2023-2024 Deep Thinker Review

The Burton Deep Thinker doesn’t have great edge hold but does have incredible pop and a narrower/quick turning feel vs. the Flight Attendant which is probably it’s closest peer in Burton’s line.

Update: It seems I got a really soft demo model and the production models are a good bit stiffer. So the rating system reflects what you will get if you buy one. The 2024 didn’t change much or at all either. 

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews, and this is our unfiltered opinion. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Burton Deep Thinker 2023-2024 – How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

I borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back. we bought it.  Precious Good Ride dollars were spent to buy this and review it.
Size: 157
Days: 5
Conditions: Good Spring Conditions that felt like mid-winter, some inconsistent powder, clean soft perfect spring groomers, and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo, Burton Photon Step On Wide
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Clew Bindings, Burton Cartel X, Burton Step On
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket.
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant,
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt, Drop Cascade Glove, Drop Web Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Pick Your Line, Season Nexus, Burton Cartographer, Burton Instigator, Never Summer Hammer

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/-9. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

How It Was Tested

I rode the Burton Deep Thinker often on the same day against the Custom and Burton Territory Manager.

Approximate Weight

The Burton Deep Thinker felt more on the light side of normal. (We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board weight)

Sizing

The Burton Deep Thinker worked pretty well for my size 9 boots, but I could have used the 160 for my 190lbs.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Burton Deep Thinkers. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
154: 8-9
157: 8.5-9.5
160: 9-10
157w: 10-11
160w: 10.5-11.5
163w: 11-12

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Burton Deep Thinker has a decent amount of taper at 8mm but not a very washy feel in the tail. It doesn’t say it has the balanced freeride geometry sidecut to reduce the taper feel, but it feels like it does. 

The camber profile of the Burton Deep Thinker has a mellow bit of early rise before the nose, but it feels pretty locked in. Even though there is a softer flex it doesn’t do that much to lessen the consequences if you get off your game and skid your turns a lot. This is for very accomplished intermediates and up.

Flex Personality

The Burton Deep Thinker has a soft flex for being tapered and directional, but I got a very soft demo. So what I describe in the video is not what you will get if you buy one. It’s stiffer and more in line with the Flight Attendant and Hometown Hero. 

Speed

You don’t get the Burton Deep Thinker to bomb, but it has a sidecut that doesn’t fight you if you want to point it. My demo didn’t have the dampness you want at higher speeds but the production model should.

The base glide is good but nothing exceptional. I’ve found that most Burton boards need Burton wax, and it often needs to be waxed a few times to get that better-than-average glide.

Edge Hold

The Burton Deep Thinker feels great in soft snow, but let’s go pretty easy in harder snow. I wish most directional camber Burton boards had a little more grip in harder snow but I don’t want that magnatraction feel. Just a little more grip when I hit a hard patch. That being said, some riders like this kind of sidecut so it comes down to personal preference. 

Turning Experience/Carving

So the Burton Deep Thinker is a little too soft for people who like a really hard carve, but there is still a really good spring out of the turn. The overall turning experience is pretty balanced. It initiates a turn really fast if sized right, but when you really lay it on edge, it slows down a little bit. That isn’t good or bad. It is just what it is. You can circle carve ok but it doesn’t excel there. It is more of an across-the-groomer to a slightly down-the-line type of carve.

Powder

There is a pretty good directional float with the Burton Deep Thinker. You can get -3.625” back from the center of the board with a 23” stance width. That is a little wide for most who will ride the 157, but if you don’t get EST bindings, you can slide the front back more to give you a similar setback on board with a narrower stance width. Then you have about 8mm of taper, a bigger nose than the tail, and an early rise before it. I felt it was about what you would expect for a shape like this.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

The Burton Deep Thinker is very doable in the park. This soft flex works way better than you would think for jibbing; it’s good in the pipe if it isn’t too hard, and it rides the switch very well for a tapered board. Where this really shines is how hard it springs off a jump and how well it tracks in and out of the jump.

Conclusion

So overall, the Burton Deep Thinker is a unique board. It was really fun to get on this again and experience this softer and more playful flex. It might not be for those who want a traditional Freeride board, but I think many will appreciate such a buttery and poppy flex in a tapered directional board that can also float well in powder.

