# Need advice on first board. 5 foot 9 male 175 pounds 11 size boot trying to choose between a 157 and a 159 process flying V burton.



## WigMar

Weight and barefoot measurement are what you have to worry about when sizing snowboards. Measuring your feet in cm is a great place to start. You can look at the specs and tell how much leverage you will have over the edges, which is important.


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## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> Weight and barefoot measurement are what you have to worry about when sizing snowboards. Measuring your feet in cm is a great place to start. You can look at the specs and tell how much leverage you will have over the edges, which is important.



Lol, I kid you not my left foot is 27.5cm and my right is 27.2cm. I'm not sure what you mean by looking at the specs to tell how much leverage I'll have? 

This is the board 








Men's Burton Process Flying V Snowboard | Burton.com Winter 2021


Shop the Men's Burton Process Flying V Snowboard along with more all mountain, park and powder snowboards from Winter 2021 at Burton.com




www.burton.com


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## tbarch

Jelly817 said:


> Lol, I kid you not my left foot is 27.5cm and my right is 27.2cm. I'm not sure what you mean by looking at the specs to tell how much leverage I'll have?
> 
> This is the board
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Men's Burton Process Flying V Snowboard | Burton.com Winter 2021
> 
> 
> Shop the Men's Burton Process Flying V Snowboard along with more all mountain, park and powder snowboards from Winter 2021 at Burton.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.burton.com


What WigMar is trying to get across is the fact that you use heel/toe leverage to put your board on edge. If you have no overhang at all, it’s obviously going to take a bit more work to tilt it over. Using your board specs (width at reference stance) will give you a good idea on how much overhang you’ll have, as well as if you need to go wide or not.

If you go with the 59 you don’t need a wide. Even with an 11 size boot, I doubt you’ll be able to lay it over hard enough with that board to experience overhang. Again, this isn’t dependent on height. Weight is the main factor here. At 175 you should be fine with the 59.

What do you plan on riding mostly?


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## Jelly817

tbarch said:


> What WigMar is trying to get across is the fact that you use heel/toe leverage to put your board on edge. If you have no overhang at all, it’s obviously going to take a bit more work to tilt it over. Using your board specs (width at reference stance) will give you a good idea on how much overhang you’ll have, as well as if you need to go wide or not.
> 
> If you go with the 59 you don’t need a wide. Even with an 11 size boot, I doubt you’ll be able to lay it over hard enough with that board to experience overhang. Again, this isn’t dependent on height. Weight is the main factor here. At 175 you should be fine with the 59.
> 
> What do you plan on riding mostly?


I've ridden about 20 times now and I've always only used the rental beginner boards. From the last time I went until now though I've put on about 10 pounds from working out. As for your question though, my snowboarding is happening from the top of the mountain down just making S's all the way down trying to progress to where I can ride flat down some more steep runs. The width on the 59 is 255mm for my 272-275cm size feet. The burton boas claim to have shrinkage tech that means my 11 boots should ride as 10's in size. I ride goofy but like to ride switch as well. I haven't gotten to doing jumps or anything yet and I'm 31 so I don't know if it's in my future although I'd like to try sometimes this season. How would I be in a size 11 boot on a 57 if the boot is "shrink tech"?


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## tbarch

Jelly817 said:


> I've ridden about 20 times now and I've always only used the rental beginner boards. From the last time I went until now though I've put on about 10 pounds from working out. As for your question though, my snowboarding is happening from the top of the mountain down just making S's all the way down trying to progress to where I can ride flat down some more steep runs. The width on the 59 is 255mm for my 272-275cm size feet. The burton boas claim to have shrinkage tech that means my 11 boots should ride as 10's in size. I ride goofy but like to ride switch as well. I haven't gotten to doing jumps or anything yet and I'm 31 so I don't know if it's in my future although I'd like to try sometimes this season. How would I be in a size 11 boot on a 57 if the boot is "shrink tech"?


Yeah, Burton has some of the best reduced footprint tech in the game. To be honest, with your riding style/specs I think you would benefit off of going with the 59, especially if you’re focusing more on steeps/carving. I would only suggest the 57 if you were focusing on more park style riding.

If you’re dead set on going with the 57 I would recommend the wide version. 25.2 cm of WW is pushing it with boots that big, even with the reduced footprint. In all honesty the 157W is hardly a true “wide” board at 25.7 cm of WW. Burton loves to make their boards slim for some reason.


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## Jelly817

tbarch said:


> Yeah, Burton has some of the best reduced footprint tech in the game. To be honest, with your riding style/specs I think you would benefit off of going with the 59, especially if you’re focusing more on steeps/carving. I would only suggest the 57 if you were focusing on more park style riding.
> 
> If you’re dead set on going with the 57 I would recommend the wide version. 25.2 cm of WW is pushing it with boots that big, even with the reduced footprint. In all honesty the 157W is hardly a true “wide” board at 25.7 cm of WW. Burton loves to make their boards slim for some reason.



Man, thank you so much for the assurance. I'm not dead set on a 57, but something about the feel of the 59 felt too big lined up against me. What you said makes sense though so I shouldn't be so concerned with the height and because I'm not trying to get up to doing tricks a smaller board might not be as beneficial as I thought. My main reason for the 57 was because I thought the turning on a smaller board would allow me more maneuverability. However, if that comes at the cost of maybe having drag then it makes more sense to just be safe with the 59. I'm going to be out on the mountain in two weeks and I'll be demoing the 2019 version of flying v board I bought and if it's not to my liking or too big I'll just return it and wait for a 57w to come available. Thanks again!


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## tbarch

I mean don’t get me wrong, you’ll lose a almost non noticeable degree of maneuverability sizing up. Given that you want steeps and carving though it’s going to offer better stability while doing what you want to do.

I mean the 159 is still narrower than the 157W at 25.5 cm of WW, but I think you’ll be fine with the setup you have. You could jump to the 159W if you’re really concerned about it as the wide version of the 59 isn’t really TOO wide either, but I think you’ll be fine.


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## Jelly817

tbarch said:


> I mean don’t get me wrong, you’ll lose a almost non noticeable degree of maneuverability sizing up. Given that you want steeps and carving though it’s going to offer better stability while doing what you want to do.
> 
> I mean the 159 is still narrower than the 157W at 25.5 cm of WW, but I think you’ll be fine with the setup you have. You could jump to the 159W if you’re really concerned about it as the wide version of the 59 isn’t really TOO wide either, but I think you’ll be fine.


lmao "Don't get me wrong, you'll lose an almost non noticeable degree of maneuverability sizing up", I think i'll stick with the 159, I've never had to use a W board from all my rental experiences so I doubt I need one now but I'm just trying to be cautious since its a big purchase and I probably won't be able to return it once I've used it. I found a place called snowmasssports that I'm calling tomorrow to insure I can rent one from them so that if I am not pleased with the size or board I can just return the one I've purchased thats still wrapped up in my closet.


