Eclectic Kim Review: Burton Snowboards Global Headquarters

It all started because of one thing: I wanted a helmet that actually fit my head.

Now, truth of the matter is that I have a rather large head. It is proportioned to my body. However, it makes finding the proper size for hats and such rather difficult. When I originally purchased my Smith helmet at Sports LTD, I honestly thought that because it was a large and it seemingly fit my head, that it was fine.

That is – until I saw my helmet on my head in photos. Something looked – off. More and more, I’d put my helmet on my head and gain a feeling that it was sitting on top of my head – rather than protecting it and fitting around my head.

When my snowboarding friend Deja (Black in Wild) and found ourselves in conversation about proper fitting helmet gear for our heads / black natural hairstyles, something clicked: my helmet actually didn’t fit me. I needed and extra large size that actually encased my head and protected my ears. And – I wanted it in black. I made a mental note of my desire and continued the conversation.

Later, when I found myself in Burlington, Vermont to use my IKON pass at one of Northern Vermont’s resorts, it suddenly struck me that I had to be close to the Burton Headquarters. So, why not head in and see if I could find a solution to my desire of a well fitting helmet?

Service that goes above and beyond

Now, the first thing I loved about Burton is the times they are open: 11am - 5pm. So, at the appointed time, I took the short drive from Blind Tiger Burlington over to Burton. Walking in, I immediately felt a sense of calm and a relaxed vibe. This was what Burton felt like and the energy they imbued in all their products.

Talking a walk around the company store, I immediately noticed two dogs, saying hello to each other. Any place that has dogs as part of their company is great by me.

One of the guy’s holding one of the dogs, Tim, introduced himself to me. He was an exceptionally friendly easy to talk to person that I immediately appreciated. I told him that I was there to find a XL helmet, as I was concerned that my current L helmet didn’t fit my body properly. Immediately, he went over the price points with me and left to check options.

He came back with two: an Anon Oslo WaveCel® Ski & Snowboard Helmet in black and an Anon Raider 3 Ski & Snowboard Helmet in white.

I tried the Anon Raider 3 on and almost laughed. I looked like I had half of a giant egg on my head.

But, the Anon Oslo WaveCel®? Fit like a glove. I even brought in my old pink helmet to compare. The difference was night and day.

the Burton Difference: Top Tier Attention to detail and care

While looking at the helmets, I asked Tim about rather passive question about something that had been greatly bothering me: my Step On bindings. I mentioned to Tim that my body was uncomfortable with bending to the sides to undo my bindings by releasing the lever. As such, snowboarding wasn’t as fun as I felt that it could be. Because, it took so much effort and contorting – once I fell – to get back up.

Instead of forcing my body to fit into the projections of what other ego based people said I “should” do – I wanted to focus on what I could and what made it easier for me.

So, when I asked Tim if Burton sold a level release assist tool. He was quiet for a moment and then said that he could change the release levers to face inside of my leg vs externally.

Immediately, I got my board out from the back of my rental and brought it in.

Once Tim got my board onto the work station, he went to work.

Within short order, he’d switched my bindings; Discovered that one of the gears on my bindings had been installed upside down and fixed it; showed me the four notches inside the foot pad that actually needed to be extended for size 10 / 11 foot; and adjusted my overall degree of my leading foot and equaled out my stance.

After all of this, he showed me care and attention in showing me the difference – by centimeter. He showed me how changing the notch to actually properly accommodate my Felix boots would actually make riding MUCH easier, because my board would be fully aligned with my body.

I’d walked in to Burton with a desire for getting a new helmet that properly fit me. I left with the helmet and a deeper understanding and appreciation of the brand.

The results at Sugarbush

Happily, I didn’t have to wait long to check out the results of Tim’s hands. I drove from Burton Snowboard’s headquarters to Sugarbush Resort, almost giddy with anticipation.

Once I arrived, parked, changed and walked onto the resort, I felt excited. Stepping in to my board, I realized that this was the first time I felt connected to and downright happy to be on my snowboard. The adjustments worked and I felt joy.