Playmate Snowboards

[ski diva]

I know bodies are beautiful and all that. And I know this isn't ski gear. But what's your opinion of this new line of snowboards from Burton? How would you feel if you saw them on the hill?

https://www.burton.com/Gear/Default.aspx#/gear/productdetail/mens/boards/10419/206853000162/

 

[Jilly]

Well by the time you put a binding on it and stomp pad, there might not be too much left. And if they keep the bottom on the snow?? But its a park board, so it will be in the air. I can just imagine the shop boys tuning the waxing it. Will they be more carefull in the butt area??

 

[Severine]

Better than the violence depicted on some ski equipment.

Honestly... it's not like they're full-on naked. It wouldn't be my choice, but I don't see it as being all that harmful either. Yes, I have young children, and no, I wouldn't mind if they saw them. I'm trying very hard to teach my kids that bodies are beautiful, of all shapes and sizes, and there is no shame in that. I am, however, perturbed by how much ski equipment have violent scenes on them. Yet that's considered "acceptable."

 

[ski now work later]

I "checked" them out and thought they are pretty juvenile and tacky (perhaps a deliberate marketing strategy). Couldn't see the 152 graphic, but am annoyed by the absence of diversity in body type, race, and ethic background. Frankly, there are a lot more hot women out there that would make a board like that smoke!

Wonder what my 13 yo son (snowboarder) would think . . . I'll have to ask my husband to ask him since it would embarass him if I showed him.

 

[Kiragirl]

I think they're rude. And, with all the boys viewing their boards instead of their surroundings.....more crashes and cutting people off.

 

[alaski]

I think they are misogynistic and disgusting.

I stopped buying anything Burton after the whole "poach competition" last year but this means I will never, ever buy anything Burton again.

 

[ski&bfree]

Omgsh...that's rediculous! I don't agree with them putting a picture of a half naked woman on the board.

If I had children I wouldn't want them viewing that, that's for sure.

 

[RachelV]

Oh, I hate these. I know they're not really a big deal, but I just really don't like them. A few years ago at Gore some guy had a custom airbrushed snowboard with a full-on naked woman on it, nipples and everything. It made me pretty uncomfortable.

 

[SnowHot]

I have no problem with the image of the beautiful human body, but I fail to understand why those images(as well as violent images) need to be the graphix of any of our ski/snowboard gear.

 

[ski diva]

My feeling is that these images (both violent and sexual) are only there to appeal to adolescent boys; obviously, adult women are not the intended audience. I don't think they're beautiful or celebrate female beauty. Their only intent is to generate prurient interest, so Burton can sell boards to young men. I find this highly offensive and demeaning.

 

[volklgirl]

I find them far less offensive than the whole gangsta/thug thing. That said..............yuck!

 

[itri]

Yup, what VG said. Blech.

 

[ski diva]

Here's a video about this that appeared on CNN. I guess Burton's getting the exposure it's looking for:


[ame="https://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/10/02/moran.naughty.snowboards.wptz"]CNN[/ame]

 

[BackCountryGirl]

Yikes. I hope I don't have to decide what, if anything, to do if an instructor shows up with these to teach a kid's lesson. One would think that they'd show better judgment than that, but I have such stories!!! I don't love them, wouldn't buy them, wouldn't think well of anyone who does, but I'm a free market sort of person and all I can do is register my displeasure with Burton.

 

[Jilly]

I certainly hope an instructor doesn't show up with that board. I'm going to the shop today, and he sells Burton, so I'll ask how much? If they are limited editions, then not too many 18 yr olds are going to be able to buy them without parental $$.

 

[ski diva]

I think Burton does a lot of stuff purely for shock value. Face it, there's a certain segment that likes to buy stuff because A) it either ticks people off or B) it makes people do a double take. Plus selling this stuff gets Burton a lot of exposure, like the poaching they advocated last year.

I think Burton is trying to establish itself as what it perceives as an edgy, rebellious company. I know this sounds very cynical, but it's simply a shrewdly calculated marketing plan designed to capture a particular market segment. Adult women are obviously not the target. Burton is going for an element to whom all this stuff -- Playboy graphics, violent images, poaching ski areas -- is very appealing. To me, it's not. But then again, I'm so far off their radar that it doesn't even matter.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

For what it's worth, there ARE quite a few snowboarders, some of whom I know QUITE WELL () who do not like Burton, do not approve of their marketing, graphics, gimmicks or short-ranged shock value stuff (like last season's poaching fest).

Thing is, Burton's akin to what GM was to this country in the 1950's in terms of market share, because they've got the mass production and dollars to spend on advertising.

Thankfully, those fully involved in the sport know well that there ARE literally DOZENS of other board manufacturers who do not engage in this sort of tactic, wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

 

[SnowHot]

MSL, thanks for opening this part of the discussion up.
My nephew, Age 21, will not buy burton anything. Jackets, golves, boards, or bindings.
Snowboarders get upset about the stigma that is attached to their "sliding preference" and yet Burton continues to fuel the flame war by creating this kind of generalization.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Sadly, Burton is - and practically always has been - at the technology forefront with regard to bindings. DS occasionally shrugs, caves and gets their bindings. But OMG, if they ever start this graphic stuff with BINDINGS (doubtful, though who knows....) They initially patented a lot of snowboard binding technology (rapidly evolving), which is now expiring and being adopted by other manufacturers (thank goodness) - example: the toe cap. It was just better. But ditto as to the rest of the stuff mentioned above. Thankfully, there are far more manufacturers of gear and outerwear for riders than skiers (hard to believe but true, check the gear issue of TransWorld and its sheer size).

At least those riders who do any homework know they have many other choices and don't have to support this nonsense.

 

[Jilly]

Talking to the guys in our local shop and they say its not a top end board ie - construction. So good riders probably won't buy it. And as said before its the "shock value" Burton is going for. Anyways the boys are going to check the price for me.