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## WigMar

So, I hate being that guy, but 27.5 cm (Mondo) converts to a US 9.5. I wouldn't worry about getting a wide board, and would try on some smaller boots too. There's a ton of benefits to sizing your boots to a Mondo fit- from a reduced footprint and improved response to reduced fatigue and pain. You could have wide feet as well. It's a good idea to measure the width too. Put the inside of your foot against the wall and measure the widest part.


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## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> So, I hate being that guy, but 27.5 cm (Mondo) converts to a US 9.5. I wouldn't worry about getting a wide board, and would try on some smaller boots too. There's a ton of benefits to sizing your boots to a Mondo fit- from a reduced footprint and improved response to reduced fatigue and pain. You could have wide feet as well. It's a good idea to measure the width too. Put the inside of your foot against the wall and measure the widest part.


I definitely have wide feet. I remember a guy fitting me specifically saying so lol also, I don't think I could realistically wear a 9.5. I've only ever worn burton boots and last time we went I was wearing a 10 and I couldn't walk after the first day because my toes were hitting the top of my boot so bad. 

My feet are naturally 27.5 without socks so with my smart wool socks I'm going to say it's closer to 27.7? They've always been burton laces or BOA that I've rented which is what I was going based off of when I ordered my own boots. I saw the burton websites Mondo numbers but from my own experience I just couldn't trust it. Then after reading reviews, a lot of people said they had to order a size larger than their usual shoe size which made me even more skeptical. Burton suggested for a 10.5 foot and 175lb male a 157W or 159 and with an 11 size foot and 175lb male a 157w or 159w. The common board Burton suggested was the 157W which isn't why I was leaning towards it but it offers comfort in the fact that I did as the manufacturer suggested lol, Either way, I've got all my bases covered with a 157W on the way, a 159 at home, then I've got a 10.5 and an 11 boa coming in the mail and after the 22nd I should have an idea of which is better suited for me when I do the demo. Based on everything I've been told here the difference between the 157W and the 159 will be minimal overall so my main focus should be getting a board that won't have drag issues based on my foot size since all else seems equal.


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## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> So, I hate being that guy, but 27.5 cm (Mondo) converts to a US 9.5. I wouldn't worry about getting a wide board, and would try on some smaller boots too. There's a ton of benefits to sizing your boots to a Mondo fit- from a reduced footprint and improved response to reduced fatigue and pain. You could have wide feet as well. It's a good idea to measure the width too. Put the inside of your foot against the wall and measure the widest part.



I'm reading a little more and I see that my foot is actually very wide compared to a normal person. 10.6cm


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## WigMar

Jelly817 said:


> I'm reading a little more and I see that my foot is actually very wide compared to a normal person. 10.6cm


Yeah, that's wide. It's common for people with wide feet to land in longer boots at first. Boots feel too short in the toes when the toes are being cramped. It's obvious there's not enough room up there. It's worth trying on a wide model if you can. I'm not a bootfitter though, @Wiredsport has the good recommendations. If you post your measurements here, he'll probably be able to point you in the direction of some specific boots.


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## Snow Hound

,


Jelly817 said:


> I'm reading a little more and I see that my foot is actually very wide compared to a normal person. 10.6cm


Yeah you need wide boots. Burton is the only company that makes wide models that are wide enough to fit your feet. Ruler or Photon wides in 9.5. They will be tight (very tight at first) which will feel strange but this is how snowboard boots are supposed to fit.

_edit_ Crossed post with @WigMar, but yeah what he said. I'm no boot fitter either just been reading these forums for a long time and went on my own journey a while back. Probably best if you follow Wired's instructions and post some photos up. Get it right the first time.


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## Jelly817

Snow Hound said:


> , Yeah you need wide boots. Burton is the only company that makes wide models that are wide enough to fit your feet. Ruler or Photon wides in 9.5. They will be tight (very tight at first) which will feel strange but this is how snowboard boots are supposed to fit.
> 
> _edit_ Crossed post with @WigMar, but yeah what he said. I'm no boot fitter either just been reading these forums for a long time and went on my own journey a while back. Probably best if you follow Wired's instructions and post some photos up. Get it right the first time.


I got no problem with tightness around my foot. It was more the toe driving into the top of my boot. I think I'd go 28 mondo either way just because with socks I'm closer to 28 and from my understanding your feet get larger through the course of the day snowboarding. Am I mistaken in that belief?

With all this in mind though, do I change from a 157W? @WigMar @Snow Hound 

According to burton 
27.5 mondopoint I should go 157 or 159
28 mondopoint I should go 155 or 159 now lol 
10.5 US would be 157W or 159
11 US would be 157W or 159W


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## Snow Hound

You can do whatever you want friend. Your money, your feet. The guys in here just want to spread the stoke. 

With Wired's help I sorted out my close friend with his first pair of boots. I wasn't there when he actually bought them and he ended up going up half a size because of tightness in the shop. After his first trip with them, 5-6 days riding, he admitted he should have gone with the smaller pair.


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## Jelly817

Snow Hound said:


> You can do whatever you want friend. Your money, your feet. The guys in here just want to spread the stoke.
> 
> With Wired's help I sorted out my close friend with his first pair of boots. I wasn't there when he actually bought them and he ended up going up half a size because of tightness in the shop. After his first trip with them, 5-6 days riding, he admitted he should have gone with the smaller pair.



Well I'll go ahead and give a try to what wired says and follow through on it since it seems like he's got enough respectability around here not to doubt. Based on that I'll decide which board to keep. Thanks!


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## drblast

Remember boots pack out a half or full size after 5-10 days riding. So they might feel tight at first, but if a 28 mondo is comfortable in the shop, figure that's what a 27.5 will feel like after a few days riding.

You don't need a wide board.


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## Jelly817

drblast said:


> Remember boots pack out a half or full size after 5-10 days riding. So they might feel tight at first, but if a 28 mondo is comfortable in the shop, figure that's what a 27.5 will feel like after a few days riding.
> 
> You don't need a wide board.





Jelly817 said:


> Well I'll go ahead and give a try to what wired says and follow through on it since it seems like he's got enough respectability around here not to doubt. Based on that I'll decide which board to keep. Thanks!


So could you explain to me why if I have a 28 mondo the website recommends 155 or 159 but a 27.5 is a 157 or 159? It’s suggesting a size 10 could use a smaller board than the 9.5? 

I basically broke it down by knowing I’ve been comfy in a 10.5 and 11 boots while being recommended a 27.5 by the people who understand best. With those figures in mind, burton recommends board sizes of 157, 157W, 159, or 159W.

