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Burton Snowboards

Is this your company?

Great place to work if you were one of the cool kids in school. - Anonymous employee Burton Snowboards Employee Review

3.0
Jul 25, 2013
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The company culture is a huge part of working for Burton - so much so that it was specifically part of our goals until recently. There are still plenty of fun perks like discounts on gear and lift tickets, dogs in the office, sumer flex time, and pretty good insurance. We can hang out with a lot of pro snowboarders a few times a year, and it's great that Jake is still mostly hands-on with the company. Pay is OK for the area for non entry level jobs, but Burlington is expensive and costs add up more quickly than raises. There are opportunities for the entry level jobs to move up, but careers can stagnate if you're not working for the right manager.

Cons

Some of the other fun stuff has gone by the wayside lately like parties every month, and at least one person that was reprimanded for taking a morning to go boarding on a pow day (the unofficial policy used to be that work hours were flexible if you wanted to go riding in the morning). When the company identifies you as a star, you're promoted quickly without concern for your actual performance, but if they set you in their targets you'll be fired or forced out the door. There's pressure to work physically in the office, even when the job functions don't require it, and the office environment is hit or miss depending on where you sit. Be prepared to walk a lot: to find a trash can (removed from our cubes), printer (same), while looking for an open space to hold an unexpected meeting, or from your parking spot in a different building if you come in late or after the lunch rush (there's not a lot of restaurants nearby and the kitchen is too tiny, so lots of spaces open up from 12-1). There's often problems with the physical building, which may or may not have fixes (the roof leaks, heating/cooling sometimes doesn't work, bathrooms are inadequate). Internal culture seems to take more hits every year as budgets tighten. There are the star departments that still get the team outings, conferences and travel perks everyone used to be able to have and get newly upgraded facilities and bathrooms, while the rest of the company has had budget cuts and hiring freezes and a crack the whip mentality. It has fostered a sense that you and your team don't matter if you're not in the product or marketing teams, and that gets demonstrated with the promotions constantly happening in those departments. Senior management reinforces those ideas of the haves and the have nots, whether it's intentional or not, through these unofficial policy changes that aren't applied consistently through the company. One specific example is that employees aren't allowed to park in the store parking, which makes complete sense. But the owners always park there, and so does at least one other executive and his secretary. These same managers were shocked when the company didn't make the "best places to work" list, and the lip service they paid to improving the biggest issues was exactly that.

Explore other reviews about Burton Snowboards

5.0
Mar 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fun work atmosphere and plenty of room to advance. Great company culture and lots of events for employees.

Cons

None from my perspective, very happy.

3.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The perks are real: paid snowboard days, discounted gear, and some genuinely incredible colleagues.

Cons

Getting promoted here is nearly impossible. You'll be underpaid and underappreciated, but subtly convinced this is acceptable because you're part of something "cool." Management is chaotic and the company values are laughably hypocritical. The handful of promotions that do happen internally are largely driven by nepotism and favoritism from senior leadership. Their diversity and inclusion efforts appear to be more of a marketing initiative than a genuine commitment; the workforce is overwhelmingly homogeneous, and many employees are only able to afford to work here with financial support— think family money (White, Vermont, UVM/Champlain graduates). If you're looking to grow — personally, professionally, or creatively — do it somewhere that actually makes that possible. The environment is deeply political, job security feels constantly uncertain despite being overworked, and there is little to no long-term roadmap or direction from leadership. The people are great. The company is not. Go somewhere that deserves you.

3
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