Burton Love Restricted Snowboard - 2010

Hey Tanner,

The love is no longer in the line. Look to the Mr. Nice guy. It is a mid wide.

I rock Burton Malavita's with this board and it's straight nasty

52 will be life changing...Binding size depends on shoe size. Generally a Medium will fit up to 9.5US. If you wear a size 11 or bigger...you're probably going to want a wide board.

Yes and yes. Dropping down to a 152 will work fine for park riding and with large bindings.

Basically I'd like my next board to have a bit more "laid back" feeling than my old Air 157.

But still be able to go fast when feeling like it.
I'd like to be able to pull some butters & manuals as they were really consuming to muscles with Air 157. I also do ride Park quite a lot, but mostly boxes, small-medium airs. Not so much rails.

Is the stiffness difference easily notable between Custom and Love? Sounds like maybe Love 155 could be the right one for me if it's laid back enough compared to Custom/Air.

It would depend on your main riding style. You could do fine on either board at your weight though. If you want something stiff then a custom x or t7 will be more you're thing (they are stiffer so you may size down a bit in either of those), but if you're into the Love then 155 if you're looking for max stiffness. The 152 will translate into a nice all around park board while the 155 will maintain the rigidity to make some nice turns on steeps.

I would personally say this is more an intermediate to expert board. For a beginner you'll want a soft flexing board or possibly something that allows for easy turning like a v-rocker, banana, low-rise, depending on which brand. If you're determined to stick with Burton I agree with Lyman on the hero, but also maybe the blunt or a nug if you can get a hold of one.

It is kind of stiff out of the box, but it softens up after a bit. If you are just starting, check out the Hero, it is a great soft flexing board and is really fun. http://www.dogfunk.com/burton-hero-restricted-snowboard

I would go with the 158, you will be more satisfied with the performance of that size over the 155 especially in the trees and deep snow.

Yeah this is a good park board. It is geared towards park but isn't a complete noodle so it holds up well at high speeds whether that's on groomers or rolling into a big kicker. Size down a bit from your normal size board (say to a 155 from a 160 for example) and rip it. Don't be afraid to size down. I was when I went from a 162 all mtn to a 156 park board. Keep a little extra length if you want to ride all mountain but don't go too long or it will make spins and rails tougher.