Clearly 159W will be overkill so that’s a scratch. Now that leaves 157 which seems to max out at 9.5 shoe size according to Burton whilethe 157W and 159 allows me to wear a 9.5-11. With that in mind I’m little fearful of not keeping the 157W just because I remember how bad it was not being able to bend the toes of my foot and having to lift my heels to walk around where I was hitting my boot into the ground to move my heel back and give some breathing room to my toes. It also seems like a median between 159 and 157 in which I get the length I like and a width that will support any boot that I could possibly fit in. With a 27.5 boot I should still have some over hang on a 157 w (257), 159 (255) and 157 (252) WW but just to be sure, the differences in these widths shouldn’t cause drag for any size between 9.5 and 10.5 right? Could I get a comment from @Wiredsport on this approach?


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## Snow Hound

You seem to be hung up on board width but you're planning on buying a Process Flying V? Width only becomes an issue when you really lay a board over and properly carve. It's really not going to be an issue, you definitely don't need the wide.


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## Jelly817

Snow Hound said:


> You seem to be hung up on board width but you're planning on buying a Process Flying V? Width only becomes an issue when you really lay a board over and properly carve. It's really not going to be an issue, you definitely don't need the wide.


I’m pretty new to all this so it’s very possible I’m looking at it all wrong. If the Wide isn’t necessary and my boot falls in the 9.5-10.5 range I can just choose whichever board between 157 and 159 and it won’t be noticeable essentially? I ride the mountain more than any tricks and I didn’t know width was more for the person really leaning into carves. Thanks for the info!


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## WigMar

Jelly817 said:


> I’m pretty new to all this so it’s very possible I’m looking at it all wrong. If the Wide isn’t necessary and my boot falls in the 9.5-10.5 range I can just choose whichever board between 157 and 159 and it won’t be noticeable essentially? I ride the mountain more than any tricks and I didn’t know width was more for the person really leaning into carves. Thanks for the info!


Yeah, the difference between a 157 and a 159 is going to be really small. Either would work well for you. The 157 will be slightly easier to throw around, and the 159 will be a little more stable. People often like smaller boards for a park focus, and longer boards for all mountain shredding.


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## tbarch

Yeah, you won’t need a wide at 159. Have you thought about the cambered version of the process? I think it might suit your riding a little better since it’ll provide better edge hold and overall stability than the rocker version (Flying V). Custom is also a great option for all mountain riding, but also $100 more if price is a concern.


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## Jelly817

tbarch said:


> Yeah, you won’t need a wide at 159. Have you thought about the cambered version of the process? I think it might suit your riding a little better since it’ll provide better edge hold and overall stability than the rocker version (Flying V). Custom is also a great option for all mountain riding, but also $100 more if price is a concern.


I haven't thought about the cambered version of the process. I've ridden three seasons now for a total of about 20 days. I wasn't sure I'd be up to the task since it was a slight bit more advanced than the flying V according to Burton.com. Not to mention the flying V was apparently the "best of both worlds"in terms of mountain and tricks so this leaves a door open to me learning to do small or medium jumps in the future. 

I'm new to all the snowboard accessories part of the game to be completely honest I'm not sure exactly how cambers and rockers affect my riding since I'm not even sure how the beginner boards they let you rent bend in the first place. I've always used rental burtons but I couldn't find a single one on their site from the past few years that matched the design of what I rode to figure it out and base it on that. Then after reading a bit online I saw this burton flying V process board had some amazing reviews and fell in the beginner category with a print that I thought looked neat so I decided this would be my route. The camber comes in the same print so I could easily just grab that one and be as happy too but no one has suggested it up until you. What would I be gaining my making the switch or losing by not making the switch?


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## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> Yeah, the difference between a 157 and a 159 is going to be really small. Either would work well for you. The 157 will be slightly easier to throw around, and the 159 will be a little more stable. People often like smaller boards for a park focus, and longer boards for all mountain shredding.


Awesome! Thanks for being that guy, because you mentioned the Mondo measurements I was motivated to speak to someone at Burton and they told me it was likely I was going to feel uncomfortable in any shoe that rentals provided with a EE width. Then he explained why that was likely the reason I was reaching for a 10.5-11 thinking it was the length of my foot that was the problem and not the amount of room your foot has in the shoe which is causing your toes to bunch near the top. I hadn't realized that snowboard boots aren't supposed to leave your feet feeling like you walked normally all day. There is supposed to be a little discomfort walking around in the boots and that goes for even someone who has boarded for 10+ years but it shouldn't be unbearable and to find a good medium. Gotta say, the Burton 1800 number sucks shit, they had me on hold for 40 mins but the group at Vail Burton took our like 15 minutes to talk to me about all the boards aspects. He even said that I was wasting my time with W like you guys said and that the website isn't a perfect science and that anything over an 11.5 needs a W but outside of that I'll be good. Then @tbarch came in here spitting his nonsense about camber boards so I'm now trying to find out what I should do between these two lol


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## WigMar

Haha yeah, snowboard boots aren't walking shoes. The fit is going to be pretty different from what you're used to.

All snowboards used to be camber. Many of us learned with no alternative; camber was all there was. It was unforgiving, but we learned a lot from that pain. Then rocker came around, as well as hybrid profiles like Burton's flying v. While I've had both rocker and hybrid camber profiles, nothing feels as good to me as camber and s-camber. It's probably just what I know the best. 

There's flat, rocker, flying v style hybrids, camber and s-camber. I think the best profile for learning might be camber with lifted contact points like Bataleon's 3bt, Arbor's uprise fenders, or Jones' spoontech because you'll get the benefits of camber without the penalty. That said, I'm biased towards camber. There's absolutely nothing wrong with flying V. I've got friends who prefer flying v style hybrids. It's just not what I ride myself.

Most of us here on the forum have more than one snowboard. You don't have to stress over this choice like it's the last board you're ever going to ride. Some of us even buy snowboards only to ride them a handful of times before selling them. It's how we demo some of the more rare fish. Every so often we'll catch one that we keep. Continue snowboarding long enough, and you'll develop your own quiver that suits your needs and style.


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## BoarderHack89

1. Don’t get a wide
2. At mondo 9.5 with that wide your gonna end up with a burton boot either 9.5 or 10 wide. Seriously buy a Burton 9.5 wide and ride it 10x. I used size 11.5 all my life, got sized here and ride a 10.5 wide now. Recently tried on my old 11.5 and was laughing my ass off. Idk how I used those, yet at the time thought they fit


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## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> Haha yeah, snowboard boots aren't walking shoes. The fit is going to be pretty different from what you're used to.
> 
> All snowboards used to be camber. Many of us learned with no alternative; camber was all there was. It was unforgiving, but we learned a lot from that pain. Then rocker came around, as well as hybrid profiles like Burton's flying v. While I've had both rocker and hybrid camber profiles, nothing feels as good to me as camber and s-camber. It's probably just what I know the best.
> 
> There's flat, rocker, flying v style hybrids, camber and s-camber. I think the best profile for learning might be camber with lifted contact points like Bataleon's 3bt, Arbor's uprise fenders, or Jones' spoontech because you'll get the benefits of camber without the penalty. That said, I'm biased towards camber. There's absolutely nothing wrong with flying V. I've got friends who prefer flying v style hybrids. It's just not what I ride myself.
> 
> Most of us here on the forum have more than one snowboard. You don't have to stress over this choice like it's the last board you're ever going to ride. Some of us even buy snowboards only to ride them a handful of times before selling them. It's how we demo some of the more rare fish. Every so often we'll catch one that we keep. Continue snowboarding long enough, and you'll develop your own quiver that suits your needs and style.


