Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard Review

For newbies and expert snowboarders alike, it’s hard to determine which board truly lives up to its advertised hype.

That’s why we’re here – and today we’re evaluating the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard. It features a directional camber profile, can turn on a dime, and is great for nearly any terrain.

However, no board is perfect and this one has its flaws. Some users found that it’s less smooth on hard or icy conditions, and others noted that it’s poorly suited to beginners.

Nonetheless, before you make your final decision, let’s take a more in-depth look at the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard.

Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard: The Details

In A Nutshell

• Profile: Directional Camber.
• Shape: Directional.
• Flex: Directional Flex.
• Construction: Infinite Ride construction.
• Core: FSC Certified Super Fly II 700G Core.
• Available Lengths: 150, 154, 158, 162 cm.
• Type: All-mountain.

Features

Directional Camber

The profile on the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard is a directional camber.

What does this mean exactly? It has a blend of both rocker and camber – specifically, rocker in the nose of the board to help with float and control, matched with camber under your feet to help with power and stability.

This profile improves your overall stability, provides great turns, and makes the board suited for different kinds of conditions.

Core

The core of the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard is an FSC Certified Super Fly II 700G Core.

This may seem like an excess of lingo but translates to the core being made of a mixture of different woods, which are combined to make the board poppy, strong, and lightweight.

As such, you won’t feel weighed down as you perform jumps or other tricks.

Channel

The Skeleton Key snowboard also comes with something called The Channel, which is Burton’s exclusive mounting system.

The Channel uses a central “spine” along the snowboard, so adjusting the binding is effortless and fits nearly anyone.

How? Well, you can adjust your stance width, the angle, and your toe-to-heel centring until it is perfect for you! No matter how small the alteration, the Channel makes it possible.

There’s also no need to use Burton’s bindings exclusively, as it’s compatible with all major brands.

SqueezeBox

The Skeleton Key board also has a Squeezebox profile. This makes the board more poppy, balanced, powerful, flexible, stable, and easier to control. What more could you want?

The Squeezebox technology guarantees that the energy you put into the board is transferred outward from under your feet, placing energy in the tip and tail.

As such, the most powerful areas on the board are between and on the edges of your feet. No additional effort needed!

EGD

This Burton snowboard also includes Dualzone EGD. EGD stands for Engineered Grain Direction.

This means the wood grain is perpendicular to the rest of the wood core, locating the toe and heel edges in two continuous zones. As such, you’ll have great edge hold and more strength in the board. It’s in no way flimsy!

Laminate

The Skeleton Key only uses one laminate and that is Triax Fiberglass. This makes the board more flexible, reducing stiffness and ensuring it’s far more responsive.

While this certainly is a board for more advanced and expert riders, the fiberglass ensures you won’t need aggression to make it perform at its best.

Base

The base of the Skeleton Key snowboard is made of sintered WFO. This is a specially formulated wax that sinks deep into the high-density, very absorbent, sintered material.

The result is a very durable board that is good in many different conditions and during every season. No need to buy a new snowboard after one season!

Infinite Ride

This Burton snowboard incorporates an exclusive technology called Infinite Ride.

The result is enhanced pop and strength since the board is overbuilt and then placed into a machine that breaks it in for you.

This ensures your board stays flexible and poppy for many seasons to come.

Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard Review

The Positives

Stable

Based on tester feedback, there’s no worry of feeling unstable or insecure on this board.

With the EGD, the Squeezebox technology, and the directional camber profile, Burton has guaranteed the Skeleton Key as sturdy, as well as easy to ride and control.

There’s no wobble on rough terrain, and despite your speed or the conditions, this board will remain stable.

As a result, users will feel much more confident when taking this board out in the snow, allowing them to really perfect their skills without worry of wiping out.

Poppy

If you’re seeking a board for jumps and tricks, or one that is quick and prepared to respond to your movements, the Skeleton Key is the ideal pick.

The core, the Infinite Ride construction, and the Squeezebox technology all contribute to the board’s ability to spring back after jumps and tricks.

You won’t feel much impact on your knees and legs when you land on powder or harder-packed snow, meaning you’ll be able to ride for longer.

