Tag Archive for: snowboarding gear

Have you ever been shopping for the best men’s Burton all-mountain snowboards, trying to make sense of the pricing and what sets each board apart? It can definitely feel overwhelming. With my years of experience and knowledge of Burton snowboarding gear, I’ll walk you through the best men’s Burton all-mountain snowboards for the 2024–2025 season.

I’ll break down each board in Burton’s lineup and explain what features you get at the different price points. By the end of this guide, you’ll feel confident knowing which snowboard is the best fit for you and what to buy heading into your next season on the slopes.

Best Men’s Burton All Mountain Snowboards

Ripcord
Instigator
Process
Free Thinker
Custom
Custom X

Men’s Burton Ripcord

Alright, first up for $549.99 CAD is the Ripcord. This board utilizes a number of different features and technologies that make it one of the best men’s snowboards for beginners to learn on. It has Burton’s Flat Top bend and Easy Bevel base. This means the board is flat–or zero camber–in between the feet and rocker outside the feet towards the nose and tail. The base of the board has a convex shape. With these two combined the board’s edges lift off the snow slightly, offering an easy, catch-free riding experience.

Men’s Burton Ripcord Flat Top Snowboard

The Ripcord has an all mountain directional shape with 5mm of taper in the nose and a directional flex pattern. This means you’ll ride with a set back stance and that the nose of the board is slightly longer and wider than the tail. This makes the nose of the board easier to flex and bend than the tail, making it super easy to initiate turns and steer from edge to edge.

The Ripcord comes with Burton’s Fly 900G Core, which is their entry level single-species wood core for their snowboards. It also has biax fiberglass, making this board soft and playful and perfect for a beginner or an intermediate rider who goes snowboarding a few times a season. This is a great board to cruise around the resort as it turns really well at low to medium speeds. If you want to make picking up and learning snowboarding easy, then the Ripcord is definitely the snowboard for you.

Men’s Burton Instigator

Next up at $579.99 CAD we have the Instigator. This board has some similarities to the Ripcord but also comes with noticeable upgrades. Chief among them is the upgraded Super Fly 800G Core. This core uses dual-species of wood that alternate between soft and hard woods, which make it lighter and stiffer, and ultimately more responsive, than the Ripcord.

While the Instigator still has an all mountain directional shape with 5mm of taper and biax fiberglass like the Ripcord, it differs in having a twin flex and comes in both Burton’s FlatTop and PurePop bends.

Men’s Burton Instigator Flat Top Snowboard
Men’s Burton Instigator Camber Snowboard

The twin flex means both the nose and tail of the board flex symmetrically, which will make it easier to ride switch and throw in a bit of freestyle flare on this all mountain snowboard. The PurePop bend has camber in between your feet, then flat outside your feet into slight rocker in the nose and tail. Both the FlatTop and PurePop bends, along with the upgraded core, provide more stability at higher speeds than the Ripcord, but overall this board is still playful and forgiving. You’ll find that the Instigator tracks and floats well both in the groomers and in deeper snow.

This is a great board for somebody who’s starting out and knows they want to get into snowboarding. Maybe you’ve bought lessons and you need a good board for a beginner with the features that will help you progress into intermediate. This is a beginner to intermediate board that’s good for someone who’s rented a few times and has got a little bit of snowboarding experience, or if you’re somebody who catches on to new board sports fast and you’re not going to out grow the performance too quickly.

Men’s Burton Process

Coming next at $719.99 CAD is the Burton Process. It’s a big jump up in price from the Instigator, but this is an amazing all mountain snowboard! It’s the same board that Mark McMorris rides because it perfectly bridges the gap between a park board and an all-mountain board. For the extra money you get meaningful upgrades to the wood core and fiberglass layers.

The Process comes with Burton’s Super Fly II 700G Core which makes it noticeably lighter and stiffer than the previously mentioned boards. In addition, you get Burton’s Triax fiberglass, which distributes pressure more evenly along the board whether you’re flexing from nose to tail or torsionally. This creates a board that is snappier and more responsive from toe-to-heel and nose-to-tail, offering way more pop and stability at higher speeds.

This board also has a twin shape and twin flex, meaning you stand directly in the center of the board and it responds and steers the same whether you’re riding regular or switch. This is what gives the Process its more freestyle park-infused flavour.