That was my problem initially choosing a board. I'm not sure what I learned on but this will be my fourth season and now I have a decent grasp on boarding. So if they were still teaching on cambers in 2017 then thats what I probably learned on. I tried looking up the burton board design I rode but I didn't see it anywhere and I didn't see any of the ones my wife rode either oddly based on their print. I assume maybe rentals are unique boards sold only to the resorts cause I've used like 5 different rental boards and I didn't find a single match. If I knew what that was I'd have a starting point but the FV from what I read seemed like the next step up but a hybrid which allowed you all the benefits of a camber board with the downside being more edge to catch based on the design of the particular board. From what I see this board looks identical to any other board i've ridden. I've seen the photos of it's bends on the burton website and placed it on a flat surface and seen it if I really look for it but otherwise I imagine when I'm standing on the board it will go nearly flat beneath me. I don't see how there could be that big of a difference in the ride when they look so similar. I probably sound like an idiot but that's just my untrained eye lol I just suspect that yeah a camber is good for carving but I've gone snowboarding line 20 times since I'm in a warm state most of the year. I'm not carving like a boss nor am I hitting speeds of like 40mph so if this is really a hybrid I should be alright with this is as my one board doing my basic snowboarding down the mountain or so I think lol is the difference in riding that noticeable?


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## BoarderHack89

Jelly817 said:


> Lol, I kid you not my left foot is 27.5cm and my right is 27.2cm. I'm not sure what you mean by looking at the specs to tell how much leverage I'll have?
> 
> This is the board
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Men's Burton Process Flying V Snowboard | Burton.com Winter 2021
> 
> 
> Shop the Men's Burton Process Flying V Snowboard along with more all mountain, park and powder snowboards from Winter 2021 at Burton.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.burton.com


My foot is a full CM longer and wider then your foot and I ride a 10.5 burton photon wide. Highly suggest burton wide either ruler or photon in 9.5. May take a few times to pack out but they will fit way better and allow you to not worry about wide boards, especially in the 157/59 range. A 9.5 can pretty much ride any standard board in that range


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## Jelly817

BoarderHack89 said:


> 1. Don’t get a wide
> 2. At mondo 9.5 with that wide your gonna end up with a burton boot either 9.5 or 10 wide. Seriously buy a Burton 9.5 wide and ride it 10x. I used size 11.5 all my life, got sized here and ride a 10.5 wide now. Recently tried on my old 11.5 and was laughing my ass off. Idk how I used those, yet at the time thought they fit


Definitely going with the ruler wide 9.5. Gonna try them on as soon as I land. Thanks for your input that's huge help! It just kind of sucks cause I go boarding 3-4 days at a time so I'm going to have them broken in by end of season but at least I know it'll be worth it.


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## BoarderHack89

Jelly817 said:


> Definitely going with the ruler wide 9.5. Gonna try them on as soon as I land. Thanks for your input that's huge help! It just kind of sucks cause I go boarding 3-4 days at a time so I'm going to have them broken in by end of season but at least I know it'll be worth it.


 Mine fit pain free out of the box. A few spots after 8 hours felt pressure. So when I say broke in, I mean ABSOLUTELY perfect. Good chance you won’t have any unbearable pain. I could have worn them the way they were out of the box for a season no problem


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## ridethecliche

I think you should look for that board used. Once you get better and know what you're going to lean towards, i think you'll find that the process flying v isn't what you're going to gravitate towards... Though this depends on where you live.


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## Jelly817

BoarderHack89 said:


> Mine fit pain free out of the box. A few spots after 8 hours felt pressure. So when I say broke in, I mean ABSOLUTELY perfect. Good chance you won’t have any unbearable pain. I could have worn them the way they were out of the box for a season no problem



Thanks! Any advice on the final step in the process? Do I go camber or FV? I live in a warm state so I go boarding about 9-10 times a year. I learned at the resorts using their burton rental gear for years and now decided to grab my own. I'm not a perfect carver or a speed racer, I just enjoy going down the mountain picking up speed when I can and getting some nice turns here and there but I'm not doing jumps or anything. I was under the impression the FV was a hybrid which allowed you to do a bit of both without sacrificing much but it seems like so many people learned on camber it's the way of the land now. I don't mind camber or FV lol I just don't know what I'm supposed to look for and figuring it out as I go along. Hybrid made the most sense since I get both but that doesn't seem to be the case. I was looking at the burton board linked as an alternative to the FV version. I've been offered some other suggestions as well now but I'm starting to think that instead of messing around and going hybrid I should just stick with the basic camber to keep it the same as I probably learned on. Not sure what they use for rentals. Just want something that can handle any mountain condition really.


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## Jelly817

ridethecliche said:


> I think you should look for that board used. Once you get better and know what you're going to lean towards, i think you'll find that the process flying v isn't what you're going to gravitate towards... Though this depends on where you live.


I live in TX so used boards aren't going to be local but thats not a problem and I make it out boarding 10 times a year so either way it would pay itself off pretty quick. I am planning to demo the flying V in two weeks when I go on my trip. I purchased two boards in a 157 and 159 both FV cause I didn't know what size I'd prefer with plans to return one when I came back and keep the one I thought was a good fit. However, if I don't like the way the V rides I'll just return them both and probably go the Camber route if that's what they use for teaching people at the rentals or something else based on what I can try. This time I need to pay more attention to what I'm looking for in my board as I ride. I'm also not sure what "better rider" is at this point cause I can ride down the mountain no problem outside I don't do moguls well and blacks I'm not riding down flat for sure yet. So a board that can just handle an average snowboarder should do alright with me but the more I learn about these boards the more I realize how influential all these little technical details are. I just need something that can handle conditions you'd see at a breck, vail, etc. and let me catch speed and make turns at the pace of an average boarder but it cant just be that simple lol


----------



## tbarch

Jelly817 said:


> Thanks! Any advice on the final step in the process? Do I go camber or FV? I live in a warm state so I go boarding about 9-10 times a year. I learned at the resorts using their burton rental gear for years and now decided to grab my own. I'm not a perfect carver or a speed racer, I just enjoy going down the mountain picking up speed when I can and getting some nice turns here and there but I'm not doing jumps or anything. I was under the impression the FV was a hybrid which allowed you to do a bit of both without sacrificing much but it seems like so many people learned on camber it's the way of the land now. I don't mind camber or FV lol I just don't know what I'm supposed to look for and figuring it out as I go along. Hybrid made the most sense since I get both but that doesn't seem to be the case. I was looking at the burton board linked as an alternative to the FV version. I've been offered some other suggestions as well now but I'm starting to think that instead of messing around and going hybrid I should just stick with the basic camber to keep it the same as I probably learned on. Not sure what they use for rentals. Just want something that can handle any mountain condition really.