It’s also lightweight, ensuring your jumps are higher. Who doesn’t like that? A lightweight board also means your legs and feet will feel less tired at the end of the day, and you can make the best out of your time in the snow.

Great on Turns

The Skeleton Key snowboard is also perfect on turns. Whether you’re initiating a turn, fulfilling one, or exiting, this board will perform on par if not better than some of the best snowboards on the market.

The directional camber profile, the Squeezebox technology, and the EGD make it effortless. It can change direction on a dime!

So, if there is a tree in your path or another skier, you can easily pivot around them without much effort. This board is super responsive so you won’t have to push yourself in order to avoid a collision or obstacle.

Good on Most Terrains

With the Skeleton Key, it doesn’t matter if it’s powder, groomers, or hard-packed snow – this board will get you through it.

Whether you’re at a resort, a park, on or off-piste, it’s designed to get the job done without chatter or vibration due to rough conditions.

There are only a few exceptions to this rule, but even in harder terrain, the features of this board are specially meant to lessen your effort or chatter.

This is great for the versatile snowboarder, or for the adventurous rider who doesn’t want to limit themselves. This board will stand up to a variety of conditions so you don’t have to slow down.

Handles High Speeds

Thanks to its stable nature, you can count on the Burton Skeleton Key to keep up when you want to go fast. It won’t ruin your confidence either, remaining sturdy and keeping the rider confident when you want to fly.

While this board is geared towards more experienced riders, it still doesn’t need to be pushed too hard, saving the rider energy for jumps and tricks.

If you’re looking to race your friends on the snow, the Skeleton Key Snowboard is a fitting option.

Durable

Burton boards are known to stand up against the test of time, and the Skeleton Key is no different.

It’s made to bounce back against bumps and hits, and thanks to Burton’s ‘Infinite Ride’ feature, it’s already broken in for you, so there’s less to worry about.

This is thanks to its flexibility as well, allowing you to have more fun on your board without risk of damage.

Versatile

While this board is great to take with you when you want to carve, speed through the snow, or practice your jumps, it’s just as great when you want to take it easy as well.

If you want to slow it down in the snow and cruise with your friends, you won’t need to switch your board when you’re ready to take a few quick laps.

Since it can handle a variety of conditions, this board makes it easy to switch it up at your leisure. And since it responds to aggression without being pushed too hard, it makes for a great board for the rider who wants to do it all.

The Negatives

Not for Hard Icy Conditions

While the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard is great on most terrain, it’s not ideal in extremely hard or icy conditions. If you’re encountering mainly ice, rather than snow, it’s wise to shop for a different model.

It can handle rough terrain in a pinch, but the edge hold isn’t quite good enough to prevent skidding or wiping out. And wiping out on ice is fun for no one!

There are stronger boards with improved edge hold on the market, which can really charge through the ice. This, however, isn’t one of them.

Not for Beginners

According to testers, this board is poorly suited to inexperienced riders. While it’s a responsive board and easy to control, you need enhanced skills to truly make it perform at full capacity.

A beginner or even an intermediate snowboarder simply lacks the aggression needed to control the Skeleton Key.

If you’re an advanced rider or an expert, you’ll love this board, as it doesn’t require much force – but just enough.

Here’s a video showing off the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard.

Overall Verdict

After combing through all the positives and negatives, we recommend the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard. There’s little it can’t do!

It’s great on turns, is stable in most conditions, is poppy for jumps, and will give you a smooth ride across non-icy terrain.

As long as you stay away from the iciest conditions, this board will perform wonders for you.

Where to Buy the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard

Burton is a leader in the market when it comes to snowboards and snowboarding accessories. They’ve been in the game for years, and their expertise shows in the boards they continue to manufacture.

Thanks to their consistency in their products, their popularity also stays consistent, with snowboarders and enthusiasts frequently recommending Burton boards.

Due to their success, popularity, and other great factors, Burton products aren’t hard to find, and you can find the Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard both in-store and online.

It’s usually best to check sporting equipment, outdoor, and specialty stores, but you can kick-start your search with the following online retailers.

• EVO (from $499)
• Empire (from $599)
• REI Co-op (from $499)

And of course, you can also find this all-mountain snowboard on Amazon.

That’s all for our Burton Skeleton Key review. Tempted to take this board for a ride?