways. Other riders have bumped into me in the line, and the topsheet is flawless at this point. 

That's really I think what you need to know. A solid board to start out on, but don't expect it to last. But I think the price tag may give that away anyways. Trying the crew makes me want to get a reverse crew just to trash in the park, and learn how to do tricks on. I feel like the rocker isn't something I could do all the time, but for ~200 bucks, i think it would be a great board to experiment in the park with as a secondary option. 

Now I am looking at new boards for the tail end of this season, and hopefully for the next few seasons... another 2 or 3 hundred dollars out of my pocket. 

Probly could have saved some cash if I just got a nice board to start out with, but hey - win some, lose some. On the other hand I didnt really want to splurge on a dope stick when I didn't even know how to ride in the first place. Now that I do (thanks to the Sierra), I am would like something a little more durable/stable so I am going for a somewhat stiffer board that is a little more stable at high speed.


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