The Burton Big Gulp 2021 Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened: We had a few laps at a demo.
Size: 154
Days: 1
Conditions: We got on this in less than ideal conditions. It was pretty firm in most places with only a few good patches. Most of the good snow was scraped away.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Tactical Lexicon
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  F.I.T. Gameghangers Low Profile , F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Burton Cartel X EST

Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Hybrid, Endeavor Scout, Jones Hovercraft, Weston Backwoods,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. 21 front -6 back.

Sizing
The Big Gulp isn’t described on the site as a mid/wide or regular board but it seems more on the mid/wide(10-12US) side from size 154 up. Or maybe something to size down a bit from if you are under size10. It is good to see lots of sizing options and it might mean the Burton Big Gulp will be here next year. The 154 did work pretty well for us and Peter and I felt like we could control the 154 but the 159 seems tempting to make sure it will float like a champ in the deep stuff. Not sure if it would work with our foot sizes of 8.5-9 but Jimbo and Zobel would love it. Neither of them had any toe/heel drag even with the 154.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a good bit of camber with some early rise in the nose and maybe just a touch happening in the tail. It has an almost full camber feel that tracks well but is pretty catchy if you get off your game. It is not super forgiving but a little better than old school camber. If you mainly skid your turns look somewhere else. That with the wider and a little more stable platform underfoot makes for a very cruisy board for those that know how to turn.

Flex/Pop/Buttering

The Burton Big Gulp has all of that burton pop magic that they put into their higher end boards. The medium to medium stiff flex snaps well while not feeling too ridgid. It can butter pretty well for this kind of camber profile too.

Speed

Family Tree boards all have a pretty fast base and the Burton Big Gulp is no exception. It is pretty damp too.

Uneven Terrain

The Burton Big Gulp is damp but not dead and doesn’t get cranky in hard micro bumpy snow that we came across in a few places.

Edge Hold

Not the best for those that see hard to icy snow unless you really have the skill to twist whichever edge you are on into the snow to get more grip. Burton boards shine when the conditions are good but we found edge hold lacking when it gets harder.

Turn Initiation

The 154 didn’t roll edge to edge easy for Peter and I with our 8.5-9 feet but it was a smooth predictable fun turner. So medium to medium/slow for Peter and I but medium/fast for Jimbo and Zobel. The deeper sidecut can turn a tighter circle so once it is really engaged it starts turning quicker for Peter and I but for Jimbo and Zobel it’s consistently medium/fast. I bet if you get this in powder it turns faster though.

Turning Experience/Carving

The more that sidecut engaged the tighter the turns radius got. All felt it would be a good circle carver in softer snow. You could feel all that potential carving energy in the camber profile and we would love to really get into it in better snow.

Powder

There is about 12mm of taper and only12.5mm of setback on sidecut. That being said it seems to have a lot more set back on board and there is also a big difference in surface area between the nose and tail. So it looks like it will have easy float in powder and not ride as centered as it feels on groomers.

Conclusion

So overall the Burton Big Gulp does some pretty cool things. The 154 could be a semi-short semi-wide cruiser/powder slasher/good conditions carver for Peter and I. Or it could be more of a mid/wide ride at159 for Jimbo and Zobel.