A lot of times rentals are a little outdated so I wouldn’t be surprised if the rental boards are camber. If you’ve ridden 20 times already you really have nothing to worry about. I still would recommend the camber version, or again, the Custom. After going 20 times there’s nothing to worry about regarding whether or not you could handle them.


To be honest, I think you might be overthinking the “ability level” of the boards you’re looking at. To give you an example, I have a buddy who’s 32 years old and just started snowboarding last year. He bought a Burton Flight Attendant this year. That board is rated for “intermediate-advanced”. It’s a pretty stiff cambered board and of course it probably took some adjustment for him to get used to it the first day, but now he rides it like a champ. The nice part is that it’s now a board that will be able to stay with him as he gets better down the road. You don’t need to get a beginner board just because you’re a beginner. You don’t want to spend 500-600 on something that you’ll progress out of in 2 years.

I also agree a little bit with above comments, don’t restrict yourself to just Burton. I get that they’re a household name in snowboarding but there’s a lot of other really good brands on the market that fit what you’re looking for such as Jones (Mountain Twin for example), K2 (manifest), and Ride snowboards. Check reviews always.


----------



## WigMar

Jelly817 said:


> I live in TX so used boards aren't going to be local but thats not a problem and I make it out boarding 10 times a year so either way it would pay itself off pretty quick. I am planning to demo the flying V in two weeks when I go on my trip. I purchased two boards in a 157 and 159 both FV cause I didn't know what size I'd prefer with plans to return one when I came back and keep the one I thought was a good fit. However, if I don't like the way the V rides I'll just return them both and probably go the Camber route if that's what they use for teaching people at the rentals or something else based on what I can try. This time I need to pay more attention to what I'm looking for in my board as I ride. I'm also not sure what "better rider" is at this point cause I can ride down the mountain no problem outside I don't do moguls well and blacks I'm not riding down flat for sure yet. So a board that can just handle an average snowboarder should do alright with me but the more I learn about these boards the more I realize how influential all these little technical details are. I just need something that can handle conditions you'd see at a breck, vail, etc. and let me catch speed and make turns at the pace of an average boarder but it cant just be that simple lol


I think you'll be fine with the hybrid profile if you like it. People can be against it for beginners because it teaches you weight distribution that's a little different from camber. It can be a little weird going from FV to camber, but the other was is easier I believe. I also don't think that Burton's version of it is very popular around here, but I don't know why. Mervin and NeverSummer hybrids seem to be more popular for whatever reason. I'm only personally familiar with Mervin's version C2. If you can demo boards when you're on a trip, maybe try both the camber and the flying v. You should feel a difference between them, and one should call to you over the other. You can definitely cruise around, make turns and progress on either. Camber is just so hot right now lol. 

I'd guess that many rental boards are flat to rocker. Underfoot is flat, and the contact points can be lifted up a little. It's kinda like camber and kinda like rocker, and it's easier to ride than either. I've got a Slush Slasher that's flat to rocker and it's tons of fun, so it's not just limited to beginner rentals. 

My first two boards were quiver of one type twin boards. I didn't love them as much when I started progressing into my own style. I always wanted to shred powder and the trees, so I've got a few of those kind of boards for various conditions. I'm also always trying to carve better and better, so my boards reflect that as well. I'm never in the park except hitting tranny or smaller to medium jump lines, and so my boards are pretty directional. You'll progress into your style and you'll probably want something more specialized at some point.


----------



## F1EA

Jelly817 said:


> The burton website says that if my boot size is 11 I'll need a 157W or a 159W. Evo sit says for a flying V a 159 would do. My preference is a 157 since I like a shorter board but since the W isn't available to me would I be screwing myself in the long run by getting a 157 instead of a 157W or 159? The 159 comes up to about an inch of my chin which seems a little high but this is my first board so I could just be overthinking it. I was reading if I have any toe drag or heel drag with a 157 just adjusting the bindings should take care of it as long as the boot is low profile. Is this reliable information?


I am 5'11" 175 lbs and size 10.5 boots.

I have a 157 Wide Process Flying V and it's perfect. I was borderline debating not getting wide, but wide is definitely the way to go for a 10.5 or bigger boot. No need to go 159.

If you want to focus on carving and stability, and not park/freestyle then just get a different board... like a Deep Thinker, Custom or Flight Attendant. 

If you don't know exactly what you want to do but you think you want all mountain/freestyle, then the Process FV is an excellent choice.

If you're more advanced and want bigger jumps, are pretty athletic, want to focus on a bit more stability... or if you're going to ride mostly hard snow, then the Process camber or purepop is a better choice. Or a different board altogether.

On top of this, there's lots of other similar boards; also your foot is actually wide so you're probably not really US11, but your measurements may be off so don't get hung up on measurements. 157W will be fine even at size US10 wide boots. If you end up US9.5, then get a 157 non wide.


----------



## Jelly817

tbarch said:


> A lot of times rentals are a little outdated so I wouldn’t be surprised if the rental boards are camber. If you’ve ridden 20 times already you really have nothing to worry about. I still would recommend the camber version, or again, the Custom. After going 20 times there’s nothing to worry about regarding whether or not you could handle them.
> 
> 
> To be honest, I think you might be overthinking the “ability level” of the boards you’re looking at. To give you an example, I have a buddy who’s 32 years old and just started snowboarding last year. He bought a Burton Flight Attendant this year. That board is rated for “intermediate-advanced”. It’s a pretty stiff cambered board and of course it probably took some adjustment for him to get used to it the first day, but now he rides it like a champ. The nice part is that it’s now a board that will be able to stay with him as he gets better down the road. You don’t need to get a beginner board just because you’re a beginner. You don’t want to spend 500-600 on something that you’ll progress out of in 2 years.
> 
> I also agree a little bit with above comments, don’t restrict yourself to just Burton. I get that they’re a household name in snowboarding but there’s a lot of other really good brands on the market that fit what you’re looking for such as Jones (Mountain Twin for example), K2 (manifest), and Ride snowboards. Check reviews always.



