Burton Gril Master Snowboard Review

The Burton Gril Master is the kind of board you ride hoping for powder, but not being too distraught if you don't get it, because you know how fun it is to ride groomers and trees (even when there's no powder in there). 

It's not a bomber and it's not super playful either, but rather strikes a nice balance in between. 

In this review, I will take a look at the Gril Master as a mellow freeride snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Gril Master a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow freeride snowboards.

NOTE: The review below hasn't been updated beyond the 2025 model as the 2025 was the final version of the Gril Master. However, the '26 Alekesam is very similar to the '25 Gril Master - for more on how the Alekesam changed to be more like the Gril Master check out our updated review here.   

Overall Rating

Board: Burton Gril Master 2025

Price: $679

Style: Mellow Freeride

Flex Rating: Mid to Mid-Stiff

Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5.5/10)

Rating Score: 89.9/100

Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards

Overview of the Gril Master’S Specs

Check out the tables for the Gril Master’s specs and available sizes.

Who is the Gril Master Most Suited To?

The Gril Master is best suited to those who want something directional and powder friendly but don't want to have to go a stiff aggressive freeride board to do it, but also don't want to go to a powder specialized board that won't perform well on groomers. 

Could certainly be a one-board quiver for the right rider. But would also be a great quiver compliment that would pair well with a park board and/or a more aggressive freeride or all-mountain board. 

This board is pretty easy going and while I think lower end intermediate riders would be fine with it, it's not quite beginner level friendly. 

TEST/REVIEW DetailS FOR THE Gril Master

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Gril Master is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Burton Gril Master 2025, 155cm (257mm waist width)

Date: February 1, 2024

Powder

We didn't have any powder to test in on the day, but based on specs and feel, it should do really well in powder. 

Some things in its favor for powder include a 25mm (1") setback on effective edge, a significantly longer nose than tail, 15mm of taper and early rise rocker to the nose. 

Carving

There is a speed/aggressiveness limit to what the Gril Master can do with carving. But for moderate speed carves, it performed really well. With higher speeds, it started to feel a bit washy. 

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing: This thing could turn super quick and nice and easy to initiate turns and get slashy on. I would say even better than my control board, which is a pretty easy turning board. 

Maneuverability at slow speeds: Nice and quick edge-to-edge turns and very little effort required. Significantly quicker turns at slow turns and easier to execute than I found the Alekesam, which I also rode on the day. 

Catchiness: Very little catch. If I really focused on trying to get some kind of catch-feel I could, but didn't notice any at all when I wasn't thinking about it. Close to catch-free, in my experience with it.

Speed

It wasn't a bomber by any means, but it wasn't terrible either. I found it could handle up to moderately fast speeds well. But when really opening it out, it started to feel pretty wobbly. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: When the snow got rough, the Gril Master didn't like it all that much. Nothing atrocious or anything. It's not like a super soft and chattery board or anything, but it also certainly wasn't immune to getting bucked around and wasn't super damp or anything. 

Trees/Bumps: So good! It effortlessly weaved between trees and bumps and was just really nice with that sharpness of turn it had for me. And should be good in there in deeper powder too. 

Jumps

Really decent for jumps for such a directional board. 

Pop: Nice and easy to access its pop. It had OK total pop. Not as much total pop as Alekesam, but a lot easier to extract it. 

Approach: Stable enough for most approaches, but not for very large jumps - and nice and easy to make any necessary adjustments.

Landing: I found the Alekesam was better for stomping landings but the Gril Master was more forgiving when you got it wrong. Wasn't the most forgiving for tail heavy landings though - not a lot of tail there to take the load. 

Side-hits: Was really good for straight air off side-hits. I really liked the easy access pop and easy maneuverability of it for side-hits.  

Small jumps/Big jumps: Best for small to medium jumps, IMO. 

Switch

Not ideal and certainly not what this board is made for. But definitely doable. Felt a bit strange riding it tail first, but transitions were fine and it had a similar easy going feel when going switch. 

Spins

Nice and easy to spin and setup and landing felt good and forgiving. Good easy pop to initiate take off without too much effort. Taking off and landing switch wasn't ideal, naturally, but doable. 

I found it wasn't prone to over-rotating after landing and was pretty easy to complete an under-rotation on snow. 

Butters

I found it much easier to press the nose and tail on the Gril Master compared to the Alekesam but still not quite as easy as my control board. 

The tail and nose do feel different  - the tail felt a little stuffer but not by a lot. The tail is also  shorter which I found was more noticeable than the flex difference. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

The Gril Master is a nice easy going ride that has the versatility to be good for various conditions and riding in various styles/speeds. It's not a bomber or anything, but it can handle a bit of speed and rides well slow. 

It's the kind of board that can be a little playful when you want it to be, but still handle a little bit of a more aggressive input. Similarly it can give back a snappier feel or a smoother feel, depending on rider input.