The Burton Throwback Is the Best Low-Tech, High-Style Way to Hurt Yourself This Winter

Ride like it’s 1981. 

When Burton released its original wooden board, the Backhill, in 1981, only one mountain in the company’s home state of Vermont allowed boarders on its slopes. Today, only one resort in the state (the cooperatively-owned Mad River Glen) bans them. Celebrate acceptance and social progress while acknowledging history with the Burton Throwback, a re-release of that classic, disruptive Backhill.  This wooden-core board has a unidirectional shape (pointed nose, notched tail) that’s covered in Burton’s classic blue, yellow and black graphics. While you’re responsible for finding bindings (we’d go with something simple, strappy, and a light), the Throwback does come with a rope and handle for extra stability. Like most antiques, this board is for low-key, high-style recreation (your backyard, not a double-black diamond). It’s not a technical juggernaut, but a piece of the history of a once-maligned sport. As is inscribed on the board’s base: You need to know where you’ve been to know where you’re going. We agree. [$119.95; burton.com]

Photos by Burton

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