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2020 Burton Deep Thinker Review

The Burton Deep Thinker is all about deep thoughts…hopefully by Jack Handy on the chair and aggressive actions on snow. It felt like a stiffer, more aggressive, less tapered version of the Flight Attendant.  So, if you are an aggressive rider who likes to go big and mainly rides in good conditions, you might be more into the Deep Thinker. However, if you are exceptionally average like us, then you might prefer the Burton Flight Attendant’s better all-conditions performance and slightly more forgiving flex.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Size: 157
Days: 1 day on 2020 and 1 day on 2018
Conditions: Pretty good for us but pretty thick for Utah powder. Probably about 1-2 feet and coming past our knees in some places. There were still some messy but super soft groomed runs though too.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Bindings: Burton Malavita EST

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared/Referenced This To:
Burton Leader Board, Burton Flight Attendant, Gnu Mullair, Jones Flagship, Never Summer West Bound,

Set-Up: 22” Wide. 21 front -6 back. Close to Reference and Set back.

Approximate Weight

It feels normal to bordering on the light side of normal.

Sizing

The 157 felt just right for our weight and especially our boot size. The 154-160 fit size 8-10 pretty well, and the 157w-163w do really well for size 10- 12. With both regular and wide rides in this line, the bigger size fits better as your boot gets bigger. It can handle a decent amount of weight as well, and it’s good to see Burton bump up the ability to handle a girthy lad on top.

Flex/Buttering

It’s not very buttery and pretty stiff/snappy. If you are a strong rider, this will work well for you, but if you aren’t, you might not get as much out of it as you might from some other boards with a little softer flex.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns

Not for those who don’t know how to turn. It’s more for those expert riders, but advanced riders can handle it, too. If you get off your game, it can catch an edge pretty easily. It’s pretty close to a full-on old-school camber ride and doesn’t skid turns easy. It has a very aggressive, pretty directional, gunny type of ride that appeals to those that just don’t fuck around when they head up to the mountain.

Edge Hold

Pretty standard for Burton. It’s good in comparison to most of their line but when we compare it to many similar boards out there the edge hold is a little behind most in harder snow. It can still hang in harder snow but it has this quick cut off point grip wise when the snow gets harder that can surprise you and quickly let go.

Turn Initiation

Fast edge to edge, this can slalom through a treeline super easily. Once you get it on edge, the Burton Deep Thinker isn’t as fast completing a turn as starting one, but overall, it’s pretty quick.

Turning Experience/Carving

If you have the strength, the Deep Thinker can power through a hard turn, but it is like a strong rider to perform.

Powder

We had some thick Utah powder…well, for people from Utah, but fun powder for us. Neither of us didn’t really felt like it was floating, nor did the Flight Attendant or many other freeride boards we tried in the deeper stuff. If you ride steeper terrain and are used to full camber boards, the early rise in the nose will feel much easier, but compared to many hybrid shapes, this is a little behind the rest. Our back legs worked harder on this ride. We weren’t able to put this on the table, and we geeked hard on the non-published specs, but it doesn’t seem as far back on board. There could be other factors too, like less of a nose and maybe a touch more effective edge for its size, but we aren’t certain that’s what makes it more work because often specs lie. All we can say is it took more work than the Jones Flagship that we rode on the same day. However, it was an easier floater than the Leader Board.

Speed

Bombs pretty well.  It’s not quite the Leader Board that we switched back and forth on, but it’s up there with the One Hitter and many other rides out there that are super damp.

Uneven Terrain

In the soft forgiving conditions we had in Utah, the Burton Deep Thinker was totally fine. However, in the wet, thick, uneven snow we had at Bachelor the first time, it really got cranky on us compared to many other boards we rode that day at the demo.

Switch

Really good for a tapered directional ride and Burton does a good job allowing boards like this to ride switch better than they should.

Jumps

It’s a little narrow and quick turny, but it can go powerfully big if you have the strength and insurance policy to back it.

Jibbing

nah….

Pipe

Sure…

So all in all the Burton Deep Thinker might not be for everyone but for those that have the technical knowledge or just plain strength to make this board perform, could have a time.

Burton Deep Thinker 2018 Review

The Burton Deep Thinker to us felt like a stiffer more aggressive less tapered version of the Flight Attendant.  We all loved its looks and specs so we had high hopes for this ride but it really didn’t shine in the conditions we rode it.  We all prefer the Flight Attendant or the Custom Kilroy much better.

