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.
