Burton 98 Alp

[John E]

On klugriding.com they have some Burton 98 Alp (164) boards for $160. Their UltraPrimes are sold out.

Would this be a good board to learn on for a 155 lb / 5'11" rider?

[boarderboy]

I like it a lot - think it's a great value and a terrific learning board. One reservation, though the tail is "kicked" a bit, it's corners are not really rounded like (Burton) E decks and others. Turn-to-turn transitions might be a bit trickier because of this.

That said, my 164 handles my mellow-carving 230 lb. frame OK. Hope to buy a 171 to handle the mass later.

Design's good, quality too. Price is right. Buy one!

[John E]

Bola - I was considering a Donek Axxess but was cautioned that it might be too stiff for me.

I realize that Burton is the "Microsoft" of board manufacturers & all else being equal, I would prefer to support Donek.

However, I have seen several on this forum say good things about the Burton Alp and at $160 for a new board, it seems like a good value. If it is forgiving enough to get me to breakthrough into better carving, I can then move up to a better board.

[carverchick]

oldacura,

The first board I learned to carve on was a Burton Alp. Al used this board as a training board for those interested in learning how to carve. I found this board to be very responsive and easy to navigate.

I know Burton no longer supports the hardbooting industry and I've never ridden Donek (which I think are pretty sweet boards btw) but I'm just speaking from experience.

I currently ride a Burton Coil all mountain board as well which has been an awesome board to ride as well.

Cheers and Good Luck!

[Guest stokeds]

seems I have another season's model cause the design is different but nice board I have to say after having scratched all references to the manufacturer off it

[BadBrad]

Yes, I think the Alp would be a good forgiving board for you. I have ridden hard boots since the 80's and have been through a number of boards. I had one of the early asym Alps years ago, then got a Rossignol Throttle, which was a lot closer to a race board -- it was stiff and liked to be ridden fast. It was pretty unforgiving but really held an edge. It was fun but took a lot of effort to ride well and wore me out quickly. I then got a Burton Ultra Prime to have something a little softer and less work to ride. About that time I went to a carving clinic and the instructor said that his favorite carving board was a certain year Alp. He didn't like the new ones as well for some reason. I'm not sure which year, but it is older than the '98 model you are looking at. I found a used one for cheap and bought it. Mine is a 157 -- blue with the ram's head graphic on it -- I think from sometime in the mid-90's.

I was about 140 lbs. when I got that board so the 157 suited me pretty well. I rarely get to ride big mountains, so I tend to like smaller boards anyway. Now I am 160 lbs. but I still enjoy riding that old Alp a lot. I recommend as a good choice for an intro to hardbooting, especially if you can find a good one for cheap. The 164 that you are looking at looks like a good size for you and a good deal.

If you looks at the specs for the Alps they are very similar to the specs for the Donek Axxess or Prior AWD as far as radius, width, sidecut depth, and nose length.

[boarderboy]

Don't want to belabor the point, but I've owned two Alps - an early symmetrical 163 and the newer 164. They've both been great, on-piste carvers. Both still have camber. And the 164's LightSpeed base, though not sintered is very durable and reasonably fast if structured for your conditions.

I weighed roughly 160 lbs. when I first bought the 163, and I had no problems cambering/decambering the board through turns.

I hope to begin building my own (personal) decks this year, and the Alp template is the first I'll experiment with - modifying length, camber and flex. (The second will be the floatable all-mountain carver, aka Axxess, E Deck, etc.)

The current Burton (bling, fad fashion) is not something I admire, but I appreciate their early efforts to demo boarding everywhere (including here on the south Ice Coast). To my knowledge, they're the only alpine manufacturer that, for a while, regularly demo'd carvers in the southeast.

For that, I'll always be grateful.

Have Fun!

[queequeg]

I have a burton alp 6.9, around 98. To me it feels like riding around on a floppy garage door ... I *hate* it. After riding it only twice, I decided to turn it into my rock board. But I prefer stiff, lively boards so that all probably makes sense.

[SEJ]

I've still got my old asm alp. I think the 164 Alp would be a great transition board, but, as you improve you will ultimately want something longer.

[big mario]

Come up to lovey with us and I will let you ride my 177 axis, and we will gladly pass on carving tips. It is a really fun board and very easy to ride, don't let the length intimidate you. Come up on a saturday, we are much more ride focused, I am out of town shortly, but will be back on the hill after the first.

mario

[SEJ]

Take Mario up before you buy anything. The more things you try, the larger data base you will have to make an informed decision. Alps are a dime a dozen, you can always find one. My only concern with any Burton carving board, and I've had a few, is that they can have a concave base. Both my alp and FP were concave, I just didn't know as much then, so I didn't realize the problem.