2012 Burton Hate Snowboard Review

Burton set us up on the Hate, a budget-minded freestyle snowboard. If you’re looking for an inexpensive, but fun-to-ride freestyle deck from the Big B, give this one a chance. Here’s the details on how it rode for Leo & I at Test Fest back in February.

Size: 154
Stance: 24″ regs 15/-15
Shape: True Twin v-rocker
Bindings: Malavitas
Dave’s stats: 6′, 210 lbs
Leo’s stats: 5’9″ 180 lbs

Here is a quick video review, with full review below.

Conditions: Boyne Mountain (Boyne Falls, MI). Hardpack & icy, super cold a little sun but mostly clouds.

Flex:

Dave says: Not quite a noodle, maybe 4 out of 10 or so but that softness balanced out being slightly stiffer through the nose/tail which lends to a a bit of stability which is nice.

Leo says: This is definitely a soft board torsionally as well.  The Hate is stiffer through the tips though.

Ollie/Pop:

Dave says: The Hate did a good job in the pop department, not the poppiest board I’ve ridden but certainly above average.

Leo says: Burton snowboards never disappoint me in this department.  The Hate features their “Jumper Cables” so it’s expected to pop well.

Handling:

Dave says: For a pretty soft v-rocker the Burton Hate handled very well even though it definitely is made to be a more playful board you could ride this deck all over with minimal difficulty and it felt damp enough to be stable at speed.

Leo says: Thanks to the torsional give, edge to edge was effortless.  However, this is not a board you want to be laying down aggressive carves or tackling rutted out steeps on.  Is it doable?  Definitely.  A snowboard is a snowboard.  All I’m saying here is that I would much rather have a stiffer board underfoot for that type of riding.  By the way, the Hate has Frostbite edges.  This is Burton’s answer to icey/hardpack conditions.  Not nearly as grippy as Magnetraction, but better than nothing.

Jibs/Playfulness:

Dave says: The Hate was a super fun board to ride, it was probably the most playful of the 7 or 8 boards we rode on day 1 at Test Fest and it was definitely my favorite Burton of the day. Good pop to ollie and just enough softness/flex which allows you to really tweak out your presses and butter the shit out of the mountain if that’s your thing.

Leo says: This is where the Hate shined.  The V-Rocker and soft flex give it awesome amounts of playfulness.  I had a blast just messing around on this thing.  Tail presses were super and felt really stable actually.  Butter away my friends.

Price: Burton for well under $400. So you sacrifice the ICS to get the bargain price, but it's still a decent deal. Click on the "Buy Now" button to compare prices.

Summing it up:

Dave’s Take: I think we rode three or four Burton decks on Day 1 and this was my favorite of that bunch. Coming in at well under $400 it’s a bargain board that’s a hell of a lot of fun to play around on. I’d recommend it for beginners/intermediates who still have a lot to learn, but it would also be a good freestyle budget board for the more experienced riders.

Leo’s Take: I do remember enjoying the Hate quite a bit.  Considering its price, especially being from Burton, it’s a decent freestyle stick.  If I had extra cash to blow, it would probably be added to my quiver as a mess around stick.  I like the V-Rocker on the Hate as it’s playful without the really loose feeling that some of their “scoop” models have.  This means it’s going to be a great option for jibbers and beginners alike.  Hate on Burton all you want, but I say this board is pretty damn decent.