Burton Custom Flying V - 2011
If the Burton Custom was a war hero, it would be more highly decorated and have served in more campaigns than any other soldier on the planet. In production since 1996 the Custom broke the traditional mold of snowboard design and became the most popular snowboard in history. The latest incarnation of the Custom, the Flying-V upholds the Burton Custom’s reputation of quality all-mountain freestyle performance but makes snowboarding that little bit more exciting. Not that you didn’t expect it, but the Custom Flying-V is awesome.
Manufacturer's Description:
Soar from peak to park.
Driven by the peak to park domination of Mads Jonsson, the new Custom Flying V™ revolutionizes all-mountain performance by strategically combining the overall radness of rocker with the snappy suspension and power of camber under each foot. Add in the all-wheel drive grip of Frostbite Edges and the mind-reading response of Lightning Bolts and the Custom™ is ready to change the game, yet again.
Recommended for park riding.
Recommended for halfpipe riding.
Recommended for freeride riding.
High cost $
Available in Wide.
Rocker Construction.
Directional Shape.
Year: 2011
Available Lengths (cm):
148, 151, 154, 156, 158, 160, 163, 155W, 158W, 162W, 169W
Riding Style: All Mountain
Specifications:
The Channel ICS system
Flying V rocker/camber profile
Directional shape with twin flex
Super Fly II™ Core with Dualzone™ EGD™ and Negative Profile
Triax™ Fiberglass, Lightning Bolts, and Carbon I-Beam™
Sintered WFO base
Frostbite Edges with Grip and Rip™ Tune
10:45™ dual angle sidewalls
Pro-Tip™, Infinite Ride™, and Progressively Wider Waist Widths
Feel: 5
Similar boards: Jones Mountain Twin - 2011 Bataleon Goliath - 2011 Rossignol One MagTek - 2011 Lib Tech Jamie Lynn Phoenix C2 BTX - 2011 Never Summer SL - 2011
Snowboard Review:
Watch the 2011 Burton Custom Flying V Video Snowboard Review
I’ll be honest with you. I may have been riding for 13 years and ridden more boards than most, but before the Flying V I’d never ridden a Burton Custom, so picking up the Flying V was almost completing a childhood dream.
First impressions were good, Burton’s construction techniques are still a long way ahead of the majority of their competition, the Custom feels light and looks like it’s been put together by the same people who assemble Ferraris in Maranello, Italy. It certainly looks like Burton’s Austrian workforce are following in their Bavarian neighbor’s footsteps with regards to building products well. The new graphic on the Custom might not be to everybody’s taste but its inoffensive and designed to appeal to the Custom’s aging customer-base, remember guys this board has been on the board racks for 15 years. The flying-V profile on first inspection looks like a bit of a mess, there’s Burton’s V-Rocker profile at the waist of the board, this blends into camber under the feet which then morphs into early rise tips. Apart from this new profile the Custom remains pretty similar to last years, there are still lightening bolts under the feet, carbon stringers through the length and a super slick WFO sintered base.
Perhaps I’m not the best person to be testing the Flying-V as my experiences of riding the Custom in previous years is non existent, but the Custom Flying-v seems to borrow traits from lots of other boards on the market. The flying V profile is very similar to Never Summer’s RC profile and Lib Tech’s C2 banana, the nose and tail remain fairly stiff and the majority of the boards flex comes from the V-rocker between the bindings. When flat based the Custom seems to sit on this central rocker, meaning that turns are extremely easy to initiate and the board is incredibly quick edge-to-edge, but it does mean you have to be slightly lighter on your feet than you would on a standard cambered Custom. Working the board into carves, the board flexes heavily through the waist much like the Never Summer boards, meaning it’s really easy to work the board into tight carves radii, of course you still have the cambered tail to punch you out of the carve at the end. Where the Custom Flying-V differs from the Never Summer boards is the lack of damping, strap onto an NS SL and you’ll feel very little chatter, with the Custom paired with the Mission bindings with the thin footpads you can feel a lot more through the board, this is fantastic when you’re riding at slower speeds and on smooth kicker transitions, but when you’re charging chop and harder morning snow a bit more dampening would be appreciated. Despite this little moan, the Custom carves well and feels really light and poppy, perfect for hitting park jumps. There were no issues with riding switch and for general buttering and jibbing about it was fun, again the extra flex you get from the waist of the board adds more versatility to the Custom. I didn’t get to ride the Custom in any powder, but it dealt with heavy spring corn pretty well.