I'm not by any means stuck to burton, I'm just at a stage of snowboarding where even if I look at the Bataleon, k2, etc. I'm not really sure what the differences I'd be looking at are unless I demo them and I don't know anyone who demos those boards where I'm headed. I did find one for the Jones mountain twin so I'm going to demo that from your suggestions. Outside of that burton is the most widely available brand to demo which is why I'm leaning that way cause I know I can test those before buying. Otherwise, I really liked the bataleon thunder and EVERYTHING from the brand arbor. Fucking hell man, I don't see how anyone could ride a board that beautiful, they look like works of art and the one I liked, Arbor Annex, was actually the same as the burton in terms of bend but it's called banana technology there. If I got one of those I don't think I'd enjoy riding it, I'm really careful with things I like a lot and the annex is like 1000x nicer looking than the FV from burton but the burton one is nice enough to mess up and it would still look like a snowboard. The Arbor annex looks like it'd be ruining a piece of art if I got scratches on it so I'm gonna stay away from that unless I decide to get real weird with it and start hanging snowboards in my office like art.

I'm not sure what the difference between FV custom and the FV is? I saw the sizing was even numbers so I just thought it was custom sizing.


----------



## Jelly817

F1EA said:


> I am 5'11" 175 lbs and size 10.5 boots.
> 
> I have a 157 Wide Process Flying V and it's perfect. I was borderline debating not getting wide, but wide is definitely the way to go for a 10.5 or bigger boot. No need to go 159.
> 
> If you want to focus on carving and stability, and not park/freestyle then just get a different board... like a Deep Thinker, Custom or Flight Attendant.
> 
> If you don't know exactly what you want to do but you think you want all mountain/freestyle, then the Process FV is an excellent choice.
> 
> If you're more advanced and want bigger jumps, are pretty athletic, want to focus on a bit more stability... or if you're going to ride mostly hard snow, then the Process camber or purepop is a better choice. Or a different board altogether.
> 
> On top of this, there's lots of other similar boards; also your foot is actually wide so you're probably not really US11, but your measurements may be off so don't get hung up on measurements. 157W will be fine even at size US10 wide boots. If you end up US9.5, then get a 157 non wide.


I asked this of someone else as well, but what does custom mean. I see burton has customs of every board type but I thought it was just a more unique sizing choice. Is there something else to it?


----------



## WigMar

Jelly817 said:


> I asked this of someone else as well, but what does custom mean. I see burton has customs of every board type but I thought it was just a more unique sizing choice. Is there something else to it?


Custom is a snowboard that Burton offers in various camber profiles.


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## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> Custom is a snowboard that Burton offers in various camber profiles.


Which custom are your recommending I try? They have a custom flying v, custom camber, custom x, custom x FV, and custom twin off axis. How does the custom camber differ from the process camber?


----------



## F1EA

WigMar said:


> Custom is a snowboard that Burton offers in various camber profiles.


Yes, that ^
The Custom is just the do all, do anything all mountain snowboard from Burton.


----------



## F1EA

Jelly817 said:


> Which custom are your recommending I try? They have a custom flying v, custom camber, custom x, custom x FV, and custom twin off axis. How does the custom camber differ from the process camber?


There's also the Kilroy Custom? Lol

Yeah There's so many....

Custom camber if you want the most stability and to ride harder snow. Flying V if you want a bit more playfulness and ride softer snow.

Custom vs Process... the Custom is stiffer and more poppy. More true all mountain; Process is all mountain freestyle.


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## Jelly817

F1EA said:


> Yes, that ^
> The Custom is just the do all, do anything all mountain snowboard from Burton.





F1EA said:


> There's also the Kilroy Custom? Lol
> 
> Yeah There's so many....
> 
> Custom camber if you want the most stability and to ride harder snow. Flying V if you want a bit more playfulness and ride softer snow.
> 
> Custom vs Process... the Custom is stiffer and more poppy. More true all mountain; Process is all mountain freestyle.



Got it! Thanks a lot!


----------



## Jelly817

WigMar said:


> Custom is a snowboard that Burton offers in various camber profiles.


I got the flying V, the Mountain twin, and I'll await your suggestion on which custom to demo. I did however see this sweet board and it kind of fit my style from what I gathered. A lot of people complained about edgehold on the FV and one dude mentioned magnetraction, something about some real good tech that holds your edge, and this board seems to have it. Is this company any good though? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere outside of one article so I'm skeptical.

Also, I figured out that I learned on Neversummer snowtrooper and Burton Flight Attendant boards. The Snowtrooper is a hybrid like the flying V. From what I can recall I enjoyed the never summer board more than the burton but I'll confirm that in two weeks.


----------



## ridethecliche

I think the gnu might be too much board for you. But the essential service is supposed to be awesome. 

Magnetraction is just edge serrations for grip. Many companies have their version of it. Burtons is called frostbite edges and I think their FV boards have it. 

I think you're on the right track looking at directional ish twins. If you cant buy used, try to find something new that's a season or two old at a discount. 

Honestly, all the boards you've mentioned are good. Thereare very few truly bad boards out there these days. The process will be fine. The custom FV will be fine. Custom camber might be a stiff learning curve. Custom x is going to be too much board. 

I think the custom fv could be nice. My gf rides a yeasayer which is like the women's process I think. It's the FV version and she rips on it on all terrain. The edge hold on ice isn't the best but that's not an everyday thing. You need to choose a board for the conditions you will ride in. If you're traveling for snow, odds are you won't be riding east coast ice!


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## Jelly817

ridethecliche said:


> I think the gnu might be too much board for you. But the essential service is supposed to be awesome.
> 
> Magnetraction is just edge serrations for grip. Many companies have their version of it. Burtons is called frostbite edges and I think their FV boards have it.
> 
> I think you're on the right track looking at directional ish twins. If you cant buy used, try to find something new that's a season or two old at a discount.
> 
> Honestly, all the boards you've mentioned are good. Thereare very few truly bad boards out there these days. The process will be fine. The custom FV will be fine. Custom camber might be a stiff learning curve. Custom x is going to be too much board.
> 
> I think the custom fv could be nice. My gf rides a yeasayer which is like the women's process I think. It's the FV version and she rips on it on all terrain. The edge hold on ice isn't the best but that's not an everyday thing. You need to choose a board for the conditions you will ride in. If you're traveling for snow, odds are you won't be riding east coast ice!


lmao, I’m a fuckinnn idiot brother. Thank you so much for the help. I was reading about the edge and people said the FV wiped easy on ice and I kept thinking thats kind of big deal but then after reading what you wrote I get it. I kept assuming they just meant like hard patch of snow ice but ice means like the conditions of the entire run from what I’m gathering. I only go to mountain resorts so I’m not even sure I know what icy conditions are but I definitely was concerning myself with something nonexistent up until you worded it like that. Will update once I go through some of these boards!


