Guess Who's Back? Burton's Fishy Coalition.

For exactly three decades, Burton snowboard has been one of the only names in the sport. It all started with a young man whose parents couldn’t afford to buy him a surf board. Instead, for Christmas they bought him a $15 Snurfer (snow-surfer).  The Snurfer was a plastic plank, with a ridged rubber surface to keep people's feet from slipping off, and a rope for the rider to hold on to keep them balanced and controlled. For ten years it was the number one toy. But like the “must have” toys now, they faded away and the original company who manufactured them went bankrupt. Jake Burton rather enjoyed the plastic toy, and as a carpentering student, he tried to improve the Snurfer.  He would make additions to the board to make it a serious sporting utility. Jake added Finns for extra stability, and water ski foot straps for improved control. In 1979 Jake Burton moved to Vermont to start his own company (that made Snurfers and such). Though it wasn’t a smash hit at first, but it eventually developed into the biggest snowboarding corporation in the world.

Today snowboarding is one of the most renowned and respected sports in the world. Its gear is everywhere; men, women, and children can’t get enough of it. Snowboarding is quickly becoming the most popular sport in the world. The company that helped start it all was Burton. Burton Snowboarding now has a variety of high-tech snowboards, Bindings, Boots, gear and accessories, all precisely handcrafted and packaged for sale. For the 2009 line of Burton Freeride decks, Burton has re-released a four decade old design with many improvements for the company’s 30^th anniversary. Yes, Burton has brought out the Snurfer for another round.

The board is called the “NoFish” - ironically named after the “Fish” (another freeride board). It is essentially the same thing as the “Fish”. It uses the same technology, it is made the same, it’s even the same colour; the only difference is the rubber platform and the rope (made by NoBoard).  Perhaps one does not see the reason why they’re making a watered down version of the Fish. It will probably not be allowed at most hills and mountains, and for something like that to retail at $499.95 USD ($599.95 CND), it’s is a bitch. The coalition between Burton and NoBoard has promoted the sport of NoBoarding to the public in order to make it an interesting phenomenon. Who knows, it might even work. Perhaps the same way that Burton got their snowboards off the ground, so can NoBoard, especially faster with Burtons help and influence. Personally, I would like to try it… but I’m not willing to dish out $600 for a Snurfer. Thankfully, you can buy a conversion kit for a lower price of $120. The down side is, that it is attached by very durable double sided tape… Are you willing to ruin your board? I’m sure as hell not! But let’s be nice here. It a good idea and it’s a ideal time for a comeback. If you’re a surfer, and want to train during the winter, the NoFish is the perfect combination of the fun of surfing, and the excitement of snowboarding.  But seriously, the snurfer is quite passé I must say. Either way, let’s see what the future holds for NoBoard. 

With the aid of Burton Snowboards, NoBoarding may just become the next big thing. Let's see what the future holds.

So the decision is up to you Fish or NoFish? Sounds a kinda fishy to me eh?

For more information on the NoFish, go to:

www.burton.com

www.NoBoard.ca

This is Shayan Shakeri, and I love snowboarding!