2009/10 Burton T6 - Shred Labs Board Test

Burton was at my home mountain recently to allow people to demo this year's gear. While they were there, Adam let us take some boards out to do some tests. One of the boards that we tested was the 2009/10 Burton T6. I've never actually ridden the T6, although a few years ago one was offered to me as a loaner when I found pressure cracks on my APO Family 58. My APO lasted the weekend, however, (and incidentally the rest of the season) so I didn't get an opportunity to try out the T6 until now so I was looking forward to seeing what it was all about.

• Location: Mont Cascades, Cantley, Quebec, Canada
• Snow Conditions: We hadn't received much in the form of precipitation since some freezing rain a week or so before the test. The slopes were hard packed with some loose groomer snow on the surface.
• Rider: Marc
  • Height: 5' 10"
  • Weight: 135 lbs
  • Boot Size: 9.5 (US)
• Setup:
  • 2009/10 Burton T6, 162
  • 2009/10 Burton Cartel EST bindings (M): 19 degrees front, -19 degrees back, 27 inches wide.
  • 2009/10 Burton Ion Boot

First Impression

The first thing that I thought when I picked up the board was “wow, this is big.” When I strapped in, I knew right away that I wasn't going to be messing around. The board was very stiff, especially when compared to the Custom V-Rockr that I had been riding earlier in the week. The T6 definitely felt like a freeride board.

Construction

The T6 is pressed right in Burlington Vermont. Therefore if you live in the Northeast, this board does not have to go far to go from the factory to your feet. Because only the higher end boards are actually manufactured in Burlington, you should be able to count on the manufacturing quality.

Tech

• Pro-Tip: The thickness of the tip and tail of the snowboard is tapered which is supposed to ofer a better swing weight and more playful flex in the tip and tail. I didn't really notice the more playful flex, but the swing weight was pretty good.
• Stainless Steel Pressure Distribution Edges: The edges on the T6 are upgraded from the regular line of boards by using stainless steel. No fuss, no muss, no rust.

Cost: The T6 is definitely a high end board, and its MSRP reflects this. According to the Burton website, the T6 should retail for $829.95.

The Ride

Beginner/Intermediate Turns: I found it difficult to initiate beginner turns with the T6. The stiffness makes it easy to catch an edge, however, it also makes the ride quite smooth. Intermediate turns were actually easier than beginner turns. I wouldn't recommend this board for beginners or novices; it will probably frustrate them.

Advanced Slider Turns: The T6 is very grabby. As I was trying to do ASTs, there was very little sliding in my turns, I felt more like I was doing advanced carved turns. Although the board was quite large for me, I had no problem linking turns in a narrow corridor; the T6 is surprisingly quick edge to edge.

Carving: This is definitely one of the strengths of the T6. The more I rode it, the more I wanted to rip down the hill doing high-speed carves. Dana, who was filming, was having a hard time keeping up on the Flying V.

Switch: Although the T6 is a directional freeride board, it never really felt squirrely while riding switch. In fact, I found switch beginner turns to be easier than regular ones... weird. I didn't try riding the T6 switch at high speeds, I was too busy having fun ripping down the hill as fast as I could.

Park: Although it is possible to ride park with the T6, I wouldn't recommend it. The T6 is too big of an investment to be slaying steel with it. It was very smooth on jumps, however, owing to its stiff flex profile. It was also surprisingly easy to spin considering its length and my weight. Butters were difficult if not nearly impossible on the T6.

Overall

The Burton T6 is a freeriding beast. While doing the “Flux Capacitor” straight line test, I hardly felt that I was going fast at all. The only indication of my speed was my jacket flapping in the wind and my hood acting as a parachute (when I realised how fast I was going, I thought I might actually go back in time... 88mph FTW!!) If you're into park riding, the T6 is probably not a good board for you. However, definitely consider it if you like to a) go fast, b) like the feeling of doing turns on a cambered board, c) want to throw yourself over huge booters at max speed, and d) have a lot of extra scratch for a snowboard because the T6 ain't cheap.