This is the second year that I’ve demoed the Ration and nothing has changed since 2011. Well, except for the graphics that is. The Ration still maintains its simple look with an addition of black and white sketch-like drawings on the topsheet. I’m not big on graphics as I’m a performance orientated guy, but I loved how the Ration was a simple solid color last year. The black and white sketch of a weird monkey was cool and went well with the solid yellow color. The 2012 Burton Ration is a traditional cambered board with a fairly narrow profile overall. It also has beefy edges that are pre-beveled for your jibbing pleasure. As an added bonus, the Ration features Clip Tips. This allows you to cut the tips into a shape of your choice.
2012 Burton Ration
Conditions: Boyne Mountain (Boyne Falls, MI). Hardpack & icy, super cold a little sun but mostly clouds.
Size: 155cm
Stance: 18/-12 regular
Shape: True Twin Traditional Camber
Bindings: 2012 Burton Cobrashark (no wing)
Dave’s stats: 6′, 210 lbs
Leo’s stats: 5’9″ 180 lbs
Flex
Leo says: The Ration is rated a 3/10 flex on Burton’s scale. I give it a 4 on my own scale. It’s definitely not a noodle as the flex rating would suggest, but it is fairly buttery.
Dave says: Feels stiffer than 3/10 to me but I’ve had weird experiences with Burton’s flex rating in the past, also it’s the first posi-camber board I’ve ridden in quite a while.
Handling:
Leo says: This is what I like most about the Ration. It handles really well and edge to edge transitions are quick. The traditional camber shape is hands down the best for carving and is snappy out of turns. Short to medium carves are quick and stable, just okay on long carves because of the lack of stability. The Ration’s softer flex does prevent it from being a super stable board, but bombing isn’t what it was built for anyway. Just cruising and messing around is a blast on the Ration though. We did a couple of jumps on this board in the 15-foot range. Although not as forgiving as rocker on landings it was great on small natural hips and stuff though!
Dave says: The ration was very responsive for me, torsionally stiff and quick to roll it over on edge, and as you’d expect from posi camber, yeah the Ration can hold an edge really well even though it’s a bit on the softer side. If you’re pushing this board fast or riding through anything nasty you are definitely going to feel the chatter.
Ollie/Pop
Leo says: Burton never really disappoints me in the pop department. I have yet to get on a Burton board and say to myself, “The pop sucks on this thing”. The Ration is no exception especially considering the fact that it is a traditional camber. Super poppy? Nah. Above average? Yup. It got the ollie job done.
Dave says: What can I say? Cambered decks usually deliver pretty decent pop and the Ration is no exception. It’s not mindblowing, but it’s got enough.
Jibs/Playfulness
Leo says: I wish I tried some jibs with this board. I really think it would be a great traditional camber option for jibbers. As for playfulness, the Ration is good. Obviously, butters are harder to do on traditional camber boards. I personally have an easier time doing flat spins on traditional camber kind of like cars with less power steering where the extra feedback in the steering wheel helps me to figure out how much I should be turning; when I’m doing flat spins I rely on the feedback from my edges. Weird? Maybe. It is what it is though haha.
Dave says: We took the ration away from the main park area unfortunately but that’s where we found the small jump line and we didn’t have much chance to jib this board. It should still do just fine for anyone looking to take it in to the park. Most of the playfulness comes from the board’s pop rather than an insane amount of buttery flex, I agree it’s more of a rollers, hips, trees & jibs board than a flat-land assassin.
Pricing
Leo says: The Burton Ration is a price-point board retailing for just pennies under $300. For the price, it’s a great traditional camber option in my opinion. It’s a simple board without all the bells and whistles of more expensive boards. It’s a good value for the performance and if I were on a budget and wanted a park friendly posi camber stick, I’d likely purchase the Ration.
Dave says: Nearly everyone is making at least one or two super-affordable decks in 2012, and this is one of Burton’s price point options. Definitely a no-frills board, but it’s hard to argue with a $300 price tag when many Burton boards retail for almost twice that much.
Summing it up
Leo’s take: This is now the second year that the Burton Ration has pleased me. As a rider who learned on traditional camber and continues to keep one in his quiver, I feel at home on the Ration. Maybe I’m biased because of this. Whatever the case, I can certainly picture having one in my quiver someday. You know, if I ever want to add a posi camber park stick to it. Who do I recommend the Ration to? An intermediate-advanced park rider looking for a traditional cambered stick that they can also cruise around with outside the park.
Dave’s take: At the price it’s a solid board that even a total n00b won’t outgrow in one season. Interesting that Leo recommends this more for intermediate- to advanced park riding; I’d recommend it more for beginner (I still think beginners should learn on posi camber rather than alt camber but I’m probably in the minority on that) or intermediate who’s interested in a little bit of freestyle but mostly all-mountain riding. The price makes it a great “first” snowboard, and because it’s a pretty versatile ride, you can get a lot of mileage out of it before you move on to another deck.
