I’m finally back in Vancouver and am trying to get over the jet lag and get back into the swing of things. More photos and stories from the trip still incoming.

It’s that time again folks. I’m really excited about this year’s snowboard season.  It’s almost the beginning of November, the snow is starting to fall on the mountains, several mountains are about a month from Opening Day, and Warren Miller Entertainment rolls into town for their annual film tour.

Warren Miller films, in my opinion, can’t really compete with the high budget Burton, Standard, Billabong, Red Bull etc action sports movies that are rolling out these days. Warren Miller films were traditionally ski movies, and as someone who has skied longer than I have snowboarded… I can relate. The films do include a lot more snowboarding in the current and latest iterations, but they are still more family-oriented films. Yet, every year, going to the Warren Miller movie, getting the 2-1 for, checking out the booths and tradeshows, and cheering with other fans excited about winter is still one of my favourite events before the season starts. It’s a great way to get stoked. I’m definitely going to try and be at Whistler and Baker for their opening days. CAN’T. WAIT!

So pick up your tickets if you can — it’s showing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre this Saturday (7:30 pm) and Sunday (4:00 PM). See you there!

Now, back to the Japan stories.

A few days ago, I finally made it to the Tokyo Burton store like I’ve been hoping to visit ever since I found out about my business trip out to Asia. I was excited to check out the Japan-only/Japan-exclusive Burton gear for the 08/09 season.

The store is located in downtown Tokyo, in the Harajuku area, in the back alleys by a bunch of funky other shops.

It’s really cool inside. I particularly liked the lounge, complete with foosball table (FOOSBALL! CHRISTINE!), Burton pillows, antlers, and cool couches.

So. Much. Gear. I think they have a better selection than even the Los Angeles Burton store. Sadly, they are also twice as expensive.

Awesome Burton logo pillow!

Tons of bindings.

Burton Serow boots, 2008-2009 model. The Serow boot was designed for Japanese powder surfers. They are wider than Burton’s boots. I believe that these colours are only sold in Japan. I’m sure you could find them in some online shops, or smaller shops, but this is the first time I’ve seen them in person.

The Burton Custom ICS Japan is pretty much the same as the North American versions, except the flex is a bit softer.

The Burton Aura 2008-2009 (front and back shown here in the middle) is also a Japan exclusive board. It’s a men’s board, designed for powder. It’s basically like the North American Burton Supermodel. It is tapered with soft flex, and has been made to float on powder. Wood core, Vaporskin, and comes in the 156 and 162 cm size. It’s also got The Channel mounting system and is rated a Feel of 2 (Burton rating).

The Burton Avenue 2008-2009 is similar to the Burton Lux, and comes in the 143 and 147 cm size and is also Japan only. It’s a women’s board, but I think it looks pretty cool. I love the design on it… why don’t they sell this in North America? If only I could get a Malolo or a Fish with that design… Unfortunately it doesn’t have The Channel, and it’s got a Feel rating of 1. It was designed for Japanese female riders, with soft flex and for free-riding and park.

Sooo.. uhh.. I purchased the Brown/Red Burton Serow boots for Allan, just because those are his riding colours, and I couldn’t resist getting him something Japan exclusive. They’re really nice, and have got a whole whack of features like the speed zone lacing, Aegis anti-microbial fungus/odor/sweat control, and an exterior shell build for powder and hiking. They’ve also got the independent sections (top and foot sections) for increased flexibility.

The sole is a Vibram sole, that was designed exclusively for Burton. For better grip, control, and of course if you ever need to hike it, it’s got what you need.

The Burton Serow logo is REALLY neat! It’s of a Japanese serow which is basically kind of like a goat-antelope. They put this logo on some of their Japanese only softgoods and boots. I haven’t seen it on any boards yet though.

I did end up buying a bunch of other loot there too, other than the boots. I picked up a bunch of gifts for friends, including a Burton Tokyo hoodie, Burton Tokyo t-shirt, Burton Rubix Cube (AWESOME!), candies, and kleenex. I can’t wait to give these out!

Tags: 08/09, 2008-2008, Aegis, Aura, Avenue, boots, Burton, Children of Winter, Custom, ICS, Japan exclusive, Japan only, Rubix Cube, Serow, snowboard, Snowboarding, Tokyo, Vibram, Warren Miller

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 3:32 pm and is filed under Snowboarding, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.