Burton Custom X - 2011

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The Custom X has always been a huge seller. Like Magpies being drawn to shinny jettison, many intermediate and sometimes even beginner snowboarders are drawn to Custom X’s additional letter and eye-popping price tag. Don’t be drawn in, the Custom X is a serious bit of snowboarding hardware designed for aggressive expert riders, unless you’re at the top of your game and you’re sure that you like firm flexing cambered snowboards, go for the standard Custom.

Manufacturer's Description:

Revving at the freestyle redline.

The true feel of a wood core, the snappy suspension of camber, and the electrified edge-control of new Lightning Bolts Hi-Voltage—the 2011 Custom X™ is packed with more power, precision, and pop than any wood core board before it. Piloted by the cream of today’s freestyle crop—Frederik, Kazu, Peetu, Marko, and Charles Reid—this battle axe is ready to destroy everything from back bowls to super park with agility and grace.

Recommended for park riding.

Recommended for halfpipe riding.

Recommended for freeride riding.

Very high cost $

Available in Wide.

Camber Construction.

Directional Shape.

Year: 2011

Available Lengths (cm):
152, 156, 158, 160, 164, 159W, 162W, 164W

Riding Style: All Mountain

Specifications:

The Channel ICS binding system
Camber profile
Directional shape with twin flex
Dragonfly™ Core with Multizone EGD™ and Positive Profile
Vaporskin™ with Triax™ Fiberglass, Lightning Bolts Hi-Voltage and Carbon I-Beam™ reinforcement
Sintered WFO base
Frostbite Edges with Grip and Rip™ Tune
Slantwall sidewalls
Pro-Tip™ and Infinite Ride™
Feel: 7

Similar boards: Amplid UNW8 - 2011 Palmer Honeycomb - 2011 Capita Black Snowboard of Death - 2011 Ride Society UL - 2011 Endeavor Board of Directors Series - 2011

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Snowboard Review:

Watch the 2011 Burton Custom X Video Snowboard Review

2011 Burton Custom X Video Snowboard Review

I can’t believe it’s the end of 2010, I’ve been riding since 1997 and on Tuesday I had my first experience of riding a Burton Custom X. With so much history and nostalgia behind the Custom X it was inevitable that I was going to ride one at some point, and the fact that it has consistently appeared in the top 10 most popular board on our site out of the 500+ listed is testament to its universal appeal. When I got a list from Philipp at Blue Tomato detailing that they had a 156 Custom X test board in the Schladming shop I was there in an instant.  Hey and what do you know, the only bindings they had in stock that would fit my boots were a pair of Carbon Fibre C60s, my luck was definitely in. However, there was something slightly un-nerving about carrying around a setup worth 1100 Euros the equivalent of two month’s rent and bills.

For the afternoon of testing I headed up to Flachauwinkl and Kleinarl home of the Absolut park and Austria’s only Burton Stash not that park riding was really on my riding agenda. The sun was out and the pistes were pretty hard pack, but there were little stashes of powder remaining from our 2ft dump on the previous week. First impressions of the Custom X were very good, whatever Jake “Willy Wonka” Burton and his Innsbruck based Umpa Lumpa workforce are putting into their boards appears to be doing the trick. The topsheet finish was slick, stylish and of impeccable quality and the diecut base was completely seamless. The weight of the Custom X was on the low side but I did have a set of weight saving C60s attached so it wasn’t anything special, we’re definitely not talking Burton Method light. From strapping into the Custom X I could tell it had a firm flex, but it’s certainly nothing to be scared of, I was able to torque the board with my feet without too much effort and although tail presses were pretty difficult I didn’t find the Custom X hard work to Ollie, in fact it was light and unbelievably snappy. I’d certainly heard that the Custom X could rail carves but I’m quite willing to confirm here and now that the Custom X is one of, if not, the best carving snowboard I have ever ridden on hard pack. I could literally depend on the edge hold and the lively flex to hold my weight as I attempted to get my shoulder to touch the ground on toeside carves. The camber, flex and frostbite edges are perfectly blended together to create a board that will have hard booters trading in their F2s left right and centre. Even my Rossi JDub which is stiffer and has Magnetraction edges doesn’t grip as hard as the Custom X and the smoothness of is incomparable like cutting through butter with a hot samurai sword compared to butchering it with a chainsaw. With its lightweight construction, crampon like edge hold even on sheet ice, lively poppy feel and superfast base it’s really not difficult to see why the Custom X is the pipe board of choice for Burton’s pro team. One thing’s for sure, camber definitely isn’t dead, on boards like the Custom X it’s the only profile that you could achieve such precision performance.

Although I was in Flachauwinkl and there were a few jumps littering the park I didn’t take the Custom X over any. For one I was having way too much fun simply carving and secondly, the Custom X is a board for very competent freestylers only, unfortunately I’m not in that category. I would have been happy taking it straight over the bigger tables, as despite the narrow-ish waist and the fact I was riding a 156, the Custom felt stable. However, for spins and off centre landings the Custom X offers almost too much edge hold up kicker transitions and landings could be very catchy and pretty unforgiving. Out of the park, blasting through chop the Custom X handled very nicely, the camber pushing the nose and tail into the snow dealt with any chatter and the board felt balanced and agile in powder, the directional shape meaning I didn’t have to work hard to keep the nose out. Pow turns felt really snappy and I enjoyed a few fun cut backs.

