Hello and welcome to my Burton Hometown Hero review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Hometown Hero as a mellow freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Hometown Hero a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Burton Family Tree Hometown Hero
Price: $659
Style: Mellow Freeride
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium bordering on medium-stiff (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 85.8/100
Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards
Out of the 32 men’s mellow freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Hometown Hero’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Hometown Hero’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freeride |
Price: | $659 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium-Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 40mm |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Felt Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
144 | 240 | 100-150 | 45-68 |
148 | 244 | 100-150 | 45-68 |
152 | 248 | 120-180 | 54-82 |
156 | 252 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
160 | 258 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
156W | 260 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
160W | 265 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
165W | 268 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
Who is the Hometown Hero Most Suited To?
The Hometown Hero is best suited to anyone looking for a freeride board that isn't overly stiff, but just that little bit stiffer than medium, but still very directional and oriented to riding in one direction and is still quite an aggressive ride.
And whilst being first and foremost something to carve and ride powder on, it's something that's also a good jumper.
Definitely not for the beginner and probably not even for an intermediate rider.
The Hometown Hero in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Hometown Hero is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Burton Hometown Hero 2020, 156cm (252mm waist width)
Date: March 9, 2019
Conditions: Sunny with some clouds and perfect visibility.
Snow was well groomed and soft on top on groomers and soft but quite tracked off groomer (but there had been quite recent snowfall and still some untouched pockets).
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Stance Setback: Setback 40mm
Width at Inserts: 263mm (10.35") at front insert and 262mm (10.31") at back insert
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 185lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Flex
Overall it's just a shade stiffer than medium. Feels stiffer than that tip and tail, but it softens up through the middle and isn't overly stiff torsionally.
Powder
Felt nice to ride on powder. I didn't have waist deep powder or anything like that, but what I did find, the Hometown Hero felt at home there.
With a rockered nose, a tapered shape and ample setback, it's designed to perform well in powder.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Fun to carve on and you can get quite a deep aggressive carve going on it. For some reason I didn't quite get the same on a carve as on the Skeleton Key. I was expecting it to be as good or better, but I slightly preferred the Skeleton Key.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: It's pretty good in terms of slow speed maneuverability. It's not super agile, but it's pretty agile and strikes a good balance between being good on a fast, deep carve and being good in tight spaces at slower speeds.
Skidded Turns: You can, but it's not the most friendly board in terms of skidded turns or riding too casually.
Speed
It's not a speed demon, but it can handle a decent amount of speed for sure.
Uneven Terrain
It's nimble enough to navigate through bumpy terrain and is OK at going over the top of it, but felt the Skeleton Key was just that little bit better.
Good in crud, but again, I just preferred the Skeleton Key.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
For a freeide board it's really decent for jumps.
Pop: Good amount of pop. Quite similar to the Skeleton Key. A good bit off the Paramount, which I also rode that day, but decent enough. You've got to work a little to extract it, but don't have to work too hard.
Approach: Stable and with good maneuverability
Landing: Solid landings
Side-hits: Good, without being amazing. Decent pop and nimble enough.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: Best for medium to large jumps, IMO
Switch
It's not made for riding switch, but you can do it for sure. It's a little better than the average freeride board for this, and was certainly better than the Skeleton Key.
Spins
OK for spins. Getting the spin around was fine, and there's decent pop. OK landing and taking off switch but not great.
Jibbing
Doable, but not ideal of course. Not what this board was made for.
Butters
It felt quite stiff in the tip and tail vs the overall flex of the board, which made butters quite hard. Not a great butterer.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 4.0 | 24/30 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 4.0 | 8/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 8/10 |
JUMPS | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
SWITCH | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 85.8/100 |
Overall, the Hometown Hero fits in the ever growing category of in between medium and stiff freeride boards. It's all round a nice ride and quite versatile for a board so directional. Nothing that I disliked about this board at all, but nothing that really stood out as amazing either.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Hometown Hero, 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 Hometown Hero compares to other freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
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