Men’s Burton Process Camber Snowboard
Men’s Burton Process Flying V Snowboard

The Process comes in both PurePop camber and Flying V rocker. In Burton’s Flying V, there is rocker in between your feet, then camber under your feet, back to rocker outside your feet to the tip and tail of the board. Between the two, the PurePop board will provide a more aggressive, dynamic, and hard-charging riding style for all mountain riders who want to hit bigger jumps and features. While the Flying V will be easier to get on edge and steer, making it more mellow and relaxed. It will also be easier to press and spin in the terrain park as well as float in deeper snow conditions.

Lastly, the Process also has an upgraded sintered base. The previously mentioned boards all had extruded bases. Sintered bases are more porous, making them glide easier and faster across the snow than extruded, but they do require waxing more regularly.

The Process is perfect for that rider who wants a twin shape and the feeling of a park board with the added versatility to go anywhere and do anything on the mountain. This is a light, fast and responsive snowboard for intermediate to advanced level riders.

Men’s Burton Free Thinker

At $839.99 we have the Free Thinker, another board that caters to freestyle riding because of its twin shape and flex but is absolutely a board you can charge across the entire mountain with. For the extra money you’re getting upgrades to the Triax fiberglass, where the bottom layer of fiberglass now includes carbon stripes that run from tip to tail, which saves weight but also improves the board’s stability, responsiveness, and edge control at higher speeds and in harsher riding conditions.

You also get an upgrade to the base with Burton’s WFO Sintered Base, which has wax infused into the pores of the base. The material is harder and more durable than Burton’s standard sintered base.

Men’s Burton Free Thinker Camber Snowboard

The Free Thinker only comes in traditional camber bend which offers the most aggressive, powerful and precise pressure control along the entire effective edge of the snowboard. This is an intermediate to advanced snowboard that will hold up to the demands of hitting big jumps and the pipe when you want to ride park—or carving hard on groomers and steering with precision in the trees when you want to go all-mountain.

Men’s Burton Custom

The Custom has been in Burton’s product line longer than any other and it’s arguably one of the best men’s Burton all mountain snowboards ever made. It’s the tried-and-true standard for a snowboard that’s designed to do everything well at every level of riding. For $879.99 CAD the Custom is packed with features and tech for die-hard, advanced riders and is one of the best snowboards you can get. It’s iconic and nobody hates this board.

Men’s Burton Custom Camber Snowboard
Men’s Burton Custom Flying V Snowboard

Now, this board does have some similar construction to the Free Thinker. It has the same Super Fly II 700G Core, Triax fiberglass with carbon highlights, and WFO sintered base. But what really sets the Custom apart and makes it unique is the directional shape but twin flex, and because of where the binding mounts are located along the sidecut of the board. The rider can position themselves in a centered or set back stance. In the centered position, even though you’ll have a longer nose, the board will flex and steer the same whether you’re riding switch or regular. Then in the set back position, the board rides more like a tapered freeride snowboard, making it ideal for deeper snow and high-speed carving. It’s a wickedly versatile all-mountain snowboard that comes in both traditional Camber and Flying V bends. Whichever one you get, the Custom tracks really straight and turns really smooth.

If you’re an advanced level snowboarder looking to invest in the performance of a high-end all mountain snowboard that can last you years, if not decades, and you don’t know what to get? Buy a Burton Custom! You can thank me later.

Men’s Burton Custom X

At $1,099.99 we have the Custom X, which has the same directional shape and twin flex as the Custom, but then the Custom X is loaded with added features. Things like the Dragonfly 600G Core, which is Burton’s lightest and stiffest wooden core. You’ll notice how light this board is as soon as you pick it up.

Men’s Burton Custom X Camber Snowboard

In addition to the Triax fiberglass—where the bottom layer has carbon strips—the top layer now has carbon stringers that run in an X-pattern intersecting beneath the binding mounts. This gives the board a very stiff feel from nose to tail and torsionally. When you apply pressure and flex the board, a lot of added energy builds up, making it the snappiest and most responsive in the entire product line.

This is definitely a board for advanced riders looking for an aggressive riding experience for big mountain terrain.

