Burton Vent Pants|Rockin’ the Mountain

New Snowboard Pant – Burton Vent

Thanks to my wonderful wife and an early Birthday present, I am rockin’ the mountain in some new Burton Vent Pants in Horizon.

These pants not only look cool, they have the feature list to keep me confortable in any condition all season long. The last pants I had we Bonfire pants that had no ventilation. Now that was fine living in Minnesota; where the continual challenge was finding ways to stay warm and dry. Out here in Colorado I just don’t have to endure the cold as much (if at all). Many times I would overheat … so enter the Burton Vent Pant.

The Features

CrossFlow Venting

These pants were named after this feature – vents. They have zipper vents on the both sides of the thigh. Open these up and the wind just pushes through – crazy amount of ventilation.

I love the amount of control I have over the vents. By changing which vents are open the temperature in the pants is easy to control. Open the outside vents for starters; then as the day continues to heat up (or if you must go inside) open the inside vents. Awesome.

Inside the vents is a mesh inner that keeps massive snow chunks out; while letting the wind rush through. The seams are all fully taped to seal everything out when your all zipped up.

Fabric

The pants are made with DRY RIDE Durashell 2-layer coated fabric that is rated for 10k mm waterproof and 10k g breathability. Easy enough to say (or type), but what do those numbers really mean?

Waterproofing is measured in the amount of water pressure the fabric will resist. It is measured through static tests where a column (a 1 inch diameter tube) is placed vertically over a sample of the fabric. The column is filled with water and the measurement is the height of the water column in millimeters when water seeps through the fabric.

Breathability is measured in the amount of water that will be released – really a measure of how much sweat can escape. It is measured in grams of moisture that can pass through a square meter of fabric in 24 hours.

So even with definitions 10k/10k are still just numbers. But compared to my last pair these are more waterproof and more breathable (7k/5k from the Bonfire Particle pants).

The fabric also has a cool texture to it. Burton calls it slub twill fabrication. Whatever it is the texture adds some depth to a solid color.

Pockets

These pants are packed with 6 pockets: two seat pockets, two front pockets, and two lower front pockets.

While the seat pockets have a flap held down by velcro and velcro inside I still wish they had a zipper. I know nothing is going to come out, but I wonder how much powder will find its way inside after a day buried in the white fluffy stuff. For now my leather View Slimmy Wallet from Koyono will be riding somewhere else.

The front pockets are nicely lined, deep, and sealed off with zippers. The left side pocket also has a keyring clip. This is where I carry my phone, cable lock, keys, and Cliff bars.

Down below these are two additional pockets. I can only see using these before, or after, riding. They could hold goggles, gloves, or whatever. I don’t think I’ll be riding with anything in them so I don’t crush the contents or my knees.

Boot Gaiters

The bottom of the pants are made with a typical boot gaiter. The gaiter clips onto the boot laces and keeps snow out. The cuffs also have two other features. They have the all important ghetto slits allowing you to unzip and let them drag. Then on the opposite end of the spectrum they have leg lifts – straps that let you fold the cuff up and keep them from dragging. Okay which one is it? Drag-em or not?

Fit

Burton calls these their Sig Fit styled pants. They describe the fit as:

Rider-focused, classic fit, built with room to sag and layer underneath, without being overly baggy. Based on rider feedback, leg circumference is now slightly narrower from thigh to cuff without looking pinner.

They are comfortable and not only do I think they feel great; my wife thinks they look great. So apparently, Burton got is right. I’m going to love rockin’ the mountain in these Burton Vent Pants.