What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a snowboard? If you’re cheapskate like us it’s probably around the £200 mark for an out of season model, but perhaps you’ve splashed out on a brand new shred stick for £500 or more, or maybe even a high end split board like the Amplid LAB Carbon Split coming in at around £1000.

The previous owner just sold this 1977 Burton Experimental Prototype snowboard for $31,313.13!

Well imagine trading in eighteen of those for one snurfer. That doesn’t even have hybrid camber for Pete’s sake.

Well, of course there’s a little more to it than that. Previous owner ‘Chris’ just sold this 1977 Burton Experimental Prototype snowboard for $31,313.13 plus shipping – that’s £18,296.26 in real money. Of course we noticed the prevalence of the 13s – the new owner must be a Burton nerd of the highest order, good job!

According to him it was one of less than 100 boards made by Jake Burton before founding Backhill Londonderry, making it a hyper rare shred artifact.

 Hopefully though, it’ll get at least one last shred outing – you’d have to wouldn’t you? At least we would…

Still, $31k is a lot of money to drop on a board with only one binding, and at that price it’s definitely destined for a wall or display case somewhere. Hopefully though, it’ll get at least one last shred outing – you’d have to wouldn’t you? At least we would…

Here’s the eBay ad in its original wording:

Vintage Burton Prototype Snowboard
c. 1977
Wood, metal, rubber, nylon, plastic
Board: 50.5″l x 8″w x 5″d
Aluminum fin: 8″ l x 1.25″w x 1″d
Vintage Burton Snowboard Catalog c. 1979-80.

An extremely rare Burton prototype snowboard. Less than 100 prototype boards were made before Jake Burton Carpenter founded the Backhill Londonderry line. In all our years of selling winter sporting antiquities we have only seen two others. These just do not come up for sale. 

This snowboard was given by Jake to its current owner Chris, in trade for helping work on some early snowboards. As the story goes Jake and Chris worked together at the Birkenhaus Inn in Stratton Vermont. I’m told that while the owner Emo Henrich fully supported and mentored Jake’s snowboard development, he didn’t quite know his lodge was being used after hours as a spray room for the paint and stencils seen on the early boards.

This now vintage snowboard was payment from Jake to Chris in trade for his work. It was ridden only a couple times with the majority of its original paint seen on the base of the board. It has been lovingly stored ever since and is looking for a new home.