BURTON LIP-STICK SNOWBOARD 2013/14 REVIEW

Burton were the first brand to start making women’s-specific snowboards back in the day, and their 2013-14 range looks to continue this tradition of innovation. The Lip-Stick, a mid-range freestyle-focussed board, is a case in point. Although this board has been a part of their line for a few years we (and our test team) can safely say it’s never been as good as this. We’re not just talking about its cosmetic appearance here, although appropriately (given its name) the Lip-Stick has always featured some of Burton’s strongest graphics, and this years’ by veteran Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, are no exception. No, it’s what’s going on underneath that tranquil beach scene that really grabbed our team’s attention.

The combination of a mid-soft flex and a true twin shape means this is great for messing around on the side of the pistes and buttering around. But while the word mentioned most frequently in conjunction with this board was “fun”, we were also impressed by how stable it felt in a straight line – a function of its largely flat profile. There’s also a decent amount of pop thanks to Burton’s ‘Hi-voltage Jumper Cables’ – essentially v-shaped carbon stringers that radiate outwards from the bindings towards the tip and tail, making them more rigid.

All of this means that the Lip-Stick feels much more solid than you might expect from a board with that kind of flex and it was comfortable carving at high speeds in a way that many intermediate women’s freestyle boards aren’t. If you’re into your freestyle but want to cruise too, you could do a lot worse than using this lippy.

BUY THIS BOARD AT: snowandrock.com, subvertboardstore.com, surfdome.com, boarderline.co.uk, boardridersguide.com, thesnowboardshop.co.uk, snowlab.co.uk, tribalriders.com

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