In my opinion the Custom is board that fit’s the requirements of a confident all mountain freestyler. It is light, responsive and surprisingly poppy, but the need to be light on your feet and aggressive to get the most out of it means there are better options for beginner snowboarders. The one tweak I’d make to the Custom Flying-V would be add a touch more dampening just so a few less vibrations could be felt on sketchy snow, but on the whole the Custom Flying-V is a credit to it’s long and rich heritage and a fantastic all-mountain freestyle board. Nice one Burton. Now when are you going to bring back the legendary 1998 sunset graphics?
Posted by Rich Ewbank in • Burton
User Snowboard Reviews
Want some advice, or have a question about the Burton Custom Flying V snowboard, or whether it is right for you? DON'T POST HERE! Head over to our snowboard forums and our community will be happy to help.
Seriously - READ THE ABOVE..., the snowboard forum the best way to get your question seen by all of our community and an answer, rather than just those who happen to view this page.
However, if you have ridden this snowboard and want to share your feedback, then please add your experience below. It helps to add as much detail as possible, e.g board length you used, bindings, rider stats etc.
on February 10, 2011 at 04:07 PM
Hi Rich, thank you for the reply. I’m a size 10, I tried to get the 158 but was able to find only the 156 or 160. Also this is my first season riding, I come from a background of surfing and now I use a board that a friend gave me (5150 163 wide) which i can deal with but it’s definitely not a good mach for me. Is there a big difference between the 158 and the 156, would you recommend the 160 over the 156 or maybe try and getting a different board (they had the ride machete 158 that I’m considering as well)
on March 21, 2011 at 08:32 PM
Did a demo of the Flying V this weekend at Killington and was not impressed. I currently ride the Custom V Rocker and the board is great.
I did the demo to make sure the board was just as good but on hard pack and ice the flying V would just not hold and the back would always slip out.
on June 11, 2011 at 06:33 PM
I’m 5’ 10” 165 lbs. 10.5 size boots. So any suggestions on what size I should get with this board? I was thinking 156 but not really sure. I’m much more of a mountain rider, but I want to start getting into the park. Help please.
on October 04, 2011 at 09:39 PM
Hey, I need a little help here. I am torn between getting this board and the Never Summer SL. I am an intermediate rider. I usually ride some park then go chill out on some groomers so id like a board that can do both. I live in New York so I dont get many chances to ride powder. Also I am 5’9” and weigh 160 pounds. So what size should i try to go for? thanks
on October 05, 2011 at 02:22 AM
Hey Mike, You will hate the flying V on ice! Believe me, I’m in Quebec and I have the flying V, I use it once or twice per winter! You can buy a rocker board or a combination, but don’t buy a “V rocker” if you don’t ride Pow… The SL is an exellent model, very versatile! If You ride the park, jib etc, I suggest you going with a board a little shorter, like the 155, if you freeride most of the time, you could go with the 158.
on October 05, 2011 at 08:36 AM
@ Mike. I rode some icy early morning groomers on the new Custom Flying V with the squeexebox core profile (11/12 season) and I can report that its edge hold was actually pretty damn good. If you are thinking about the SL, I would consider the NS Proto CT 154. There is plenty of effective edge for grip and the board has a pretty versaile flex and a twin shape. I will hopefully posting reviews of both boards in the next couple of weeks. Rich
on November 03, 2011 at 11:17 PM
Hey I really don’t know what size I should get for this board. I’m 5’7” and about 145 lbs. I’ve been snowboarding for 4-5 years and I’m pretty good. Also what type of bindings/boots should I get with this board? I wear a size 10. A reply would be nice :)
on November 18, 2011 at 02:33 AM
Hey, I just bought a 2011 Custom V, a 154cm, and I didn’t happen to notice the width of the board until I got home. It seems right on the boarder of not wide enough to just perfect. Does anyone happen to know what the yellow 2011 Custom V’s width is? I am riding with size 9.5 Burton Rulers in some mission est bindings.
on November 19, 2011 at 04:27 PM
Hey Snowfall. I doubt they’ve changes the geometry of the Custom at all, it will be the same width as this year’s version.
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