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## BoarderHack89

Size 10-11 wide vs non wide becomes more preference (252 waist width and above im assuming). I’ve ridden the same boards in normal and wide and always liked the non wide better. Faster and more nimble. The wide def felt more stable, but very slow and clunky to me. Again nothing wrong with either assuming you don’t euro carve and boot out. If you do then obviously go wide


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## ridethecliche

Jelly817 said:


> lmao, I’m a fuckinnn idiot brother. Thank you so much for the help. I was reading about the edge and people said the FV wiped easy on ice and I kept thinking thats kind of big deal but then after reading what you wrote I get it. I kept assuming they just meant like hard patch of snow ice but ice means like the conditions of the entire run from what I’m gathering. I only go to mountain resorts so I’m not even sure I know what icy conditions are but I definitely was concerning myself with something nonexistent up until you worded it like that. Will update once I go through some of these boards!


The three big things that separate boards:

-Board shape (both the shape of the board and the camber and tip profile)
-Board build (flex pattern and stiffness)
-Edge tech.

Camber has good edge hold by itself. Not super common to see pure camber boards with aggressive edge tech because they mostly don't need it.
FV is a camber,rocker,camber profile and benefits from the edge tech because they're a bit squirrely.
-Mervin's response to this is to do things like C3 which is basically a CRC profile except the rocker exists in a camber section. I.e. when you put the board down flat, the rocker section doesn't touch the ground like it does in FV. When you change your weight distribution, i.e. put more weight on the front foot, that buried rocker section allows for some easier movement and it's more stable than straight up FV.

Mervin (Gnu, lib tech etc) make boards with magnetraction which is lots of serration, arbor and niche has edge tech (2 extra points on bindings), etc etc etc. Straight up camber boards don't really need edge hold because the camber provides that grip when you engage an edge.

Then there are things like arbors uprise fenders or bataleons 3BT which lift the edges to allow for more playful riding since you don't risk getting a cambered edge catching as easily when you're not paying attention. straight up camber boards require riders to be a bit more mindful which is why they're often hard for beginners to learn on.

Too much to go into with regard to shape and flex pattern.

The above is an oversimplification, but you get the point.

Burton's naming system is a bit confusing. They usually have it set up like 'model name' 'profile'.
So the process FV is the process model with the flying v (CRC) profile.
The custom camber is the custom model with the camber profile.
The custom x only comes in camber, or atleast it used to. I think there's a FV version of it now too, which is a bit silly.

In terms of board stiffness...
Custom X> Custom > Process.

The custom X is going to be too much board for a newbie and a lot of riders with experience don't like going that stiff either.

If you ride in mostly good conditions and want to go burton, the process or custom in a FV will be fine. You'll realize what you like/dislike when you try stuff and you'll know for your next board. These boards are super common though and you'll likely be fine with a used one from 2-3 years ago. It'll be a lot cheaper and then when you get better and realize you like something else more, you won't be upset about paying 600 for it. The resale should be half decent as well because burton.

I wouldn't stress about it. The majority of boards these days are pretty solid. There's lots of stuff to try that makes things fun. I just rode an arbor iguchi pro camber for the first time yesterday which has lifted contact points and is on the stiffer side. It also has the edge tech of 2 extra points on each side with the bindings so you can steer with your feet a bit more. I really enjoyed it but it might be a bit too much for a brand new rider. I'm not sure I would have liked it after 20 days on the snow. After 40-50 and a fair number of boards trialed later... I dig it.

I consider my daily to be a fun shape in the form of a signal yup. It's not the most pleasurable thing to ride on the ice, but it does okay if it's lighter hard pack. I choose other boards in truly icy conditions, like the guchi above or my signal omni, which are both camber profiles.


----------



## Jelly817

ridethecliche said:


> The three big things that separate boards:
> 
> -Board shape (both the shape of the board and the camber and tip profile)
> -Board build (flex pattern and stiffness)
> -Edge tech.
> 
> Camber has good edge hold by itself. Not super common to see pure camber boards with aggressive edge tech because they mostly don't need it.
> FV is a camber,rocker,camber profile and benefits from the edge tech because they're a bit squirrely.
> -Mervin's response to this is to do things like C3 which is basically a CRC profile except the rocker exists in a camber section. I.e. when you put the board down flat, the rocker section doesn't touch the ground like it does in FV. When you change your weight distribution, i.e. put more weight on the front foot, that buried rocker section allows for some easier movement and it's more stable than straight up FV.
> 
> Mervin (Gnu, lib tech etc) make boards with magnetraction which is lots of serration, arbor and niche has edge tech (2 extra points on bindings), etc etc etc. Straight up camber boards don't really need edge hold because the camber provides that grip when you engage an edge.
> 
> Then there are things like arbors uprise fenders or bataleons 3BT which lift the edges to allow for more playful riding since you don't risk getting a cambered edge catching as easily when you're not paying attention. straight up camber boards require riders to be a bit more mindful which is why they're often hard for beginners to learn on.
> 
> Too much to go into with regard to shape and flex pattern.
> 
> The above is an oversimplification, but you get the point.
> 
> Burton's naming system is a bit confusing. They usually have it set up like 'model name' 'profile'.
> So the process FV is the process model with the flying v (CRC) profile.
> The custom camber is the custom model with the camber profile.
> The custom x only comes in camber, or atleast it used to. I think there's a FV version of it now too, which is a bit silly.
> 
> In terms of board stiffness...
> Custom X> Custom > Process.
> 
> The custom X is going to be too much board for a newbie and a lot of riders with experience don't like going that stiff either.
> 
> If you ride in mostly good conditions and want to go burton, the process or custom in a FV will be fine. You'll realize what you like/dislike when you try stuff and you'll know for your next board. These boards are super common though and you'll likely be fine with a used one from 2-3 years ago. It'll be a lot cheaper and then when you get better and realize you like something else more, you won't be upset about paying 600 for it. The resale should be half decent as well because burton.
> 
> I wouldn't stress about it. The majority of boards these days are pretty solid. There's lots of stuff to try that makes things fun. I just rode an arbor iguchi pro camber for the first time yesterday which has lifted contact points and is on the stiffer side. It also has the edge tech of 2 extra points on each side with the bindings so you can steer with your feet a bit more. I really enjoyed it but it might be a bit too much for a brand new rider. I'm not sure I would have liked it after 20 days on the snow. After 40-50 and a fair number of boards trialed later... I dig it.
> 
> I consider my daily to be a fun shape in the form of a signal yup. It's not the most pleasurable thing to ride on the ice, but it does okay if it's lighter hard pack. I choose other boards in truly icy conditions, like the guchi above or my signal omni, which are both camber profiles.


This was a real enjoyable read. If you actually have any links you'd recommend on where to get proper information on shapes and flex patterns I'd love to read them. I was actually wondering why some of the boards have those straight lines making a U instead of a perfect U shape like your iguchi. Fucking beautiful board by the way. In fact, reading about the tech behind some of these boards is pretty insane. I'm surprised no one is placing chips in them that connect to your phone to give you speed measures or detailed info on riding style. 

