Custom X, Custom V-Rocked, T6, Slayblade or bananarama

Posted: 01 March 2010 09:12 PM

Slayblade, Custom X, T6, Special or Undisputed (what board to buy topic nr 1002311)
Hi guys,

As u might have guessed form the title of this topic, I would like to have some advise on what board is best suited for me personally.

I’m a Dutchie, meaning i can only go boarding for 2 to 3 weeks a year in the alps.
My skills are average/expert, meaning i can ride red slopes with relative ease, while i’m perfectly capable of riding black slopes in a little slower paste. With other words: i can’t race em to the bottom, but i get down pretty decently.

Personally, i love to go of-piste, but since i hate hicking, i get the main bulk of my of-piste experience through just taking a cut from the normal pistes. I get to the top with the ski lift and make sure i’m near the piste at the end of the mountain (yeah, i’m a lazy bastard)

Although i’m a boarder for 12 or 13 years now, I just don’t get the hang of the parks. I don’t know, when i see people jump crazy i really love it, but it’s just nog my thing. I rather go down and go down fast.

The thing is, I really am in need of a new board now. I bought a Forum Destroyer in 2001 while I was still in the presumption that i was going to do a hell lot of tricks and all. And although i loved my board for years, last year it just didn’t feel right any more. Therefore i’m looking into buying a new board.

After asking some advice at the local shops i narrowed my interest down to the following boards:

- Burton Custom X
- Burton T6
- Burton Custom V-rocker
- K2 Slayblade
- Lib-tech banana

Right now, my favorite is the Custom X. I like the design and every shop tries to sell it to me as being perfect for what i want. The same goes for the T6, with the difference that it costs more money and does almost the same thing as the Custom X.

On the other hand, all the sellers also tried to make me a believer in rocker boards (or reverse camper). I heard some nice thing of them, but I just don’t know if they are right for my kind of riding style.

All in all, i would like to have some advise from u guys on what board suits me best. Also, i just don’t know if i need a wide board or not and what lenght it should be.

Extra personal data:

Length: 6ft (1,83m)
weight: 211 lb (96kg)
shoe: 10,5/11 (44/45 in europe)

Posted: 01 March 2010 10:27 PM

Hey Henkhe,

Thanks for using the forum. With regards to the kind of riding you do, you should be looking for the following qualities:

1) Dampening under foot which will increase stability and reduce chatter at high speed.
2) Longitudinal rigidity - Again this will make the board more stable at high speed and more poppy in and out of high speed carves…..may make the board feel a bit plank-like at low speeds though. Added longitudinal rigidity will come from features like Carbon stringers.
3) Medium to stiff lateral (torsional) rigidity - this will improve edge hold, stability and will improve the amount of energy you can put into turns.
4) Directional or Directional twin shape- This means that the board performs slightly better in one direction. Directional boards are normally better shaped for freeriding or all-mountain riding.

I would look at the following boards:

Burton Custom - You might find the Custom X a bit too stiff and unmanageable
Rossi One Mag - Great deck that is great value for money (has magnetraction like the Skate Banana)
K2 Slayblade - Definitely a great board but slightly softer and more playful than the Custom and One Mag.
Lib Tech Travis Rice BTX - Powerful board for powerful riders.
DC HKD

These boards all have the qualities that I spoke about earlier in my message. Hope I’ve been of a little help.

Tom