Board: Burton Gatekeeper
Size: 159
Camber Option: Directional Camber. A set back traditional camber that has the arc over the back foot and rocker in the nose.
Bindings: K2 Indy
Stance: 21.5 Wide 18 Negative 15 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 177lbs
Resort: Arapahoe Basin
Conditions: Heavy chunder snow after getting hammered with feet of snow. Sunny blue skies, warm temps, a bit of wind, and one lone cloud.
Flex: A hair past middle of the road making it a bit more aggressive. The way the board road it was stiffer in the tail and middle and a bit softer in the nose. There was decent torsional flex to twist the board while driving it through turns.
Stability: This board was lively and yet stable without being damp. I did feel a bit of the micro vibrations of driving through the chunder, but in the heavy chop it didn’t want to buck me and plowed through the crud with ease.
Ollies/Pop: Loading the back foot up you get decent snap off this board. This can also be attributed to the blunt shape and mid-wide chassis.
Butterability: If I had set my stance a bit more centered instead of going off the natural setback I probably would have found it easier to butter. The rocker in the nose does let you push into the tip and float across the snow. The tail does a great job of doing high speed slappy butters or skidded play around butters.
Carving: This board can set an edge! I won’t deny that railing hard turns on this board I found myself getting low and pushing through the apex of the carve. Edge to edge initiation takes minimal effort which is surprising for a mid-wide pow board being on a groomer.
Rider in Mind: Someone that is going to shred deep pow but might need to get around on a groomer or firm snow and wants some edge hold.
Personal Thoughts: The only real regret I have for this board is not riding it in some deep fresh snow. I would have loved to have seen this board in about a foot or more to see how it floats, but in the heavy chunder which was reminiscent of Cascade Concrete (Pacific Northwest Snow) it did a great job of blasting through it. The flex isn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be and over all it’s a decent ride.
Comparable Boards: Rome Sawtooth, Ride Timeless, Venture Storm
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This board was loaned to us for review from Burton Snowboards marketing department.
5 Comments
Have you reviewed the flight attendant ? Is it a beefer version with more of a taper?
-the fat kids
Chunk, we have not. But from discussing with people at the big B that would be a fairly accurate assessment.
Hey Angry, I just demo’d this board and loved the float, speed, and ability to handle chunky fresh snow. Pretty solid for jumps too. Can you recommend a board or two I should also ride for comparison? Looking for a directional powder board for the quiver.
Also tried the Branch Manager, but it’s (oddly) not as powder oriented as I’m looking for. I preferred everything about the Gatekeeper over the Branch Manager for bombing powder lines and hitting the trees.
Rossignol Krypto or maybe a Jones Flagship.
The Flagship definitely looked like a really good comparison, perhaps with better tech too, but before I could try one I found a stunner of a deal on the Gatekeeper and bought it. Really happy with the purchase after a Tahoe powder day. This thing bombs like a champ and makes heavy Sierra snow feel like light powder. You should definitely try it again in some deeper stuff if you get the chance!
Thanks!