I really like the art on the process this year so even if I don't enjoy the ride of the FV I may just end up keeping it and hanging it up in my room cause I like it's look, then buy a used one that fits my riding needs. Something about that bear spoke to me from the moment I saw it. Since then I've seen way more beautiful boards for sure but those were so pretty I couldn't enjoy riding them. I'm really careful about things I like and get bothered when they get little blemishes so I don't think I could withstand having one of those. The bear one I could see myself roughing up, not caring, and still loving it whereas the bataleon thunder, the arbor annex, or something like Ride commissioner would have me losing sleep lol


----------



## ridethecliche

My knowledge is pretty limited since I'm pretty new to this but I'll take a stab at it. Because of my newness I think I can relate to the confusion a bit better because I didn't figure it out at long ago lol


----------



## Pablo$

Great post from RTC. I will add that learning to ride in the early 90s, everything was full-ass camber. Getting seriously back into riding this year, I'm glad I have a custom FV to see what I've been missing out on from the last 15 yrs. It's a great option for messing around on local resorts with less than 700' vert.



ridethecliche said:


> The three big things that separate boards:
> 
> -Board shape (both the shape of the board and the camber and tip profile)
> -Board build (flex pattern and stiffness)
> -Edge tech.
> 
> Camber has good edge hold by itself. Not super common to see pure camber boards with aggressive edge tech because they mostly don't need it.
> FV is a camber,rocker,camber profile and benefits from the edge tech because they're a bit squirrely.
> -Mervin's response to this is to do things like C3 which is basically a CRC profile except the rocker exists in a camber section. I.e. when you put the board down flat, the rocker section doesn't touch the ground like it does in FV. When you change your weight distribution, i.e. put more weight on the front foot, that buried rocker section allows for some easier movement and it's more stable than straight up FV.
> 
> Mervin (Gnu, lib tech etc) make boards with magnetraction which is lots of serration, arbor and niche has edge tech (2 extra points on bindings), etc etc etc. Straight up camber boards don't really need edge hold because the camber provides that grip when you engage an edge.
> 
> Then there are things like arbors uprise fenders or bataleons 3BT which lift the edges to allow for more playful riding since you don't risk getting a cambered edge catching as easily when you're not paying attention. straight up camber boards require riders to be a bit more mindful which is why they're often hard for beginners to learn on.
> 
> Too much to go into with regard to shape and flex pattern.
> 
> The above is an oversimplification, but you get the point.
> 
> Burton's naming system is a bit confusing. They usually have it set up like 'model name' 'profile'.
> So the process FV is the process model with the flying v (CRC) profile.
> The custom camber is the custom model with the camber profile.
> The custom x only comes in camber, or atleast it used to. I think there's a FV version of it now too, which is a bit silly.
> 
> In terms of board stiffness...
> Custom X> Custom > Process.
> 
> The custom X is going to be too much board for a newbie and a lot of riders with experience don't like going that stiff either.
> 
> If you ride in mostly good conditions and want to go burton, the process or custom in a FV will be fine. You'll realize what you like/dislike when you try stuff and you'll know for your next board. These boards are super common though and you'll likely be fine with a used one from 2-3 years ago. It'll be a lot cheaper and then when you get better and realize you like something else more, you won't be upset about paying 600 for it. The resale should be half decent as well because burton.
> 
> I wouldn't stress about it. The majority of boards these days are pretty solid. There's lots of stuff to try that makes things fun. I just rode an arbor iguchi pro camber for the first time yesterday which has lifted contact points and is on the stiffer side. It also has the edge tech of 2 extra points on each side with the bindings so you can steer with your feet a bit more. I really enjoyed it but it might be a bit too much for a brand new rider. I'm not sure I would have liked it after 20 days on the snow. After 40-50 and a fair number of boards trialed later... I dig it.
> 
> I consider my daily to be a fun shape in the form of a signal yup. It's not the most pleasurable thing to ride on the ice, but it does okay if it's lighter hard pack. I choose other boards in truly icy conditions, like the guchi above or my signal omni, which are both camber profiles.


----------



## Jelly817

F1EA said:


> I am 5'11" 175 lbs and size 10.5 boots.
> 
> I have a 157 Wide Process Flying V and it's perfect. I was borderline debating not getting wide, but wide is definitely the way to go for a 10.5 or bigger boot. No need to go 159.
> 
> If you want to focus on carving and stability, and not park/freestyle then just get a different board... like a Deep Thinker, Custom or Flight Attendant.
> 
> If you don't know exactly what you want to do but you think you want all mountain/freestyle, then the Process FV is an excellent choice.
> 
> If you're more advanced and want bigger jumps, are pretty athletic, want to focus on a bit more stability... or if you're going to ride mostly hard snow, then the Process camber or purepop is a better choice. Or a different board altogether.
> 
> On top of this, there's lots of other similar boards; also your foot is actually wide so you're probably not really US11, but your measurements may be off so don't get hung up on measurements. 157W will be fine even at size US10 wide boots. If you end up US9.5, then get a 157 non wide.


I'm only riding the board at resorts so the FV having issues on ice isn't going to be an issue for me. I'm considering the Camber because it's more like what i've learned on which is the BURTON LTR but we'll see once I demo the V and the jones twin unless I can find a process camber for demo. I'm just happy I got one of each so I can make my decision cause I love that fucking art on it and I'm going to be very happy hanging it up in my office during off season.


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## Jelly817

tbarch said:


> A lot of times rentals are a little outdated so I wouldn’t be surprised if the rental boards are camber. If you’ve ridden 20 times already you really have nothing to worry about. I still would recommend the camber version, or again, the Custom. After going 20 times there’s nothing to worry about regarding whether or not you could handle them.
> 
> 
> To be honest, I think you might be overthinking the “ability level” of the boards you’re looking at. To give you an example, I have a buddy who’s 32 years old and just started snowboarding last year. He bought a Burton Flight Attendant this year. That board is rated for “intermediate-advanced”. It’s a pretty stiff cambered board and of course it probably took some adjustment for him to get used to it the first day, but now he rides it like a champ. The nice part is that it’s now a board that will be able to stay with him as he gets better down the road. You don’t need to get a beginner board just because you’re a beginner. You don’t want to spend 500-600 on something that you’ll progress out of in 2 years.
> 
> I also agree a little bit with above comments, don’t restrict yourself to just Burton. I get that they’re a household name in snowboarding but there’s a lot of other really good brands on the market that fit what you’re looking for such as Jones (Mountain Twin for example), K2 (manifest), and Ride snowboards. Check reviews always.


I'm demoing the Process Camber and the Capita Mercury this weekend. I'm super excited about the mercury but I'm hoping it's not too much board for me. The custom all I can find is FV for demo so it's gonna have to be decided by whether I like the Process Camber more than the mercury but wish it was stiffer if the Custom wants a chance. A part of me has my heart set on the capita for some reason. I think it's because I can't find a single bad thing about it online so it kind of seems like a no brainer.


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