To summarise, the Custom X has definitely earned its reputation as one of the best boards on the planet. I’ve never felt so confident getting low into carves on such hard and icy conditions, and I’d go as far as to say that when it comes to carving the Custom X is the best board I have ridden. As expected, the pop from the Custom X was lively, but it was also pretty easy to access, prepare to go a lot bigger off rollers! In the park the Custom X was just too precise and unforgiving for me, but for a very good pro line kicker rider riding at Breck or in Scandinavia where the conditions can be very windblown and icy the Custom X would be ideal. The fact that it slays the pipe goes without saying. I think advanced all-mountain freeriders who like riding powder, carving pistes and riding big transitions will love the Custom X, it will definitely help them to carve harder and ride transitions faster, but be prepared to sacrifice the ability to butter and jib the sides of the pistes.  If you are an all-out park rider you better be on your game and intermediates might find that the Custom X’s unforgiving nature inhibits progression. Is it worth the money? 110%!

Big thanks for Blue-Tomato Schladming for providing the test boards.

Posted by Rich Ewbank in • Burton

User Snowboard Reviews

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What colour is powder?

alex on January 12, 2011 at 07:47 PM

ok, so im stuck. i need a new board and im looking at the K2 turbo dream, slayblade, and zero, the Nitro eero ettala and team gullwing, and the burton custom x and shaun white pro model. i was just wondering if you guys could tell me how each board does in these conditions: -powder -slush -hard pack -ice -pipe -park

Rich Ewbank on January 12, 2011 at 11:31 PM

Board: Powder - Slush - Hard Pack - Ice - Pipe - Park / K2 TD : Good - Good - Ok - OKish - Ok - Good / K2 SB: OK - OK - Good - Good - Good - Good / Custom X: OK - OK - Awsome - Awsome - Awsome - Bit stiff unless you are very capable. /

Afraid I haven’t ridden the others.

alex on January 13, 2011 at 12:17 AM

ok, thanks. so which one do you think would be better for me? i love to ride powder glades/backcountry/snowfields, and we get about 2 or 3 good pow days a week, i ride a lot of hardpack and ice because i live in the eastern united states, i ride park but i mostly stick to the bigger jumps and pipe more than the rails, and sometimes i like to hit the boarderX course for a race or two with my friends, spring skiing here extends well into april so i need something good in the slush too, im an advanced- expert rider, 5’8” and 130lbs

Rich Ewbank on January 13, 2011 at 09:18 AM

The Custom X will tear apart the pipe and the boardercross course and you won’t have any issues with riding it on big obstacles. It has enough float in powder and although it won’t be crazy playful in the slush it’ll certainly charge it. The difficulty is sizing as you are the right height for the 156 but perhaps a little light. The Endeavor Board of Directors is a fairly similar board and comes in a 154 which would suit you. You could also check out the Capita Black Snowboard of Death 156, the camber rocker hybrid will make the board feel shorter, but you’ll get some of he benefits of camber too. Finally worth looking at the JDub 154, it’s majority camber but has early rise tips. It also has magnetraction edges for those icy days. All of these boards are around 7/10 on the flex scale. If you want something a little softer, just holler. The TD and Slayblade will also fit your requirments for sure but the TD probably won’t cut it on the boardercross course… you’d be looking at the 153 or 156.

alex on January 14, 2011 at 04:57 PM

alright, thanks, ill definitely look at the custom x and from what ive heard the jdub would suit me as well, thanks again

alex on January 14, 2011 at 05:35 PM

do you have a list of websites or snowboard shops that carry the endeavor B.O.D? i like the board and the graphics, but im having a little trouble finding a shop that has it, i found a website that does but the only size available was a 157 and its based about 5000 miles a way and i kinda dont want to pay for shipping for that far. should i just go for the custom x or rossi jdub then? i also like the K2 zero and Amplid HiDef, but those are a bit expensive for me

Rich Ewbank on January 14, 2011 at 05:40 PM

Where are you situated?

alex on January 14, 2011 at 05:41 PM

new england, im in maine up near sugarloaf and that area

Rich Ewbank on January 14, 2011 at 05:51 PM

Oh you are deep in Burton country there! I checked on the Endeavor site and the nearest dealers to you in the States are in NJ and the nearest to you full stop are in Quebec… which I gather is still miles away. I didn’t really realise quite how polarised the board options are on the East Coast.

alex on January 14, 2011 at 06:03 PM

ok, so burtons the way to go? i know the dealer in bangor carries burton, K2, and ride, then some smaller brands, but those are the big ones and they have the widest selections of those brands. also the sugarloaf board shop has burton K2 ride and i think they also have rossi too. thanks for checking

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