Burton Day Trader Review
Cons: Not the most nimble, not super playful
Manufacturer: Burton
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
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Burton Day Trader | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |
Price | $500 List | $500 List | $579.95 at Backcountry | $529.99 at Backcountry | $499.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Fast, fun | Fantastic all-around board, great in powder | Unmatched pop, great edge hold, supremely stable | Well-rounded, great edge-to-edge transition, fast | Great value, supremely stable at high speeds |
Cons | Not the most nimble, not super playful | Not the best beginner board | Not the best board for powder | Not the best for jibbing | Not as much pop as other boards |
Bottom Line | A fast freeride board that excels in the wide-open areas but can struggle with short radius turns | This is one of our absolute favorite all-mountain boards | Earning one of the top scores we have seen to date, we highly recommend this board | If you have an aggressive riding style and want a board that can shred the entire mountain, this is a great choice | A top-notch all-mountain board without a premium price |
Rating Categories | Burton Day Trader | Yes. Hel Yes - Women's | Gnu Ladies Choice | Never Summer Lady West | GNU Klassy |
Edge Hold (25%) | |||||
Powder Performance (20%) | |||||
Stability (20%) | |||||
Playfulness (20%) | |||||
Pop And Jumping (15%) | |||||
Specs | Burton Day Trader | Yes. Hel Yes -... | Gnu Ladies Choice | Never Summer Lady... | GNU Klassy |
Shape | Freestyle Twin | Directional Twin | Asymmetrical | Directional Twin | Directional |
Camber/Rocker | Directional flat top | Hybrid | Hybrid | Fusion Rocker Camber | Hybrid |
Flex | 3-6/10 | 7/10 | 4/10 | 3-5/10 | 6.5/10 |
Tested Length | 154 | 155 | 148.5 | 153 | 155 |
Measured Weight (Tested Length) | 6.2 lbs. | 5.4 lbs. | 5.6 lbs. | 5.8 lbs. | 6.2 lbs. |
Available Lengths | 140, 145, 150, 154 | 146, 149, 152, 155 | 142.5, 145.5, 148.5, 151.5, 153.5 | 144, 147, 149, 151, 153, 156 | 145, 148, 151, 155 |
Core Material | Wood | Poplar, paulownia, and bamboo wood | Aspen, Colombian Gold, and poulownia wood | NS SuperLight Wood Core | Aspen and paulownia wood |
Waist Width | 24.5 cm | 24.4 cm | 24.2 cm | 24 cm | 24.7 cm |
Radius | 7.3 | 7.3 | 8.2/7.9 | 7.42 | 8 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Day Trader isn't the most playful board out there and is probably best kept out of the park. It's not great for jibbing, and its asymmetric profile can make riding switch feel quite awkward.
Performance Comparison
Edge Hold
The Day Trader got off to a good start in our tests with a solid performance in our edge hold test, which is responsible for 25% of its final score. This board bites into all but the firmest snow in the iciest conditions, giving us more than enough confidence to open up the throttle.
We think Burton's serrated FrostBite edges work exceptionally well. We never had the edge slip when traversing on steep or icy terrain, and it easily carves into hardpack when turning at higher speeds. However, this board can be a little predisposed to skidding turns while carving, and we would feel the board start to slip just a tiny bit on top of that if we hit any patches of ice at high speed.
Powder Performance
Next, we moved on to rating and comparing how each snowboard handled in deeper snowfalls, which accounts for 20% of each board's final scores. The Day Trader isn't the most powder-specific snowboard we have tested but doesn't fair too poorly when it comes to riding freshies.
The Day Trader is a directional freeride board with a longer nose and shorter tail, as well as a flat rocker profile that helps it float to the top of the snow. This snowboard also has a slight taper — 12 mm — from nose to tail to further enhance its floatation in deep snow. It is a little on the stiffer side, so you don't get as surfy of a feel as other models, but it feels rock-solid through big carving turns in deep snow.
Stability
Our next series of tests compared how each of these snowboards felt when you got them up to maximum speed, which accounts for 20% of the final score. It's pretty clear that the Day Trader is a snowboard that wants to go fast and luckily feels super steady when you open up the throttle.
This snowboard has a medium-stiff flex that we didn't find to be too predisposed to developing speed wobbles or any chattering at higher speeds. It feels pretty good to carve with though we found that you can definitely feel the flat portion of the board when transitioning edge-to-edge, making it feel just the tiniest bit shaky if you linger too long in that portion of your turn when ripping down groomers.
This board also cuts through crud and chop as long as you commit and power through. We found it to be a bit of a freight train, and it seemed to handle blasting through uneven terrain at higher speeds better than attempting to do any last-minute corrections or speed checks.
Playfulness
While we wouldn't expect the Day Trader — a directional freeride board that is on the stiffer side — to be all that playful, we have to say we were pleasantly surprised. Don't get us wrong; there is no comparing the Day Trader to some of the super soft snowboards on the market, but it does have more flex than you might expect from a freeride-focused snowboard.
The Day Trader like to make medium to large turns and rides with a fairly fun loose and surfy feel. It's not horrible to ride switch, with a little rocker in the tail of the board that keeps it from catching too often. However, as we mentioned above, the Day Trader can be a bit of a juggernaut when going down the mountain, and we feel it would be quite a stretch to call it particularly nimble.
Pop and Jumping
Our last round of tests looked at how much spring each snowboard has, with the Day Trader delivering another solid performance.
The Day Trader is stiff and stable enough for jumps and drops, but you are in for a rough time when doing a press or buttering. This also wouldn't be a great jibbing board by any means, either.
Value
The Day Trader isn't the cheapest snowboard on the market, but it is a bit less expensive than some of the other directional snowboards, making it worth your consideration if you are looking for a hard-charging directional freeride board and trying to save some cash.
Conclusion
The Day Trader by Burton is for anyone who wants a fairly stiff snowboard that is stable at speed and floaty in powder. Its main flaw in our mind is the difficulty we found when making short radius tight turns; if you can get past that, it's a good option for a freeride board that still has a little fun in it.
— Marissa Fox