Burton Process Flying V Review: All Mountain Snowboard Review

Who is the Process Flying V Most Suited to?

The Process Flying V is on the softer side for an all-mountain board. So it’s great for anyone who prefers something more playful than aggressive.

As far as the definition of “all-mountain” goes – this board really is a great all-rounder and has no major weaknesses, so it’s perfect for anyone who wants only one board but needs it to be able to do a bit of everything.

It’s great in the park, it’s great on the trails and it’s got some good float in powder.

This board is suitable for a beginner (not ideal but definitely suitable) and can be enjoyed by more advanced rider’s too (assuming you’re looking for a playful ride).

Powder

Not a lot of powder on the day but when I found the occasional pocket the float on this board was really quite good. Better than I had expected to be fair.

But thinking about it now, I’m less surprised. It does have a 0.5” (12.5mm) setback and there’s plenty of rocker in the profile.

Carving and Turning

Not really a carver. Too soft and too loose to really lay into deep carves.

In terms of turning, this board is really effortless to turn on and was quick from edge-to-edge. Really easy to skid turns on too.

The edge hold isn’t amazing – it was a board that was a lot more fun to ride in the softer stuff than in the icy stuff – but I wouldn’t expect it from a softer board with a fair bit of rocker in the profile. That said, I think the edge-hold is better on this deck than it used to be now that it has the frost-bit edges.

Speed

There are better boards for breakneck speed, but this board can handle a bit of speed for sure. That’s the thing with an All-Mountain deck, you’ve got to compromise on some things if you want just one board for everything.

But stability at speed isn’t too bad and it runs nicely when you hit a flat-section or slight up-hill. It’s got a sintered base, so that helps (just keep it waxed!)

Uneven Terrain

There was a fair bit of bumpy stuff lower down the mountain the day I rode this board – and I was thankful that I was riding this board. It handled the bumpy stuff really well.

I couldn’t say for sure why, but the softer flex would definitely have played a part and also the hybrid rocker profile probably helped too.

Jumps

Really fun on jumps in the park. It spins easy and has a good bit of pop. Really shines on small to medium jumps (IMHO). Can handle bigger jumps but more fun on the smaller variety.

Really decent pop and that’s partly thanks to that camber in the profile – so you can definitely get some good ollying going on this board or great pop over rollers, side-hits or jumps.

Switch

It has a direction twin shape (but the only thing that makes it not a true twin is the 12.5mm setback. If you set up centered it would be a true twin) and that makes it feel pretty much the same going both ways. Also, because it’s an easy to ride and playful board, it’s easier to ride switch than a more aggressive board if you haven’t mastered riding switch as well as your natural direction (myself included!).

It is setback 12.5mm (0.5”) though and that does make a difference – though not a massive difference.

You could set this up centered and it would be even better at riding switch.

Jibbing

One of the great things about this deck is that it jibs well. A lot of all mountain decks have jibbing as their biggest weakness. Not so with the Process Flying V.

So if you’re after an all-mountain deck that jibs better than your average all mountain snowboard, then this should be at or near the top of your list.

Pipe

Didn’t have access to a pipe that day, but I would say if this board had a weak area, it would be in the pipe. It’s slightly too soft, the edge-hold is not quite up there, and it just didn’t feel like a board that would climb the pipe walls with great conviction.

Of course, if you’re an experienced pipe rider, you could take it in there for sure and have some fun – but I wouldn’t consider it a good pipe board overall.

Changes from 2020 Model

Nothing has changed between the 2020 and 2021 models, as far as I can tell, except the graphic.

Changes from 2019 Model

Nothing has changed from the 2019 to 2020 models, as far as I can tell, besides the graphic.

Changes from 2018 Model

Apart from the graphic, no major differences between the 2018 and 2019 models that I can see.

Changes from 2017 Model

The 2018 model is essentially the same as the 2017 model except for the change in graphic.

Overall this is one of the better soft, playful all-mountain decks that I’ve ridden. You can do a bit of everything and go anywhere. It’s a great deck if you want that one board quiver and want something that’s not too aggressive.

The ideal person for this board would be someone looking for one board for everything, that likes a board on the playful side, wants an all-mountain deck that can jib well – and one that can help them to progress their skill level.

There are certainly better options if you’re looking for something more leaning towards the carving, speed, edge-hold in hard conditions type of ride but for something on the playful, freestyle end of all-mountain, this is a great choice