Best Men’s Burton All Mountain Snowboards Comparison Chart

Model	Price (CAD)	Bend	Shape	Key Features	Best For	Buy Online
Ripcord	$549.99	Flat Top	Directional	• 5mm taper • Directional flex • Fly 900G Core • Biax fiberglass • Extruded base	Beginners who want a catch-free, forgiving ride	Buy from Burton
Instigator	$579.99	Flat Top / PurePop	Directional	• 5mm taper • Twin flex • Super Fly 800G Core • Dualzone EGD • Biax fiberglass • Extruded base	Beginners progressing to intermediate; playful all-mountain cruising	Buy from Burton
Process	$719.99	PurePop / Flying V	Twin	• Twin flex • Super Fly II 700G Core • Dualzone EGD • Triax fiberglass • Sintered base	Intermediate riders who want a freestyle-influenced all-mountain board	Buy from Burton
Free Thinker	$839.99	Traditional Camber	Twin	• Twin flex • Super Fly II 700G Core • Dualzone EGD • Triax fiberglass with Carbon highlights • WFO sintered base	Advanced freestyle riders who want power and stability across the mountain	Buy from Burton
Custom	$879.99	Traditional Camber / Flying V	Directional	• Twin flex • Super Fly II 700G Core • Dualzone EGD • Triax fiberglass with Carbon highlights • WFO sintered base	Advanced riders seeking legendary all-mountain versatility	Buy from Burton
Custom X	$1,099.99	Traditional Camber	Directional	• Twin flex • Dragonfly 600G Core • Multizone EGD • Triax fiberglass with Carbon highlights and stringers • WFO sintered base	Experts who want ultra-responsive power and precision	Buy from Burton

If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terminology used in this post, you should read my ultimate guide to men’s snowboards.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the best men’s Burton snowboard for beginners?

The Burton Ripcord is one of the best beginner-friendly snowboards in Burton’s lineup. It features a Flat Top bend, Easy Bevel base, and a soft flex pattern—all designed to make learning easy, stable, and catch-free. It’s also one of the most affordable boards, making it ideal for first-time riders or casual resort snowboarders.

What’s the difference between the Burton Ripcord and Instigator?

Both are geared toward beginner to intermediate riders, but the Instigator offers upgraded tech like a dual-species Super Fly 800G Core and the option of a more responsive PurePop camber bend. The Ripcord is better for absolute beginners, while the Instigator suits riders who plan to progress quickly or already have some board sports experience.

Which Burton all-mountain snowboard is best for freestyle?

If you want a board that’s playful in the park but still capable across the entire mountain, go for the Burton Process or Burton Free Thinker. Both feature a true twin shape and flex, making them ideal for switch riding, spins, and jumps. The Process is slightly more forgiving, while the Free Thinker offers more power and pop for advanced tricks.

What’s the difference between the Burton Custom and Custom X?

The Burton Custom is the iconic all-around board designed for versatility—great for carving, powder, and occasional park laps. The Custom X is the more aggressive version with stiffer flex and high-end materials like the Dragonfly core and carbon layering. It’s best for experienced riders who want maximum response and stability at high speeds.

Is Flying V or PurePop Camber better for all-mountain riding?

It depends on your riding style. PurePop Camber delivers more power, edge hold, and pop—great for hard-charging, carving, and jumps. Flying V is a hybrid rocker profile that’s more playful and easier to steer, ideal for laid-back riders, powder days, or terrain park play. Both are available on popular models like the Burton Process and Custom.

Are Burton snowboards worth the price?

Yes. Burton has long been considered one of the top snowboard brands for a reason. Their boards are built with premium materials, thoughtful design, and rider-tested performance. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced rider, Burton’s lineup offers excellent options that can last you several seasons with proper care.

Thanks for checking out my guide on the best men’s Burton all mountain snowboards for the 2-24-2025 season. If you’ve got any questions about any of the boards I discussed, or any other Burton snowboarding gear, definitely leave some comments below. I’m on here every single day trying to answer your questions. I want to make sure I can help you get into some rad gear but most importantly I want to make sure it’s going to fit you and your riding style.

Grab yourself a brand new Burton all-mountain snowboard and get out to ride, because any day of ridin’ is a good day!