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Burton Hometown Hero Review

A board for everybody, this snowboard provides the playfulness, pop, and stability that makes for your do-it-all quiver killer
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Burton Hometown Hero Review
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Price:  $670 List
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Manufacturer:   Burton
By Rachel Lightner ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Oct 31, 2024
85
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#4 of 7
  • Edging - 25% 8.5
  • Float in Powder - 20% 8.0
  • Stability at Speed - 20% 8.0
  • Playfulness - 20% 9.0
  • Pop and Jumping - 15% 9.0

Our Verdict

The thing we love most about the Burton Hometown Hero is its easy ride. While some all-mountain decks require a decade of experience to tame, we'd recommend this board to just about anyone. But, don't let our laid back praise of it let it trick you — this thing also absolutely rips in subpar snow and it wants to be in the air. Our team found that it holds its own in all conditions and terrain whether your pointing through the chop in the runout of a chute or making those late spring park laps with your stunner shades on. Where we found that it excels the most is all-mountain freestyle. It loves the mountain, it loves the park, but most of all it loves when you turn the mountain into your park. See how this board stacks up in our review of the top-ranked women's snowboards.
REASONS TO BUY
Rider-friendly for all abilities
Easy to learn on
Playful and fun
REASONS TO AVOID
Simple shape
Not ideal for big lines

Compare to Similar Products

 
burton hometown hero
Awards Top Pick Award
A User-Friendly ATV
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Women's Snowboard
Top Pick Award
Best Women's Snowboard for Carving
Top Pick Award
A Board Built for Play
 
Price $669.95 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers
$559.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers
$629.95 at Evo$550 List
$549.95 at Evo
$500 List
$499.00 at REI
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line Your Hometown Hero for all your ripping needs, this board will not dissapoint in whatever conditions you bring it toYour one stop shop for all terrain and conditions on the mountainAn all-mountain freestyle ripper that can take on any terrain or condition with easeLook no further for a freestyle, all-mountain womens snowboard that has spectacular performance and tons of play in all types of terrainA stiff and wide speed demon that may not be ideal for playing in the park
Rating Categories Burton Hometown Hero Cardiff Lynx Jones Stratos - Wom... Yes HEL Yes Weston Rise
Edging (25%)
8.5
9.0
9.5
8.5
7.5
Float in Powder (20%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
8.5
Stability at Speed (20%)
8.0
9.5
9.0
8.0
8.0
Playfulness (20%)
9.0
8.5
7.0
9.5
6.5
Pop and Jumping (15%)
9.0
8.0
8.0
8.5
6.0
Specs Burton Hometown Hero Cardiff Lynx Jones Stratos - Wom... Yes HEL Yes Weston Rise
Shape Freeride directional Directional Twin Tapered directional Directional twin Directional twin
Camber/Rocker Camber, rocker Camber, rocker Camber, rocker Camber, rocker Camber, rocker
Flex 6 6 5 7 6
Tested Length 148 cm 149 cm 149 cm 149 cm 152 cm
Measured Weight of Tested Length 5lb 10oz 5lb 8oz 5lb 10oz 5lb 8oz 5lb 8oz
Available Lengths 144, 148, 152, 156, 160, 156w, 160w, 165w 142, 146, 149, 152, 156, 159, 162 143, 146, 149, 152, 155 146, 149, 152, 155 143, 146, 149, 152
Core Material Paulownia, beech, aspen Poplar, paulownia Paulownia, poplar Poplar, paulownia, bamboo Paulownia, poplar
Waist Width 24.4 25 24.3 24.1 25.2
Radius 6.9 m 7.3 m 6.5 m 6.9 m 7.4 m

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison


This board is easy to figure out and a blast to ride in all types of terrain and conditions. Designed with your everyday rider in mind, the Hometown Hero is a truly fun snowboard that doesn't require expert abilities to figure out. Fun snowboarding made easy.

The Burton Hometown Hero just wants to play!
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Edging


Playful to carve and easy to maneuver, the Burton Hometown Hero was an impressive snowboard when brought on edge. Designed with directional camber that is placed beneath the feet, it offers stability through deep carves, while rocker in the nose adds extra lift for increased float.


Burton is a household name in the snowboard industry, so it was no surprise that the Burton Hometown Hero would be easy and fun to quickly figure out. This board seamlessly transitions from edge to edge and allows for easy progression on carving skills.

burton hometown hero - the combination of cambers, shape, and flex of this board make it...
The combination of cambers, shape, and flex of this board make it super fun and easy to lay down some deep carves.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Float in Powder


A freeride directional shape makes the Burton Hometown Hero a champ when facing off with deep powder. This shape features a setback camber and a centered sidecut that creates a longer nose and taper with a shorter tail, offering tight turns when on edge with the float of a directional board when flat-based.


Rated at a medium flex, our testers found the Hometown Hero to keep up in powder riding, but it wouldn't be our first choice on the deepest day in comparison to other boards that were tested.

burton hometown hero - directional tapered sidecut, a deep sidecut, and endless stance...
Directional tapered sidecut, a deep sidecut, and endless stance options make the Hometown Hero a deep day assassin.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

The rocker in the nose does provide that extra float, allowing the board to do the work for you when cruising through deep powder. The freeride directional shape creates a shorter tail with a tapered nose, naturally providing powder float simply from the shape of the snowboard.

Stability at Speed


When taken to top speeds, the Hometown Hero kept up with minimal chatter. The directional shape and setback stance lifted the nose just enough to cruise through all sorts of terrain while still feeling stable and grounded underfoot.


Burton knows how to make a good snowboard, and this was apparent when ripping the Hometown Hero at top speeds. The board felt stable and capable of taking on top speeds with ease.

burton hometown hero
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Playfulness


The Burton Hometown Hero received the highest score in the category of playfulness by a landslide. This board is a heck of a good time, and we found ourselves with big smiles and frothing for one more run on this thing at the bottom of every run. What makes this board so playful is its buttery flex, its responsiveness, and jibbing capabilities.


Poppy and easily maneuverable, the Hometown Hero feels like it was made to play. From side hits off the groomers to booters in the park, this board was a blast to jump off of things with. Burton's shaping of this board is made to play. One of its design features is ProTip, with a tapered tip and tail to reduce swing weight and promote easier mobility.

burton hometown hero
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Pop and Jumping


The playfulness of the Hometown Hero segues nicely into our next testing metric, popping and jumping, which it also thrived in.


The Burton Hometown Hero proved to be one of the most playful boards in our testing lineup. This thing wants to be airborne and popping off of any little side-hit you can find. It has a twin flex, which makes riding switch and jibbing extra fun.

burton hometown hero - the burton hometown hero  is one of the most playful boards of the...
The Burton Hometown Hero is one of the most playful boards of the bunch.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Should You Buy the Burton Hometown Hero?


It was hard for us to find flaws with the Burton Hometown Hero, as we could see just about all boarders of any ability having a good time on this board. It felt easy to understand and maneuver, performed well in all test categories, and is a reliable option for just about anyone to add to their quiver. As noted in the powder section, we do feel there are better options if you are looking for a powder-specific board or a big mountain charger to complete your board lineup.

What Other Snowboard Should You Consider?


If you're looking more for a powder-specific board or a big mountain charger, then the Jones Stratos is an all-mountain assassin that is hard to beat for most snow types and terrain. If you want a board that's substantially more playful but still holds its own on jumps and in powder, you can't go wrong with the Yes Hel Yes. Finally, our hands-down favorite for deep powder is the Cardiff Lynx.

Rachel Lightner