Review: Burton Deep Thinker Snowboard · 2024
By Curated Experts
Jared Manganelli and Nicolas Sears
6 photos
The Curated Take
4.4/5
The Burton Deep Thinker Snowboard is ideal for advanced riders seeking versatility across various terrains, especially in deeper snow and challenging trails. Its directional shape with a slight swallow tail and mid-stiff flex caters to those who desire a powder-freeride experience, offering exceptional speed and carving capabilities. While not the top choice for playful jibbing or park riding due to its directional shape and stiffness, it excels in deep powder, high-speed carves, and all-mountain versatility. The board's compatibility with Burton's channel system offers unique setup customization. It is excellent for riders looking to push their limits outside the park.
Ideal for
- Versatile board for the rider who wants to take on different terrains
- Best for the rider who spends a lot of time in deeper snow and more advanced trails
- Can ride it all with a more powder-freeride shape
Not ideal for
- Not the most playful jib board on the market
- More of a directional shape but can be ridden switch
- Comes with Burton's channel system, so setting up the bindings is a bit different than regular insert packs
Turn Ease
The board has a real focus on turn ability and edge hold. Pairing those two together, riders get a board that's easy to control and turn. From the hybrid camber...Read more
The setback camber is still centered under the stance and sidecut, so it changes direction quickly on groomers. When the snow starts to pile up, the rockered nose and taper...Read more
Playfulness
When it comes to this board and how it feels, it comes in right past the middle of the road in flex. It’s not the most playful or the most...Read more
With generous camber, a traditional waist width, and flex that's just stiffer than medium, the Deep Thinker wants to boost to the moon. It may not slow speed butter like...Read more
Durability
With this being a higher-end board in the Burton lineup and across all brands, this board is built to take a beating. It has a strong topsheet to prevent chips,...Read more
High Speed Stability
With this being a higher-end board, riders will find a higher-end sintered base, allowing the board to keep at higher speeds and ride smoothly. The quality of materials makes this...Read more
The camber-dominant shape and stiffer flex keep things stable. Cruising groomers or pointing it down a chute, the Deep Thinker holds a line like it's on rails. When things are...Read more
Carving
With this board being a higher-end option, it is designed for riders who want to carve. With the more directional shape and smooth sidecut, this board can easily hold an...Read more
The traditional waist width is more playful and easily gets edge to edge. However, compared to some wider options, riders are more likely to boot out (drag their toes or...Read more
Versatility
While this board is an all-mountain ripper, it may not be the first choice for the avid park rider. It can get in the park and has no problems, but...Read more
Burton's Balanced Freeride Geometry means the Deep Thinker rides like a twin on groomers with the stance centered on the sidecut and camber. So if riders love to ride switch...Read more
Flotation
When it comes to flotation, a rider wants something that will keep their nose up and floating on top of the snow. This board can do this with no problem....Read more
Float is a combination of many things. Volume, taper, and setback are probably the most important. With 7mm of taper and a rockered nose, the Deep Thinker floats. However, some...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Jared Manganelli
Nicolas Sears
About the snowboard gear
- Model: Burton Deep Thinker Snowboard · 2024
Test conditions
- Where I’ve used it: Midwest and East Coast
- How many times I've used it: 15
Expert Reviews of the Burton Deep Thinker Snowboard
Jared Manganelli When it comes to the abilities of the Deep Thinker, the possibilities are endless. Burton packed in features in this board to help it excel all over the mountain in a wide range of terrains. The directional shape with a slight swallow tail, the mid-stiff flex, and the lightweight, easy-to-maneuver style of the board make this a great option for the rider who wants to do it all. While this board shines in deep powder and makes high-speed carves, it has no problem ripping side hits on the trails, ripping through the terrain park, and hitting high speeds. This board is really designed for the rider who wants to do it all with a freeride, big mountain feel. It's a great board for the more advanced rider looking to step their game up all over the mountain.
Nicolas Sears The Burton Deep Thinker Snowboard is for the rider looking to approach the entire mountain as a park. The directional camber and 7mm of taper allow the board to float in deep snow and turn with ease. The stiffer flex powers through chopped-up snow and varied conditions. On hardpack and groomers, the directional shape still rides switch like a twin. The sidecut and camber hold a solid arch while powering out of turns. It loves to pop off everything in sight, rollers or side hits. Burton's Sintered WFO base is fast in nearly all conditions and hard enough to brush off impacts. Stomping landings on park jumps and cliffs, the Deep Thinker is a freeride board that doesn't forget about fun!
Product Specs
| Age Group | Adult |
| Gender | Men's |
| Model year | 2024 |
| Snowboard type | All Mountain, Freeride |
| Skill level | Advanced, Expert |
| Rocker profile | Rocker/Camber/Rocker |
Review Ratings
Averaged between reviewers, view below how all experts voted.
Turn Ease
5/5
Jared Manganelli gave 5 of 5 stars. The board has a real focus on turn ability and edge hold. Pairing those two together, riders get a board that's easy to control and turn. From the hybrid camber profile to the smooth and reliable sidecut, this board can take any rider's carving to new levels. Smooth edge-to-edge riding is always achieved on this board.
Nicolas Sears gave 4 of 5 stars. The setback camber is still centered under the stance and sidecut, so it changes direction quickly on groomers. When the snow starts to pile up, the rockered nose and taper keep turns loose and floaty. The taper allows for easier turning in deep snow, even when things are wet or heavy, so riders can confidently turn, whether on groomers or pow.
