Hello and welcome to my Burton Kilroy Pow snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Kilroy Pow as a freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Kilroy Pow a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freeride snowboards.
NOTE: The 2021 model was the last model of the Kilroy Pow.
Overall Rating
Board: Burton Kilroy Pow 2021
Price: $449
Style: Freeride
Flex Rating: Medium (5.5/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 78.8/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Boards
Out of the 36 men’s freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Kilroy Pow’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Kilroy Pow’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freeride |
Price: | $449 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium-Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Traditional Camber |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 50mm |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Felt Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
155 | 255 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
158 | 258 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
Who is the Kilroy Pow Most Suited To?
The Kilroy Pow is a unique kind of a board.
It's quite directional, so I will always class it as a freeride board, but it's supposed to be a board for freestyle, apparently. What it felt to me was that it was a softer flexing freeride board, but not that much softer flexing than the average. But it wasn't a surfy feel, like softer flexing freeride boards sometimes have. It was still quite locked in.
Could ride it all-mountain-freestyle, if you wanted but predominantly I would call it a freeride board.
Definitely not for beginners. Want to be a solid intermediate rider at least, IMO.
The Kilroy Pow in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Kilroy Pow is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Burton Kilroy Pow 2021, 158cm (258mm waist width)
Date: March 7, 2020
Conditions: Cloudy but still around 90-95% visibility.
Groomers had a decent layer of soft with mostly a medium firmness under that layer, with some harder spots in patches.
Off groomer soft with some overnight fresh. Not waist deep or anything, but a nice amount.
Wind around 10-15kph (6-9mph). Temperature was -8°C (17.6°F) and with wind chill -11°C (12.2°F).
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance Setback: 50mm
Width at Inserts: 268mm (10.6") at front insert and 270mm (10.6") at back insert
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 175lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Salomon Lo-Fi
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Damp or Chattery?
I found the nose flops about a bit, but didn't find it really reverberated too much underfoot, so there's a bit of dampness there. But I would say overall just on the damp side of the scale.
Smooth or Snappy?
Right in the middle I would say.
Powder
It was fun in powder, despite having an all-camber profile. It's not ideally suited, but it does have a fair bit going for it - a lot of setback, some taper and an overall directional feel.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Really nice on a carve - it's got that carvy semi-locked in feel to it - as opposed to being overly surfy.
Turning: Nice on a regular turn. Didn't have to throw too much effort in, but it gave back when you put a bit more in.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Quite agile at slow speeds. It was a fun board in the trees.
Skidded Turns: Not super easy, but not un-skiddable either.
Speed
Nice and stable up to a good amount of speed. Not a bomber, but can handle a good bit of speed.
Uneven Terrain
Good without being amazing for weaving through bumps and tackling crud.
Jumps
Pop: Decent pop without being epic
Approach: A good mix of nimble but stable
Landing: Not a stomper, but solid enough
Side-hits: Decent. It's nimble enough, there's decent pop and a good bit of that pop is easily accessible
Small jumps/Big jumps: Medium are it's sweet spot, but it's fine on small and large too
Switch
Not ideal for riding switch. Quite directional and felt a bit unnatural.
Spins
OK for getting the spin around, but not great of landing or setting up switch for 1s, 5s etc.
Jibbing
OK but not amazing.
Butters
Middle of the road. Not super hard to butter, but not easy either.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING | 4.0 | 8/10 |
POWDER | 4.0 | 16/20 |
SPEED | 3.5 | 14/20 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
JUMPS | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SWITCH | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 78.8/100 |
Overall, the Kilroy Pow is not a bad board to ride at all. But it doesn't really excite in any particular area, so it doesn't end up scoring that well. It's a good board, and it's fun to ride, but it's not particularly excellent at anything.
But honestly for the price, you get value for money for what it gives. And if you're after a slightly softer than normal freeride board, but one that's more stable/semi-locked in as opposed to a surfy/loose feeling ride, then, regardless of price, this could be a really good choice for you.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Kilroy Pow, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Kilroy Pow compares to other freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
So I just ordered this board but I’m skeptical after reading your review.
I’ve seen two other sites rate this board highly but a 78 isn’t promising. Did you dislike the board or just feel that there’s nothing unique about it? I’m trying to wrap my head around why some reviewed it highly and you didn’t.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Chris
Thanks for your message.
I actually didn’t dislike the board at all. It was a pretty fun ride actually. It’s just kind of a unique board and didn’t really fit in any category that well. In hindsight, I should have put it in my mellow freeride category, but I don’t think I had that setup before I did this review. So really it’s score suffered mostly from being the kind of board that I hadn’t really tested much of before. In the mellow freeride category it would have scored 83.5. If it suits your needs (look in the score breakdown’s and read the overview under the score breakdown) then I don’t see why you couldn’t have a good time with this board.
It’s not supposed to be a park board, I am not sure where you got that info?
On Burton site it lists the board as 5/10 for park, 7/10 all mountain and 10/10 for powder
Hi Steve
Thanks for your message.
Can’t remember where I heard that, but someone from Burton was describing it that way. In any case, you’re right it’s certainly not a park board. Although on Burton’s website they do also mention “the men’s Burton Kilroy Pow Snowboard lets you ride the whole mountain like the natural terrain park that it is”. And still not really what I would use it for. But you could I guess.
Ya I bought it as a Pow board mainly, which also works on groomers.
I’m also curious why you chose a 158. For your weight the 155 would be perfect as you are right in the middle of the recommended range (150-200lbs).
The 158 is recommended for 180lb plus, so you are not even in the range.
I also weigh 175 and chose the 155cm. I just bought it on sale and have not had a chance to use it yet but am wondering if you would have liked the board better in 155cm.
The board is meant to sized down 3-5cm from your regular size.
Hi Steve
I take brands weight recommendations into account when sizing, but I don’t only look at them. If I was to get this board, I would be getting it predominantly as a pow board, so I would get it in a 158, to give me that extra surface area for float. It’s certainly a wider than average board, and typically I would size down for that, but in this case it’s not hugely wide for my size 10 boots. For a predominantly powder board in a regular width, I would likely be looking to go around 160 (unless I wanted to ride a lot of trees on it, then I’d go smaller) and given it’s width not being enormously wide, 158 seemed like a little size down, but still keeping good surface area for powder float.
Given the width, if I got this as a daily driver, or as a board predominantly for trees, I would probably go 155. So it kind of depends on use.
I would certainly be interested in trying out the 155 to compare, but looks like they’ve discontinued this board now.
Hi Nate
Did you think the 158 was the right size for you? its possible here to purchase either the 158 or 155 stun gun (same board just better materials) here quite cheap. what size would you recommend. im 80kg, 511 10.5 tactical adv.i think 10.5 should be sweet with 265 on the back insert.
Hi Tim
Thanks for your message.
I think the 158 would be your best bet. I felt the 158 was just right for me, and we’re similar in terms of specs. I agree that you’d be fine width-wise with the Tactical ADV 10.5s on either size, so that certainly doesn’t rule out the 155, but I think length-wise, the 158 makes the most sense for your specs. The caveat to that would depend on your riding style – noting that the 155 would give you a little more maneuverability at slower speeds and if you were in the trees a lot, that kind of thing, then it would be worth looking at. The 158 will give you more float in powder, be more stable at speed and better for big carves.
Hope this helps with your decision