About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I tested for two days in January of 2023.

My take

The Burton Family Tree 3D Daily Driver can come across like a gimmick, but this is a fun board with surprising versatility that can hold its own anywhere on the mountain. With a snappy camber profile, this board is best suited for intermediate to advanced riders looking for something that can carve and pop well, yet offers that surfy forgiveness from the 3D design.

About the gear

• Model: 2023 Burton 3D Daily Driver
• Size: 155

About me

• Height: 6’2”
• Weight: 175lbs
• Experience: 20 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I demoed this: January 2023
• Days tested: 2
• Mount position: +15/-12
• Boots: 2022 Vans Infuse
• Boot Size: 10
• Bindings: 2023 Burton Cartel EST
• Where I’ve used it: Loveland Ski Area, Colorado
• Terrain: Groomers, moguls, side hits, chop, trees, pow stash

How it performs

What I was looking for

I couldn’t wait to try out this board and see if the seemingly gimmicky design would actually hold up to the hype. I wanted something that would do it all—hold an edge, handle aggressive riding, yet have that surfy loose, catch-free feel.

Why I chose this gear

I chose the Burton Family Tree 3D Daily Driver because it has a super interesting combination of really fun attributes. The camber between the feet and mid-stiff flex gives it a little backbone, and convex 3D shaping through the tip and tail is like a quality combination for a loose board with some backbone. I was looking at some of the other all-mountain boards by Burton, like the Tornado Warning and Cartographer, but this board looked so unique and fun I had to give it a try. The unique profile looked like it could give me the aggressive carves and pop I wanted while still providing the loose surfy feel and float in the pow. This board has definitely made my list for boards I might need to add to my quiver soon.

What I love about it

• Edge hold: With the 3D tip and tail, I wasn’t sure I would be confident laying out deep turns, but the camber has held up. I find myself grabbing indie deep in the apex of high-speed carves.
• Turns: At slower speeds when cruising with less edge angle, the turns feel loose and cruisey. When tilting the board further and engaging the edge or at high speeds when turning, the camber kicks in, and I fully trust the board's stability.
• Groomers: Groomers are a blast. This board gives up loose flow turns and deep carves.
• Powder: For a camber all-mountain board that is comfortable riding switch or regular, this board definitely holds its own in the powder. The 3D gives it great float and a fun flowy feel cruising in the pow.
• Trees: The trees are a blast. It has easy turn initiation and is stable enough to hold up aggressive edge hold.
• Park: This board is surprisingly fun in the park. It has great pop and a locked-in feel. In addition, the 3D provided plenty of forgiveness to make spinning and quick maneuvers a breeze.
• Durability: The Burton Family Tree 3D board is built tough. It’s constructed with the reliably strong Super Fly II 700G Core and is backed by Burton’s 3-year warranty.
• Switch riding: It is a directional board, so it’s not the best board for riding switch; however, I did some switch carving, and the board performed just fine.
• Stability: The camber’s aggressiveness provides great pop and carving but is not the best for buttering because that shape does not cater to flexing the board and holding presses. When riding at high speeds, the board absorbs the chatter well and feels plenty stable.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Speed: It holds up fine at higher speeds but has a slightly loose feel when straight lining. I would choose a more aggressive camber board without the 3D if I were looking for a board to strictly go fast.
• Moguls: Most snowboarders don’t like moguls, but I do. I like to find their flow by treating them like a pump track with berms, with the occasional jump/mogul gap. That said, the Burton Family Tree 3D is not my board of choice for ripping moguls. It performed fine when I tested it out, but something without the 3D with better edge engagement would give someone a little bit more predictable of a line through that technical terrain.
• Backcountry: It would not be my top choice for floating in deep powder or technical lines on firm backcountry snow, but it would do just fine for some mellow backcountry riding.
• Weight: I find the board to be a bit heavy when riding and handling it.
• Flotation: This board is not the board I would suggest if someone is looking for something with great float, but it also does not punch into the powder like other boards. It had average float that did fine for its profile.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite run on this board was when I tried maxing out the edge angle with some deep carves. I was blown away by how locked in I felt when I expected the 3D to feel a little washy. (It did feel a little loose at lower edge angles, but when tilted deeper into a turn, I felt plenty locked in.) I was so impressed with this that I found myself flexing lower and lower until I grabbed indie through the apex of the carves.

Value for the money vs. other options

This board is on the higher end of the price range for high-end, all-mountain freestyle boards, but its quality materials and especially unique tech make it well worth it. It’s a bit more expensive than boards like the Burton Skeleton Key, Lib Tech Rasman, or Lib Tech TRS, but not quite up there with super high-end boards like the Burton Con Artist.

Final verdict

If someone is looking for a unique board that can do it all, this might just be the board for them. It can carve, pop, jib, handle pow, and still gives up those surfy loose cruiser turns. The board is not quite the best at anything specific, but an all-around fun board with surprising versatility.