Of course the 1996 Balance 56 is not a race board. Of course the 1997 Balance 56 is not a race board. An All-Around board can be used for going down the hill and carve, leaving somewhat of a trace in the snow...
Nonetheless, I owned both of these boards and IMO there was a difference in stiffness between the two. The 1996 edition was way stiffer than the 1997 (again, IMO). Since I took back to Burton the 1996 to get the 1997 because it delaminated, I was not able to compare the two board on the snow, back to back on the same day.
Now, when I rode the 1997, the front of the board just bent like a noodle and... well, it's just not fun anymore. The 1996 version had better grip on ice. I used the same bindings (X-base, still have them, they broke twice, had them fixed by a friend that works with Carbon Fiber) with the same boots.
The 1996 was made in Austria (If I am not mistaken), the 1997 in Vermont .
I do know that boards are not all made equals :D
Now, the question is :
Is it possible that there is a huge difference in stiffness and response from a board between two years of production lines?