Best of Test 2012: #1 Burton Nug Snowboard

August 29

// 8 COMMENTS

Despite having three decades of product innovation under their belts, the designers at Burton are still coming up with big ideas, like how to make high-performance boards smaller. With our 2012 Best of Test top finisher, The Nug, they’ve done just that. Conventional wisdom has long dictated that a good overall board length should hover around one’s chin. By tweaking tip and tail geometry, contact-point flexes, waist width, and camber in a way that compensates for the condensed size, The Nug not only achieves the stability of a conventionally-sized setup, but improves upon performance due to the lively characteristics it gains from reduction of weight and materials. To ensure that The Nug can handle all the same conditions as a normal board, Burton has also integrated its V-Rocker reverse camber, Jumper Cable suspension, and Frostbite edges into this compact package. This is why riders from the White Mountains to the Sierra Nevadas proclaimed The Nug their top choice in the 2012 Best of Test.

The Tech
Lengths: 142, 146, 150
Base Material: Sintered
Core: Super Fly® with Dualzone® EGD
Shape: Twin
Camber: V-Rocker
MSRP: $399.95
Website: burton.com

Best of Testimonials
“I charged, straight-lined it, and tried to go super-fast. I hit some jumps and boxes and it was super-fun everywhere. I rode a 138, but it didn’t feel any shorter than a 150. It was better than any other reverse-camber board I tried; really fun and really poppy.”
—Carlos Foralta, Alpine Meadows, CA (Shop: Ground Zero)

“It ripped and gripped. It was great in the woods and was a phenomenal all-around board.”
—Bill Langlands, Loon Mountain, NH (Shop: Darkside)

“Super-short and super-playful.”
—Justin Berkhart, Snowbasin, UT (Shop: Hole in the Wall)

“It’s stupid fun. You get out there and spin like a top, and you can still have control over it.”
—Mike Hogan, Winter Park, CO, (Shop: D and E)