Burton don’t launch new models lightly, so when they do it’s worth sitting up and taking notice. Especially when the new model in question is as eye-catching as this one. We’re not talking the graphics here obviously – in fact, the graphics on the Trick Pony are about as plain as they come, with simple colours on
the topsheet and a largely featureless black base. No, it’s the shape that makes this board stand out – that pointed tip and tail are definitely unusual. Burton have basically taken the kind of tapered nose that helps freeride sticks float so well in powder and put it on a more freestyle focussed, twin-tipped board. The theory is that you get freeride-style float in powder even when you’re riding switch. Unfortunately we weren’t blessed with the kind of powdery conditions needed to put this theory to the test, but the fact that John Jackson, Mark Sollors and Jussi Oksanen (three of the best backcountry freestylers on the planet) have been riding this in the BC backcountry would suggest it works pretty well.

We rode the board in spring conditions and found that the raised nose and tail also help cut through slush, while the flat base under the feet and the mid-stiff flex meant it felt solid at speed. The ‘hi-voltage jumper cables’ (Burton’s carbon stringers) near the tip and the tail give this a nice snappy ollie. Although it isn’t the easiest board to butter, you could definitely take it off kickers and if you’re into charging both off-piste and on, this is a great option.

Buy this board at: snowboard-asylum.com, noahsark.co.uk, snowtraxstore.co.uk 

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