# Burton Custom X Review



## fzst (Jan 3, 2019)

Hi there,
I wanted to post this review because I will have to contradict pretty much every review I read about this board.

Introduction:
Im an advanced/expert Snowboarder who started snowboarding 18 years ago and I usually get around 30-40 days a season, sometimes more. Im mostly riding in the park or do groomer cruising with a freestyle touch ie sidehits and stuff like that and of course if there is any powder Im off-piste the whole day. I have 5 decks right now which I use on a regular basis. With most of them being park boards and one for Pow, I decided to get a board for carving/charging groomers to complete my quiver. When you search for such a board, usually the custom x shows up immediately. So, I thought this should be a good fit for me. What turned me off at first though was the price and more importantly the reviews, which pretty much all described the custom X as a very stiff charger, which cant really be used for everything else than bombing down the hill. These statements were all pretty intimidating and I didn’t know if I was ready for such a stiff board. When I saw a deal for a custom X from the 2017/18 season for around 300 bucks though, I couldn’t refuse and got it for my last vacations this season. So I could test this puppy out this week in the Austrian alps.

Stats:
Location: Arlberg Austria
Conditions: Spring conditions, so mostly slushy but firmer in the mornings.
Board: Burton Custom X 156
Bindings: Union Contact Pro, Burton EST Frankenbinders(Diode Baseplate Cartel Straps and highback)
My weight: around 75kg / 165lbs
My height: 176cm / 5′ 9″

Pretty much every review I read about the Custom X stated that it was a stiff af cambered hard charger, in fact most reviewers gave it around a 9/10 for stiffness. I strongly disagree. Yes, its full camber, yes its on the stiffer end of the spectrum but its nowhere near the death plank, which the reviewers seem to experience. Its quite playful actually. In fact, I had no problem at all to butter this thing. Yes it does require more effort than what Im used to with my park decks but its definitely more than just “doable”. Actually I really kind of liked the feeling that buttering with the custom x gives you. I can lean into it way more than with my softer boards although I have to admit the style factor of the butters is just not quite there because its really hard to get those good looking high presses.

The bread and butter of this board is the charging ability aka stability, it is supposed to give you and yes, it really is stable when you point it down the hill. Although Im sure there are stiffer/even more stable decks out there. What this board is also known for is its great carving ability. In that regard I unfortunately didn’t have quite a good setting to test it. There was just one morning where it was really firm aka icy and well groomed enough so I could really test it out as a carving deck. It was really fun to carve but it felt a little bit too narrow for my feet. I didn’t really had problems with too much overhang aka booting out although that occurred a couple of times but this was just to due to the knee-deep slush we had in the afternoons and therefore my edges were just digging into the snow like an ax.Even on firm snow it just didn’t quite fell right though it just felt like I was putting too much pressure on my edges and therefore couldnt lean into a turn with all my weight. This feeling I get with my uninc too which also has a very slim waist , the midwide-ish boards with a 255-260 waist just give me abetter feeleng when I put them on edge. That’s why I want to try a 158w now to get a little more board under my feet and the longer effective edge wouldn’t hurt either I guess.

To ride this board with the union bindings really showed me the versatility of this deck, just size down on the board a bit and put some softer park bindings on it and you got yourself a good park board. Although I don’t see why you would wanna do that, there are way cheaper boards out there which are maybe even better suited to this kind of usage. 
Put some more responsive bindings on it though (and you better make sure you got some responsive boots to go with them too) and suddenly the board reacts way quicker and you can charge way faster and cut through chunder like noones business. 
I guess with my frankenbinders and my tacticals (I have the model from the 2016/17 season, these are a lot stiffer than the newer models! I tried them both in the store side by side, I would rate them about a 8/10 in flex) I got a pretty good match with the Custom X, maybe with even stiffer bindings and/or boots you could even get a little more response out of the board.

