Burton Flight Attendant Snowboard Review

The Burton Flight Attendant tapered directional board has more of a double-ender feel on groomers but then acts like it’s shaped in powder. This is a great call for those who want a freeride board with an all-mountain aftertaste that can carve really well and launch.

Update 2021: The Burton Flight Attendant hasn’t changed much since the 2019 model so this review still stands…well except for some of the boards it’s compared against in this review. 

You have arrived at the Burton Flight Attendant Snowboard Review from an average rider who has ridden a ton of boards. 

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.

A Break Down of How it Rides and Who It’s For

Here are the major changes from 2017 vs. 2019-2023 Flight Attendant:

1. they can handle a little more weight which is great for bigger riders and not much of a difference for the middle weights.
2. There is a new top sheet for 2018-2020 models that is more eco-friendly.
3. There are more size options.

Size: 159 (2015) and 159 (2019)           
Days: 20+
Conditions:  soft snow with a soft and light day or 2 old CO powder… well soft and light for us. 2′ + of thick Sierra Powder and lot’s of groomer days with hard to soft snow.
Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo, Jack and a few others 
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Burton AMB, Burton Imperial, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD,  Burton Ion, Nike Zoom Ites, Nike Lunarendore,
Bindings: Union Atlas, Burton Cartel, Burton Genesis, Burton Genesis X, Burton Diode, Union T.Rice, Now Drive,
Set-Up: Just a little wide of the reference stance, 22.5″ wide 15 fronts -9 back. A little bit set back and centered 23” wide 18 fronts 0 back, 22.5″ wide 15 fronts -6 back. 22″ wide 18 fronts -3 back, Centered and set all the way back.

Approximate Weight

The 159 Burton Flight Attendant weighed 6.4 lbs, but boards vary in weight, so yours might not weigh the same. I actually stopped weighing boards because all boards vary in weight.

Flex

Not quite the buttery board tip to the tail, but if you are strong, you can butter off the tail.  The rocker in the nose makes it easier. The flex is medium/stiff to us and provides a pretty aggressive feel.

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel

This “Balanced Freeride Geometry” sidecut makes the Burton Flight Attendant not as washy for this amount of taper. It’s an amazing groomer board that can also do very well when it comes to directional powder riding which makes this a freeride board that many will really like.

The camber of the Burton Flight Attendant goes from the tail to about the tree logo after the binding inserts. Then there is a little early-rise rocker before the nose. There is also a higher camber arc going on here than most hybrid camber rides out there and even some true camber boards. So it’s got a pretty locked-in feel.  The ride here is almost like that totally locked-in feel of camber except, it’s not quite as catchy thanks to the bit of early rise in the nose.

This isn’t the intermediate rider or even the non-technical advanced rider. It’s for those that know how to turn really well. If you are that type of rider, then you will be pretty stoked.

Powder

We had a few powder days now, and it’s a great board for directional float.  The Burton Flight Attendant floated very well, even in thicker leftover powder, and not that set back in the trees. Setting it all the way back into the deeper snow, close to 2.5 feet, it didn’t feel like it was maxing out yet. It’s pretty quick to turn in tight spots and tree runs, but it’s not super quick. Most will be just fine with this. It’s a nice balance between a board that can carve really well and a board that can slash through trees. Also, the camber all the way to the tail will help you pop really well off natural features.

The set back on the sidecut with the 159 is -35mm or almost 1.25″. However, set all the way back at a 23″ stance width, the difference between nose and tail is very close to -6.25 inches, and the setback on board is -3.125″. That’s a pretty good setback on board, and if you combine that with the little bit of early-rise rocker and the tapered tail, it really seems to help fight all that camber from sending you cartwheeling if you commit too much to that front foot in the deep stuff.

Turn Initiation

It’s pretty quick edge to edge but not super quick.  It’s the kind of board I’m super comfortable riding through trees and tight spots, or to just have a board that drives from edge to edge when you want it to.

Skidded Turns

It’s not an easy board to skid turns with, and it could make turning slow and hard to do.

Turning Experience

It’s got that magical springy edge-to-edge feel like the Burton Custom X, and it’s super fun to turn. The Burton Flight Attendant can drive a little more off the front foot than many boards with this much taper can, making it more versatile than many freeride boards in turning styles.  Still, it really shines with a little more weight on the back foot when it comes to turning, and it’s really springy from edge to edge. It seems like it’s programmed to help set you up for your next turn, and it’s a very cool feeling.

Carving

The Burton Flight Attendant is an incredible carver if the snow is soft. It has a lot of camber, and even with the early rise, it carves almost like full camber. The turning radius is very balanced but leans a touch on the straight-liner side.

Speed

Very fast and stable.  The Burton Flight Attendant base is fast and has a good glide to it.  Also, it’s got a very chatter-free ride when you get some speed going.

Uneven Terrain

This is a chunder buster, so it’s got a great feel when bombing through tracked-out powder. It doesn’t bounce you around at all, and it can also help you get around rutted-up mogul-type snow rather well, but not perfectly. The Burton Flight Attendant is a stiffer board compared to most out there these days, so it will take more work than some at the end of a crowded Saturday.

Edge Hold

The Burton Flight Attendant feels like it has great grip in medium to softer snow, but as it starts to go from Medium to hard, you feel it let go pretty quickly compared to many freeride boards out there with more going on with the sidecut.  If you ride in places that often have hard-to-icy snow, you might want to look for another board. Even after an edge tune by a guy who’s been doing this for 20+ years, it helped but it still didn’t have the grip I was hoping for on those harder days.

Switch

The balanced freeride geometry sidecut with the Burton Flight Attendant helps it ride better than you would think. The Flight Attendants switch-ability is impressive, which surprised me for this tapered board. It’s not going to blow your mind if you come from riding a twin, but if you come from a tapered board, it will be better than you thought. You can still feel that big ass nose dragging behind your riding switch, but it’s doable for sure.

Jibbing

No jibbing with this board.

Pipe

The Burton Flight Attendant is fun in a soft pipe, but not when it’s super icy. It drives well wall to wall.

Jumps

There is a lot of camber and pop with this board and it’s got a springy feel to it that pops well on an Ollie. It’s the kind of board that is about as good as you can get when it comes to directional air but it can land switch very well for it’s shape.

Conclusion

The Burton Flight Attendant was a board that didn’t shine in hard snow, but we found it to be a very technical but dynamic poppy ride everywhere else.

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