Playfulness
4/5
Jared Manganelli gave 3 of 5 stars. When it comes to this board and how it feels, it comes in right past the middle of the road in flex. It’s not the most playful or the most stiff board. It leans more towards stiff but does not feel like a plank of wood when riding. This plays into the all-mountain, do-it-all style.
Nicolas Sears gave 5 of 5 stars. With generous camber, a traditional waist width, and flex that's just stiffer than medium, the Deep Thinker wants to boost to the moon. It may not slow speed butter like some softer options, but pick up the pace, and this board wants to jump off every roller or lip riders can find.
Durability
5/5
Jared Manganelli gave 5 of 5 stars. With this being a higher-end board in the Burton lineup and across all brands, this board is built to take a beating. It has a strong topsheet to prevent chips, dings, and damage and a solid high-end base, enabling the rider to charge any trails with confidence that the board will hold up.
High Speed Stability
5/5
Jared Manganelli gave 5 of 5 stars. With this being a higher-end board, riders will find a higher-end sintered base, allowing the board to keep at higher speeds and ride smoothly. The quality of materials makes this board so lightweight; this only adds to the speed at which the board can max out.
Nicolas Sears gave 4 of 5 stars. The camber-dominant shape and stiffer flex keep things stable. Cruising groomers or pointing it down a chute, the Deep Thinker holds a line like it's on rails. When things are choppy, the stiff nose blasts through, and the tail is stiff enough to get airborne when desired or required.
Carving
4/5
Jared Manganelli gave 5 of 5 stars. With this board being a higher-end option, it is designed for riders who want to carve. With the more directional shape and smooth sidecut, this board can easily hold an edge and rip high-speed carves without any problems. It's really built around carving and having fun.
Nicolas Sears gave 3 of 5 stars. The traditional waist width is more playful and easily gets edge to edge. However, compared to some wider options, riders are more likely to boot out (drag their toes or heels) if they are not careful. It also has a tighter sidecut, so if riders lean too hard, they'll go uphill before they know it.
Versatility
4/5
Jared Manganelli gave 4 of 5 stars. While this board is an all-mountain ripper, it may not be the first choice for the avid park rider. It can get in the park and has no problems, but I would classify this board as more of an all-mountain board than a park-leaning board. It's not as playful as some all-mountain park boards. Yet, it has no problem riding park and any other terrain from powder to groomers.
Nicolas Sears gave 4 of 5 stars. Burton's Balanced Freeride Geometry means the Deep Thinker rides like a twin on groomers with the stance centered on the sidecut and camber. So if riders love to ride switch or hit the park, the Deep Thinker has them. When in the trees and at slower speeds, the rockered nose allows riders to push with their front foot and dodge trees with the best of them. In steep terrain and at high speeds, the camber and stiffer flex make for a solid edge hold. Finally, when the snow stacks up, the rockered nose helps with float, and the taper sinks the tail.
Flotation
4/5
Jared Manganelli gave 5 of 5 stars. When it comes to flotation, a rider wants something that will keep their nose up and floating on top of the snow. This board can do this with no problem. With the swallow tail design, riders get a board that wants to dig the tail in and keep the nose up. The wider, larger nose enables the rider to have no problem with floating on the powder days.
Nicolas Sears gave 3 of 5 stars. Float is a combination of many things. Volume, taper, and setback are probably the most important. With 7mm of taper and a rockered nose, the Deep Thinker floats. However, some boards will have taper well over 10mm, meaning the tail is narrower than the nose. This board has a setback of 25mm, but many other boards have more. Lastly, the Deep Thinker is fairly narrow compared to some other powder boards. Because of all this, the Deep Thinker requires a bit more effort than some powder-specific boards, but it excels where many of those boards struggle.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Jared Manganelli My favorite moment on this board had to be when we were blasted with a storm in the Midwest, and I could ride powder and park on the same day. It showed me this board's versatility and its abilities all over the mountain. This board could do everything from deep snow and high-speed lines to park laps.
Why did you choose this product?
Jared Manganelli I chose to try this board for its abilities all over the mountain. I wanted a one-board quiver killer that could ride anything and everything in sight. With its more directional shape and swallow tail to the middle of the road flex, this board was on my mind for its true abilities on any terrain. I can't forget about the beautiful graphics.
Nicolas Sears I've enjoyed this board all over Colorado but branched out when I moved to the PNW. After a couple of seasons, I'm back. The Deep Thinker is the ideal board for the whole mountain. Especially with the heavy snow or icy crust that happens here, it's happy to bust through. Whether searching out pow stashes or a sunny day in the park, the Deep Thinker loves it all.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Jared Manganelli This board stands at the top of the list for the price-to-value ratio versus other brands. Now, other boards can do many of the same things and handle different terrains, but this board seems to have the edge regarding the ride quality. It has a fast base and lightweight construction and can ride anything in sight without breaking the bank. It's an excellent board for the do-it-all rider.
What do you love about this product?
Jared Manganelli I really love the look of this board paired with its abilities. Sometimes, a board looks great, but then I get on it, and it underperforms, causing the rider to rethink their decision on the purchase. This board left me with zero regrets, from the loud, beautiful graphics to the versatile shape and high-performance ride. The board is built for the rider who wants to ride a little bit of everything and never feel like they are being held back. Riding this board gave me an excellent experience, and I know any rider would love the feel of this board, too.
Nicolas Sears This is my go-to board because it has tons of pop and is quick edge to edge. With the directional camber and shape, it floats well and is stable. It rides like a twin in the park and floats like a powder board when things get deep.
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Jared Manganelli
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