Burton Flight Attendant 2015-2021 Snowboard Review
Riding Style | Freeride |
Riding Level | Advanced - Expert |
Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10, 10-12 |
Manufactured in | Austria |
Shape | Tapered Directional |
Camber Profile | Directional Camber |
Stance | Setback over 20mm |
Approx. Weight | Feels Normal |
Split | No |
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On Snow Feel | |
Turn Initiation | |
Skidded Turns |
Flex | |
Buttering | |
Edge Hold |
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Burton Flight Attendant 2021 - 2015 Review by The Good Ride
Burton Flight Attendant 2019-2023 Snowboard Video and Written Review
You have arrived at the Burton Flight Attendant Snowboard Review from an average rider who has ridden a ton of boards.
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.
The Burton Flight Attendant tapered directional board that 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 that want a freeride board with an all-mountain after taste that can carve really well and launch.
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.
A Break Down of How it Rides and Who It’s For
Here are the major changes from 2017 vs. 2019-2023 Flight Attendant:
- they can handle a little more weight which is great for bigger riders and not much of a difference for the middle weights.
- There is a new top sheet for 2018-2020 models that is more eco-friendly.
- 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 front -9 back. A little bit set back and centered 23” wide 18 front 0 back, 22.5″ wide 15 front -6 back. 22″ wide 18 front -3 back, Centered and set all the way back.
Approximate Weight
The 159 Burton Flight Attendant weighed 6.4lbs but weights vary so yours might not weight the same. I actually stopped weighing boards because all boards vary in weight.
Flex
Not quite the buttery board tip to 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 fmakes 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. Even in thicker leftover powder and not that set back in the trees, the Burton Flight Attendant floated very well. 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 turning 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 sidecut with the 159 is -35mm or almost 1.25″ on sidecut. 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 pretty good set back 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
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 and it makes it more versatile than many freeride boards when it comes to 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. There is 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 of 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 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 switch than you would think. The Flight Attendants switch-ability is impressive which surprised me for a board this tapered. 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 you 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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Burton Flight Attendant Past Reviews
https://youtu.be/bvrqpIq4h64
Burton Flight Attendant Specs
Burton Flight Attendant Images
Burton Flight Attendant User Reviews
Model of 2018 still rocking as new
I have the 159 version of this board from 2018 and it's still rocking as new. The base is super durable, the build quality is outstanding and it still performs as it did out of the plastic.
There are better choices for powder but if you want a 1 board quiver, this is it.
Carving is solid, speed is also solid and I can ride switch as I would ride the Custom, almost no difference whatsoever.
This board stands out for advanced or expert riders as reviewed by TGR and I wouldn't recommend this board to beginners or intermediate riders.
As usual, as per any Burton board, it sucks on icy or hard pack snow. You do have better control than most of the Burton boards out there but it's still behind comparing it to the competition. So please do not consider any negative reviews from other riders that bought this board to use it on hard or icy conditions.
I have been searching for a board to replace this one this or next year and I must say that I will probably buy the 2022 or 2023 version of this board once more because I can't find anything else that fits better my style of riding.
It's got my name on it
I am from Holland and this is my board. I got the 2020-167. Burton ion size 13 and rome targa XL (@james: totally agree on more setback with disc rather than the est, it makes up for (only) a little harder to adjust)
I really love how it rides especially the backcountry bottomturns and cutbacks and "groomer side railing". As well as cracking the chunder and it feels as the board is really hungry for speed at every terrain from powder (my true love) to carving (not my specialty). It likes to go high speed and get kicked ass.
Having said all that: it would be 5 stars though if it would be better on hard snow and a little wider. Can someone give me advice on the edge angle? I am thinking about taking it to 87 degrees. Hoping that will give me that edge hold which i am having a lot of trouble with. I only like the edge hold on fresh groomers with the 89 angle but thats no achievement.
Maybe not best quiver killer in the East
Just bought the 2020, 159com, with Cartel EST.
Bought the demo set up at my local hill in Northern Ontario (Canada). We just got a rare one-foot dump of snow that quickly turned to chunder. I went back and forth between the FA and my ancient Rossignol board. The FA was obviously in its element. I bought it (at a pretty good price being a demo. Today I took it back out. Hard pack - ice in spots. Ugh. My old POS board with garbage bindings would handle it better. I have it set up at the recommended stance with +18,0 angles. I'm going to try pushing everything towards the front to see if it's an improvement. I'm going out west next week so maybe it will be the perfect travel board.