Curated Snowboarding Experts Mike Leighton & Will Cabral got their hands on the 2024 Burton 3D Fish Snowboard this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the 3D Fish or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Burton claim about this board? [Mike] Burton claims this board is a surf-inspired snowboard made for the deepest days on the hill.

[Will] Burton claims that this is a surf-inspired powder board made for the deepest days on the mountain.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? [Mike] The Burton Fish 3D is a wild-looking little snowboard. We got in the 151. It’s got this crazy swallowtail. It’s all three-dimensional and looks like a catamaran in the tail with that twin. Then it’s got the 3D in the nose. It also features a directional flat top. We didn’t get to ride it on the deepest days, but we did get to ride in fresh snow yesterday. We hiked up, rode some steep and deep terrain on it, and ripped in some moguls. But where it was the most fun was on the apron out of one of the chutes we rode. It was a treat to ride.

[Will] It’s such a playful, nimble board. We got an awesome opportunity to ride it in some fresh snow and some steeper conditions, and this thing floats so well. This isn’t made to be able to rail turns on hard packs or groomers. This is something that wants to float. Because it has a playful flex, rated between 3 and 6 out of 10, it’s great and maneuverable.

Carving

How does it turn? [Mike] This board is at home if you are making a lot of turns. It’s touch-free with that combination of 3D and the flat top.

[Will] It has Burton’s directional flat-top profile, so this board is not camber. It’s meant to glide well. That means this isn’t going to rail turns on hard pack or more icy groomers when you’re turning. It wants to roll into turns and float through the powder.

What is the edge hold like? [Mike] It holds a decent edge when things get steeper.

How does it perform at speed? [Will] With the 3D contouring in the nose, initiating turns is easy. But in terms of riding at high speed on hard pack, its profile doesn’t necessarily support laying deep carves while going pretty fast.

How is its energy/acceleration? [Will] It has Burton’s sintered WFO base, so it is fast in a straight line.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? [Mike] It will be okay if you want to hit some sidehits or small drops. It is a more playful flex. Burton rates it between a 3 and a 6, so if you’re relying on some stability to wheelie out of things, this will probably wash out on you. But this board is really fun if you keep it on the ground and make lots of turns.

[Will] This isn’t a board that is necessarily freestyle focused.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? [Mike] This board doesn’t have a ton of pop. With the directional flat top, you take out a little bit of that natural spring load you would have while compressing on a cambered snowboard.

[Will] It’s super playful.

Is it good for riding switch? [Mike] It'll do it, but it's not going to be the most fun riding switch, because there isn't much of a tail there.

[Will] Riding it switch is probably not something you want to do.

How is it for buttering? [Mike] If you’re pressing on that nose and the tail, it will come around pretty easily whether you’re buttering or not. It doesn’t have that same edge lock you might have on a more camber snowboard if you’re buttering. But if you want to spin around like a top, you can do that off the nose and the tail.

[Will] Buttering and getting this thing to ride out on the tail was fun.

How is it on jumps? [Mike] This board is designed to be ridden on the ground. You can still hit a drop or two on it and be fine. But in reality, this board is made to turn and have some fun. There’s not a lot of tail to land, so if you land on the back seat, you’ll run out of space to land quickly.

[Will] In terms of jumping and feeling a lot of natural pop out, having a flat profile is not a strong suit to bounce off this thing. And you don’t want to be landing this backward.

Freeride

How is it for freeride snowboarding? [Mike] I rode it in some fairly steep terrain. It held up well.

[Will] This board wants to float and glide through powder and let a rider explore through the trees and make quick turns.

How is it in powder? [Mike] I think it’s going to shine the most in fresh snow, trees, and moguls. With that bit of 3D in the tail, it will get some float there. If the snow is soft, it has no problem biting in on an edge.

[Will] It likes to float through the powder. I got to take it fast through an open powder field, ride it out on the tail, and get some wheelies going. It’s super fun.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? [Mike] This board is so super fun getting into tighter trees or even moguls. It’s also super lightweight, making it easy to maneuver and muscle around.

[Will] It’s a dream, going through the trees and riding in moguls. This could be like a specialized tree or mogul board for a rider.

What terrain is this board good for? [Mike] I think the best place to take this would be on a trip to Japan in the mid-winter when you can ride trees and there’s deep snow.

[Will] It’s at home in powder and in areas where you need maneuverability and can have quick, short turns in moguls or trees.

What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? [Mike] I wouldn’t necessarily want to be on the steepest terrain and have it be hard packed trying to ride this.

[Will] This is not something that I would necessarily want to ride all day on big, open groomers or even on chopped-up snow. It does have a big nose that likes to plow through things. But given the shorter length, you’ll feel it bouncing around slightly.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? [Mike] I would recommend this board to someone looking to add to their quiver, is looking for a board for those deep days, or even wants to slow things down and enjoy a surfy ride.

[Will] This is for somebody adding a board to their quiver and wanting a specialized board. It's approachable enough for an intermediate to advanced rider.

Who should avoid this board, are there other better options out there for them? [Mike] I’d say bigger, harder-charger riders looking to go fast and fly through any terrain in front of them. Also, for people who spend a lot of time in the park, this will not be a park board by any means. I don’t think this is the best board for a beginner, either. Even though it has the 3D shaping and the directional flat top, it won’t teach you the correct habits and help you grow as a rider.

[Will] If you’re a beginner looking for your first board or just looking for one board to do it all, this is not an option. This thing is super specialized, so I would stay away if I want to get out and get a board to ride on.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Mike, Will, or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.