#uninc

Glacier National Park. Always a good time.

This isn’t my first time reviewing a Burton Easy Living. I had the pleasure of owning, riding and reviewing the first edition of the Easy Living in 2010. This board was launched in less than ideal circumstances. The Easy Living was the “replacement” for the revered, amazing, almost godly Uninc series. To put it in context, the Uninc represents my benchmark when it comes to snowboards: a watershed product. It’s like the Mystery Air when it first came out. The Uninc is like that amazing girl you dated in high school, who holds a revered, almost mystical place in your heart. You wax nostalgic about the one that got away. So take that board, announce that it’s being discontinued, disband the team that helped create it, and replace it with something new. The old Easy Living (click here for review) came with Flying V, which was a combination of V rocker (Burton’s reverse camber) and camber. The result was a board that had pop for ollies, buttered smoothly and held a solid edge. But ultimately, I unceremoniously sold it. Why? I felt it lacked spirit, hutzpah or just plain soul.

Fast forward to now (aka December 2011). I had the chance to try the new Easy Living, and I jumped at the chance to refresh part of my quiver. I asked for a 158 so that it would provide the extra length needed for speed laps on the EK or powder runs in the Utah backcountry.  The latest edition of the Easy Living includes a bunch of the high end Burton technology package with a change in the hybrid camber. The latest edition includes Camber Humps, which is an updated, refined version of the popular Flying V hybrid camber. Full disclosure: I’m a rocker, reverse camber cynic. I understand the uses and the attributes, but I also understand the downfalls. In powder, it’s hands down the best. For beginners, especially kids, I say it’s a complete game-changer. But when it comes to a solid intermediate to expert snowboarder, camber is where it’s at. So dear reader, armed with that knowledge, here is my Easy Living 2012 review.

Conditions: Early season east coast. Crowded trails. Variable conditions from powder on closed runs with no base to icy groomers to sugar granular snow to the mini-park.

Bindings: Burton Malavita

Boots: Burton Ruler (Coalition circa 2009)

Initial impressions: After my first run on the Easy Living, I felt that I had just shook hands with an old friend. There was something comfortable and familiar about this board. Even with the additional length, I reminisced to my days as a snowboard instructor in 1998. There I rocked a Burton Custom 164 and a Twin 149. This is when large boards were trendy except for street sessions, and a Super Model had a narrower waist then Kate Moss. These were fun days, where the crew owned the mountain and literally had the keys to the castle. It was fast, had lots of pop and almost bucked me a few times (which is actually a good thing. I’m not a big fan of slow, plodding, grandma boards). It spun easily, and has nice purple sidewalls. Score.

Positive Traits: Stable. Fast. Lots of pop. The Camber Humps give you just enough rocker for additional float in powder (in all fairness it was a mixed bag of early season junk) and a touch of butterability for flat land spins. It definitely isn’t a textbook jib board, but it will crush it in the park. Definitely in the “if I only had one board to bring, I would bring this board” category.

Room to Grow: I have absolutely no idea what the graphics mean. Someone much smarter or cooler than me probably gets it. I’m not in love with them, but the color scheme is spot on – Orange with purple: sick. If you are in love with hybrid or reverse camber, you may be disappointed with this board. The Camber Humps gives you just enough of a taste, but it’s not a Skate Banana or Hero. If you don’t bring your A-game, you may get in trouble from this bucking bronco. But I think sizing down or slowing down would solve that problem. The board also is a bit heavy, even with the EST bindings. This could be a bit of a downside for some. I found the weight to actually create a really stable platform, which makes it great for blasting through crud or West Coast mashed potatoes.

Overall: I haven’t tried all the iterations of the Easy Living, but this one definitely hit the ball out of the park. My biggest complaint of the older boards was the feeling of “no soul”, which I attribute to the combination of the Flying V and the changes in the undercarriage. This year’s mixture brings back that spark that I dare say rivals the last iterations of the Uninc. As I mentioned above, if you want a board that does nose wheelies easier than a pocket rocket or will never scorpion you should look elsewhere. Where Burton hits the bulls-eye with this board is crafting something that gives you just a touch of reverse camber to get you out of trouble and give you a bit of float in powder without destroying everything that is holy and sacred about camber. It won’t let you sit back and cruise, but if you put in the extra effort, you’re rewarded with sweet sweet shred music. The 58 is perfect for bombing tram runs at Jay or as your go-to board in Whistler. And the greatest compliments of all: This board is a keeper, and I find myself wondering if I can find a 52 to complement my 58. Not so much for the street sessions, but to use as my “Ride with Bean”/East Coast fun board.

*Disclaimer: After I spend 4 days on the Easy Living, I realized that some drunken Christmas Elf must have set up this board. The angles were much slacker than my standard set-up. Once fixed (with some ass kicking of said Elf), the board rode more like I would expect.

From Burton.com:

Bummer Man. Only available at your local Restricted dealer. Imagine you’re lying in a hammock on the beach, coconut in hand, shades down, not a care in the world. Now pretend, instead of the beach, you’re riding park on your way to a perfectly groomed pipe, and instead of a coconut, you’ve got a Burton Easy Livin. It’s aggressive NEW Camber Humps hammering through everything in your path with the latest in Springloaded hybrid performance. Suddenly everything is right with the world, and it’s exactly how Danny Davis wants it, easy.

NEW Camber Humps

Infinite Ride™

Pro-Tip™

The Channel

Dual Density Triax™ Fiberglass

Super Fly II™ Core

Frostbite Edges

NEW Jumper Cables Hi-Voltage

Directional Flex

Lightning Bolts

Gondola Package

Twin Shape

10:45™

Artist: TP Butler [www.weirdart.com]

Dualzone™ EGD™

Ellip Kicks