Burton Custom X for a woman?

Posted: 29 July 2013 10:31 AM

Hi all—
I used to ride Burton Feelgood 152, Camber for a few years and was really happy with this board. Now it’s time to change and I though about Burton Custom X 152. That’s because I’m thinking about a little stiffer board that holds the edges better. What are my concerns, and why I’m asking for an advice…
1/ Custom X is not a board mentioned for women - it is enough responsive, is it so easy as Feelgood to turn… Before Feelgood I had Burton Bullet (unfortunately wide!) and remember that switching to Feelgood was such a good decision at that time. I started to understand that there can be a difference between the gear for women and men (apart from having a board that is not so wide).
2/ I’m intermediate/advanced level rider, but I’m not the fastest one - Last year I had the opportunity to use Burton Cruzer and was terrified how fast it wants to be (ok - maybe it shouldn’t be compared, but I’m worried not to find a board like that - maybe it was the matter of the shape, flex, feel etc or all together)
3/ Usage: 90% of time groomed.

If not the Feelgood nor Custom X, what you suggest.

Any advice would be appreciated!
Joanna

Posted: 31 July 2013 01:23 PM

The Custom X could be too much snowboard for you it’s pretty stiff and really needs a confident snowboarder to make the most of it.

What is your weight, height, boot size and ability? How long have you snowboarding? Are you riding jumps, halfpipe, powder, black graded groomers? Do you have experience of riding stiff boards? Do you have experience of riding camber?

The Burton Fortress, Salomon Idol, Ride Farah and K2 Wolfpack may interest you if you want a female specific Custom X… I have no experience of riding them I’m afraid.

Posted: 01 August 2013 11:45 AM

Hi, thanks for answering my mail.
weight: 61kg (134 pounds), 1.70m tall, boot size EU 39. I have been snowboarding for 7 years already, all grades (black as well), a little powder and jumps - but I’m not focused on that. Till now I had Burton Bullet and then for 4 years Burton Feelgood - camber - I do not want to go with some hybrid thing, I’m pretty decided for camber. Feelgood is not stiff (flex 4), Custom X (7 as I remember). I do feel confident but going as fast as I can is not my thing - I prefer to go on edges in a relaxed way :-) Any suggestion based on this additional info?

Posted: 01 August 2013 03:16 PM

I wouldn’t compare the flex rating of Women’s boards with the flex rating on men’s boards… A 4 for men will be stiffer than a 4 for women and the core will be profiled differently.

My suggestion would be to look at the boards I’ve listed. Don’t worry about the Hybrid profile on the Farah, it’s mainly a shallow traditional camber with a bit of extra early rise in the nose… the board will hold and edge and pop out of carves like any cambered board (at least that was my experience of the Ride Berzerker which uses the same profile). With your small boot size I would stick to riding Women’s boards because their waist widths are 1-2cm thinner than the men’s boards. If I were you, I’d look at boards between 152 and 154cm in length.You might also want to look at last year’s Endeavor Diamond.

If you’d prefer to ride a men’s board then the Custom X is pretty narrow as is the Shaun White Pro and it’s worth looking at the Amplid UNW8 153 which has a waist width of 24.6cm… but I’d suggest a women’s specific deck is the best option.

Posted: 02 August 2013 06:26 AM

Thank you very much Rich! I’m going to check the women’s boards you suggested. Take care!

Posted: 15 November 2013 02:11 PM

I agree.
I felt the stiffness of a custom 152 and it doesn’t not compare to the stiffness of woman’s boards.
You have a great board for groomers and try to choose one that will allow you to have the same performance as your current one.

Posted: 01 December 2013 02:22 PM

I’m a chick, a bit over 5’8, 150 lbs and one of my favorite boards ever is the custom X (a 156).  Yes, you do need to be able to ride it aggressively to enjoy it, but it holds on anything (i learned to ride it on the ice sheets of the mid atlantic) and is so much fun to bomb groomers and carve.  Hope to get a new one for my resort board soon.