How good are old Burton ?

[Surf Quebec]

I'm checking on various classifieds and found some old Burton : Alp and M series. I've never ridden those. If they are in good condition, how do they compare to newer Prior 4WD or ATV ?
Looking for a cheap all mountain for when riding with kids

[Chris Houghton]

They might be OK for skidding around with the kids, but they will need Burton compatible bindings (Maybe the M is 5 hole?) and the only similarity to today's boards is they are both called snowboards. Everything has changed since then. Personally, I'd look for a used 4WD, it will work better and last longer. The older Protons might be a better choice if you really need to go old school.

[valsam]

Chris i don't think that you are right,my burton speed 1.68 wide is an old school board (2002 model)and compared to protons which i have ridden is way better and more lively and with more pop!
As for what you also say about that the only similarity that old and today's boards have is they are both called snowboards i would definitely have to disagree also!
Are the madd's that everyone is drooling for in here new gen boards?
Metal don't do miracles !

[kinpa]

I've had both an Alp 5.0 and an M5 .... I know the M5 is asym (the blue and white one) and the Alp with the wood grain topsheet is also Asym..... there were some other models of those... it's been a long time since I've been on either one, but I do think that M5 that I had was a 5 hole pattern, but the Alp was a 3 hole... I loved them at the time, but that was the time when they were new!

[BlueB]

I agree on Burton Speed Wide, it's on par with 4WD.
Alp is an ok all-mountain board too. The maroon one with sidewalls, is damper then the later capped ones.
Skip the asyms.

[jacopodotti]

Burton Factory Primes and Speed , R17 are great traditional boards, between the FP's the best are the yellow and black series.
You need Burton 3D system compatible bindings.
Burton Race(avoid the one with trasparent plastic), Bomber TD1, TD2, TD3, Phiokka.

[Chris Houghton]

The question I responded to was for Alps and M5s. Yes the primes are nice, but that's not what Stephane was asking about. Nor was he asking about Madds (the originals were great boards, I would buy a 158 today if I found one for sale). He wanted an opinion on what he found, and I still think a newer 4WD would be better than a 20 year old Alp, especially for a heavier rider. And I'm pretty sure the M5 was a 5 hole setup, pretty hard to find bindings for those.
Must be a lot of bored people on the board today. Stay on topic guys and help the OP, don't start an equipment war.

[Jonny]

I still ride an Alp 163 from time to time on soft snow and in trees when the coverage is sketchy. Edge hold isn't comparable to a modern board, but even at my 220lb weight it's a fun surfy ride and should do well for what you're asking of it. Performance is actually not dissimilar to what you'd get from a PureBoard - similar width and overall flex, although nowhere near as versatile. The real question wouldn't be the slow speed performance, which would be just fine, it would be the durability of the fiberglass layup and of the plastic parts (toe-lever, etc...) of the bindings

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I still ride an Alp 163 from time to time on soft snow and in trees when the coverage is sketchy. Edge hold isn't comparable to a modern board, but even at my 220lb weight it's a fun surfy ride and should do well for what you're asking of it. Performance is actually not dissimilar to what you'd get from a PureBoard - similar width and overall flex,

Are you referring to "PureBoard" as in ----

Pure Boarding from bromada LANDTRENDS on Vimeo.

OR PureCarve as in -----

Baby Powder from bromada LANDTRENDS on Vimeo.

FYI, it might also be because the board was templated off the Burton. No, really.

[NSSage]

I have an alp and I like it a lot it rides nicely but although I have not rode a prior but I have rode many new boards and you really can not compare them to the older stuff so much has changed since they were built.

[Jonny]

Are you referring to "PureBoard" as in ----

Pure Boarding from bromada LANDTRENDS on Vimeo.

OR PureCarve as in -----

Baby Powder from bromada LANDTRENDS on Vimeo.

FYI, it might also be because the board was templated off the Burton. No, really.

Well, I got to ride with Joerg a couple of days (the guy really rips) both at ECES and at Berkshire East, and I tried a couple of his boards. Took some flak about how tough the transition from my narrow Coiler was going to be, but I felt right at home, largely because the ride is so much like an Alp, on which I'd spent some time in the past. Similar sidecut, with minimal taper and fairly wide, so even at narrow stance widths it's possible to ride at angles like 51/45 or even lower. Similar easy flex, although as I mentioned the Pureboard is much more refined especially in terms of torsional stiffness.

[Surf Quebec]

Thanks all for feedback, I see it's not unanimous feedback.

The boards I've seen on classifieds were with bindings included, I would not go through all this trouble for buying Burton bindings for sure.

Johnny you're saying that an Alp is a very similar ride as a Bastard or a Black Diamond ?


I've included a pic of the Alp for any comments.

I've a brand new Coiler coming in so that's why i was looking at an older board for all mountain/with the kids usage,
I'll continue scanning Bomber and the classifieds and may get lucky with finding a newer board also.

[Jonny]

Closer to the Bastard, but don't expect an Alp to hang in there with you on an 85° carve. For less aggressive riding it's very similar, yes. Really fun in trees, for instance.