i guarantee the medium flex on these JJ's you like so much will become mush after a few days out... these were absolutely THE worst boot i have ever ridden... the liner broke down so much that the heel started to rip out and the foam started to thin out so bad that i could feel the heelcup of the binding pressing against the bone of my heel. i mentioned in my dogfunk review of these boots from last season that the only reason i would rock these boots was during a street session (or maybe some sleigh riding or driveway shoveling)... the funniest part is that Burton actually had the audacity to raise the price of this boot by $30 this season when they have done nothing to improve it... absolutely no upgrades at all; it's the exact same boot from last year, just some color changes, yet they decided to make the hard working kids who this boot is targeted towards pay an additional $30, especially in this downed economy... not cool burton, not cool.

burton tried to make a high end soft park liner (the Flex 2) this season; one that would be soft and flexy for jibs but also be able to ramp up support when needed... they failed miserably. after just one day, this liner was mush... after twenty, this liner was thrashed... i noticed after my first day on these that the liners started to pack out a lot more than normal... pack out mostly occurs in the heels and these liners were becoming increasingly thin in the heel area, so much so that i started feeling pressure from my binding heelcup... the heel area of the liners are now paper thin (wouldn't be surprised if a hole started to develop) and almost all of the foam has worn through... also, the interior lining of the liner has begun to tear, revealing the inside foam... i don't see these boots lasting through the season... they are entirely too soft even just for park... they have no support whatsoever for any sized park features except your small to medium sized jibs... forget about taking these off any larger tables as you'll be playing russian roulette with your ankles... the only situation i can see using these happily is if you do a lot of urban street setup riding... burton has a lot of work to do to improve these 'park-specific' liners for 2010...

Although the descriptions on both Analog's website and Dogfunk's website make no mention about the insulation in this pant, make no mistake, these are definitely a puffy insulated pant... I actually purchased these straight from the Burton Online Store in the summer and was surprised to see that they were super thick and warm... If you're looking for that type of pant, then this pant is great for you... However, if you're looking for a lighter pant that you can layer up underneath (like me), this is definitely not it... The XXL in this Analog Team fit pant is SUPER HUGE too, which I'm fine with because I love big pants... but the added poly insulation in this pant is a bit much for me and makes the pant a bit too thick and puffy...

contrary to what the anonymous reviewer has stated above, the hail is a completely soft jib/park/street boot... i doubt he knows what a stiff freeride boot actually feels like if he is labeling these as stiff... the hail is definitely comfy, but they will no doubt pack out because of how much flex and softness the liner has; expecially for '09, as burton has switched the hail from their imprint liner line to their new park series liners (should be even softer and flexier this season)... again, i can't stress enough how UN-freeride these boots are... but take these for a spin in the park, and you most likely will not be disappointed by the hail's comfort and tweakability...