Vintage Burton Londonderry Snowboard BBI Backhill Snowboards
c. 1980
Wood, metal, rubber, nylon
51"l x 7.75"w
© Vintage Winter

This collection of four almost identical Burton BB1 Londonderry snowboards are being sold for a friend in the Netherlands.  In his student years at Leiden University, he was one of the first to discover snowboarding. Allthough Holland is as flat as a pancake, each year more then a million Dutch go on wintersport, to nearby Austria, France or Switzerland. In 1990, CE decided to rent out snowboards, and start his own company ‘Erasmus Snowboards’. Next to his study in Law, he was busy each season to rent out snowboards and snow board boots to holiday makers. He became well known those years for renting out snowboards for low daily rates. Erasmus Snowboards quickly started with renting out Burton boards next to other brands, and was expanding rapidly to five different cities in Holland.

Somewhere in 1992, he heard of a Dutch ski shop that went bankrupt. After the bankrupcy, about nine of these now vintage Burton BB1 boards were discovered in the shop. Carel made an offer to purchase four of them. ‘They looked nice, I thought to put them on the wall’ Carel explained. After seven years, Erasmus Snowboards also stopped. ‘I sold almost all the snowboards I had. Just these four I had never offered for sale, and I have kept them in my attic ever since.’

The boards are all in pristine condition, and have never seen any snow yet. Fortunately, the boards have always been kept inside a dry storage. No moisture or other ill aging effects are present. 

Below is the text from the original 1979-80 winter season Burton Boards brochure.       

Length: 130cm(51")
Width: 19.7cm(7.75")
Weight with bindings mounted: 5lbs. 11oz.

• Removable power leash with molded pistol grip handle.
• Twin aluminum fins constructed of aircraft aluminum alloy, bolted to the board with stainless steel bolts and elastic stop nuts.
• Continuously adjustable front binding constructed of black neoprene rubber, fastened down by aluminum binding plates and stainless steel thumb screws, threaded into brass inserts (recessed).
• Rear binding constructed of pure gum rubber permanently fastened to the board with aluminum binding plates. Designed to accommodate any size shoe or boot.
• Anti-skid matting specially designed for use in snow, constructed of extruded sponge vinyl.
• Safety run away strap.
• Available in right or left foot forward position.  Left foot forward is preferred by 90% of all riders.
• Stiffer models available for those over 180 lbs.