The Secrets Behind Burton Mystery Snowboard Construction

Amongst die-hard riders, Burton Mystery snowboards and their unique, ultra-premium construction, have garnered much love over the years. However, there’s been a shroud of mystery, some would say confusion, about what it means to give one of Burton’s classic snowboards “the Mystery treatment.” But we’re assuming that’s why you’re here: you want to know about the secret sauce, the mojo, the mad science that we use to take an awesome snowboard and turn it supernatural.

In this overview of Burton Mystery snowboard construction, the Burton hardgoods engineers spill the tea on the history of the Mystery line, as well as what it takes to build the lightest, highest-performance snowboards out there.

• What is the Burton Mystery line of snowboards?
• The History of the Burton Mystery Snowboard Line
• Burton Mystery Snowboard Construction Explained

What is the Burton Mystery line of snowboards?

The Burton Mystery line of snowboards are classic shapes that have been given “the Mystery treatment” to make them our lightest, fastest, most responsive rides. This is achieved by combining next-level snowboard construction techniques with advanced materials to enhance the three major components which make up the snowboard deck: base, core, and fiberglass.

Mystery snowboards are produced in limited quantities that change seasonally, meaning that on a long enough timeline, you might see your favorite board join the ranks of Mystery.

Pro tip: Looking to see what the hype is about? Check out current Burton Mystery snowboards.

The History of the Burton Mystery Snowboard Line

The modern Burton Mystery snowboard debuted in late 2012 with an almost all-black topsheet graphic featuring a Burton logo, the word “mystery,” and Craig Kelly’s signature. This directional 158-centimeter snowboard featured The Channel™, a Flying V™ profile, an Ultrafly Multizone EGD™ core, Mystery Glass, a Methlon base, stainless frostbite edges, Pro-Tip™, and Infinite Ride™. At the time, it was the lightest snowboard that Burton had ever manufactured.

Pro tip: The name Mystery and Craig’s signature were an acknowledgment of the first black topsheet Mystery Air snowboard that we produced back in 1989 which Craig rode for a year until his official Craig Kelly Mystery Air pro model was released in 1990.

Modern Burton Mystery snowboard construction replaced Vaportech, the high-end lightweight construction behind the legendary Vapor snowboards. Vaportech utilized honeycomb construction in its Alumafly core, which was exceptionally lightweight, however, it lacked the durability customers expected from a snowboard with a premium price tag.

After that initial modern Mystery board launched in 2012, Burton followed up in subsequent seasons by giving other classic shapes the Mystery treatment. Notable boards include the Mystery Malolo, Mystery Fish, Mystery Landlord, and Mystery Juice Wagon, to name a few.

Burton Mystery Snowboard Construction Explained

We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again, Burton Mystery snowboards are the most advanced, high-performance snowboards that come out of our production facilities. But you can’t see most of the magic, because it’s sandwiched between layers of fiberglass, wood, and resin. But we’re going to pull back the curtain and explain Burton Mystery snowboard construction a bit so you can understand what makes these the lightest, fastest, and most responsive boards you can get.

Burton Mystery Snowboard Materials and Construction

The three major components that make up a snowboard are the base, core, and fiberglass. When building a Mystery line snowboard, Burton uses the most advanced materials that we’ve got for all three of these components.

• Methlon Base: Our Methlon base is the fastest, lowest-maintenance base material that we offer at Burton. It is constructed from a high molecular-weight P-Tex that is harder, faster, and stronger than conventional P-Tex.
• Dragonfly II™ 500G Multi-Zone EGD™ Core: The Dragonfly II 500G Multi-Zone EGD core that we use in our Mystery construction delivers weight savings in conjunction with better edge-hold, responsiveness, and strength. EGD is an acronym that stands for “engineered grain direction”. It refers to the perpendicular orientation of the snowboard core’s wood in four locations adjacent to The Channel, near the heel and toe edges. By orienting the wood grain to be parallel with the rider’s feet, there is a better transfer of power from rider down through the snowboard to the board’s edges for ultimate strength and control. Additionally, we add carbon fiber stringers into the core to help the layers below and above the core fully transfer power and strength throughout the snowboard.
• Mystery Glass Construction: All snowboards have fiberglass, but only Mystery boards have Mystery Glass. This construction features a custom blend of fiberglass and carbon fiber specifically designed to optimize strength-to-weight and allows us to manipulate both flex and feel. Additionally, Mystery snowboards don’t have a conventional topsheet, another one of the ways we’ve managed to shave additional weight off the final product.

A Final Word on Burton Mystery Snowboards

Each Burton Mystery snowboard is built using next level materials and construction techniques, resulting in unmatched performance that will blow your snowboard socks off. But it’s important to point out that our top-of-the-line Mystery snowboards are just tools, and ultimately the person who’s winning is the one who’s having the most fun. So, get out there, and shred whatever you’ve got, but know that if you need the lightest, best snowboard available, we’ve got you covered with Burton Mystery snowboards.