Nothing really changed from the 2018-2019 Burton Deep Thinker, but the review has been updated to reflect our take on it compared to what’s out in 2019.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

Size: 157
Days:  1
Conditions:  Pretty wet but way better than we thought it would be.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs), Tim
Boots: Burton Almighty, Adidas Tactical ADV
Bindings: Burton Genesis

Some Recommended Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Burton Imperial, Burton Ion, and maybe the Burton Step On Ion or Photon
Recommended Bindings: Burton Genesis X, Burton Cartel, Union Force, Union Atlas, Union Strata

Approximate Weight

Felt pretty normal-ish.  Here’s the thing, most snowboards don’t vary too much when it comes to weight and on top of that they aren’t consistent in weight from board to board.

Flex/Buttering

It feels stiff and doesn’t like to fuck about.  It’s not an easy board to butter.

Sizing

The 158 Deep Thinker felt like the right size for Peter and me, who wear sizes 8.5 and 9. Jimbo would be much better off with the 157w and Tim the 163w, which are their 11-something boots, size, and weight. All the regular-size boards feel like 10 and under would be best. Maybe 10.5 with a reduced footprint, but anyone 11 and up—it’s all about the wides.

On Snow Feel

It’s pretty locked-in, aggressive, and a straight-liner, but not a full-on straight-liner like some boards. The Burton Deep Thinker seemed like it would have a lot of the magic of the Flight Attendant that we have loved for many years, but it didn’t feel that way for us.  We felt like this board became stiff and unfriendly in uneven, soft snow but shined in good high-speed snow.  It’s like many of the Family Tree directional camber rides we tried when it comes to feeling semi-locked in, though, and it’s the kind of board that one foot’s off the chair and tracks down a long cat track well.

Edge Hold

Felt pretty good but we didn’t really get to test it in hard snow.  We only had a few patches. Generally, our experience with Directional Camber boards like this from Burton (we rode a lot too) is they will do pretty well until it starts getting medium hard and by the time it’s hard, the edge is completely letting go.

Turn Initiation

It’s very quick edge to edge, and it gets you there almost exactly when you want it. It’s very quick rolling from edge to edge, but once you are there, it doesn’t want to keep bank hard right or left at the speed it started.

Turning Experience

Nothing really lit us up with the Burton Deep Thinker when it came to turning.  It was good but not really what we love regarding this directional camber profile and tapered directional shape.  It’s not that washy off the tail and it’s got less taper than the Burton Flight Attendant. I think with a little time on some good groomers, we might get up enough speed to make this board shine on a series of long, drawn-out S-Turns, but we have yet to do so. A good friend of The Good Ride owns one of these and said something to this extent.

Carving

The Burton Deep Thinker is not a real circle carver, but it can definitely carve hard. It really likes a wider radius carve, and it’s got lots of camber off the back foot to spring out of the carve. It just takes a lot of strength to make it happen.

Skidded Turns

The Burton Deep Thinker can catch on the tail like a camber board but not on the flat to the rockered nose. Overall, it’s not for intermediate riders or anyone who can’t stay on their game when turning.

Speed

The Burton Deep Thinker is fast and bombs.  It wants to straight line and make long narrow S-Turns at high speed. If you want more from the Flight Attendant then this might work.

Uneven Terrain

Really uncomfortable in the messy snow, even with really shock-absorbent Burton Genesis bindings.

Powder

So we didn’t get powder but based on its specs it seems like it would perform very close to the Burton Flight Attendant which is a great power board.

Buttering

Nah…pretty stiff for most of us except the butter strong Jimbo.

Switch

It’s ok but better to ride the Free Thinker for that. Still, it’s better than you would think for a tapered directional board and

Jibbing

nope…..not a good idea.

Pipe

We didn’t ride pipe that day, but it seems like it wouldn’t be bad for those who like to go big in a directional way.

Jumps

It’s got pop but it requires a strong rider to make it do so.  If you aren’t feeling strong it can feel a bit planky and a bit dead but if you put a lot into the Burton Deep Thinker it can give a lot back.

Overall we had high hopes with the Burton Deep Thinker and really wanted to like it. However, in the conditions we rode it there just wasn’t a lot of love compared to the other boards from Burton we rode that day.  We think some could really like this but most would probably be happier with the Flight Attendant.