That being said the board never felt catchy to me even on the first run with brand new sharp edges I didn’t feel uncomfortable for one moment. I don’t know what all these testers have been riding prior to this deck that everyone seems to state you have to bring your A-game all the time or you cant skid your turns at all, otherwise the board will kill you. That’s just straight up nonsense in my book. 
I can see the problem for riders who have been used to Rocker or Hybrid shapes with mostly rocker in them for years and then suddenly try a custom x with full camber. I guess in that case it would be a bit intimidating at first however if you are already used to cambered or at least mostly cambered decks (which you should be! They are just the best boards:grin then there is nothing to fear with the custom x at all! Its also not more tiring to ride this board than my park decks if anything its less exhausting because the board works more for you when charging than a softer board, where you have to do more with your muscles.

Compared to my other decks its definately the stiffest. The closest “competitor” would be the uninc which also has full camber and about a 6/10 flex I would say. Its a bit softer but its also quite a damp ride, has a pretty long effective edge and therefore good edgehold. That’s why I mostly used this one for groomers-only-days but I guess the custom X will be my new go to ride for that. The other ones are all softer than that, the Capita I would rate as a 5/10 so its good for riding groomers too with a touch more freestyle in it but the edgehold of this deck is not really good so it doesn’t work that well for carving and the softer flex diminishes its charging abilitys as well but it has a nice middle of the road flexpattern (I still would say on the softer side though).

How does the Custom X in the park? Actually really good in my opinion. I rode it in the park for a whole day and it was awesome, especially for jumps and I don’t talk about huge features I mainly ride the small and medium line due to my fucked up shoulders I have to take it easy in the park these days. Yeah for rails it feels a little bit too locked in on the inruns and I can see why people would want a softer board for that but its doable. If you ride mainly kickers and size down a bit from your usual length I don’t see why you couldn’t buy this board as a park deck.It feels almost like a twin too. So if you like to crave switch go ahead. Only buttering felt easier on the nose than the tail. The Custom X has a Twin Flex but to me it didn’t feel like it. Maybe the longer nose just made butters easier however it still felt softer to me.

The only negative I see with this board its pop. This part was really disappointing. It’s a stiffer flexing board with full camber and a lot of carbon in it but it just doesn’t have nearly the amount of pop I anticipated it would possess. It has a really narrow sweet spot to pop from which is quite hard to find and even when you do, it just doesn’t feel like you are popping to the moon like I felt with other boards, like my DOA, which surprisingly is way poppier and that board is a lot softer than the custom X. 

Nevertheless I fell quite in love with this board and I will use it as a groomer ridinge/carving deck. I will look out for a good deal on a 158w though since I feel this size would be more appropriate to fit in my quiver and the style of riding I intend to do with it. What I really liked about this board is the very nice blend of stability and playfulness, which in my opinion makes it a pretty good choice for groomer riding.

On a sidenote: A lot of reviewers are not getting tired of telling you how light this board is with its Burton Dragonflycore and ultra-super-duper carboninlays and so on and so forth. Let me tell you, this is not a light board. Its not heavy either though and for the power it packs its weight is definitely ok. Its just nothing to write home about. On the other hand the quality seems to be top notch and it looks like its built to last. 
Being a gear-weight-nerd i then weighted all my boards and found that all my boards are within a 75g-range so that doesnt really matter all that much to me, knowing that the difference in binding-weights are much more significant.

Disclaimer: I heard that with the new shape of the 2017/18 season they seemed to have softened up the flex of the Custom X a bit too. I don’t know how much, just keep that in mind when you read reviews about the older models, maybe the older one was way stiffer...
I had a custom from 2009 and it was actually stiffer than this Custom X. (from memory though! Its been a few years…?)

So if you are looking for a deck to charge groomers but still want to be able to do some messing around with it, don’t shy away from trying a Custom X.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

Thanks for sharing so much feedback!



fzst said:


> Disclaimer: I heard that with the new shape of the 2017/18 season they seemed to have softened up the flex of the Custom X a bit too. I don’t know how much, just keep that in mind when you read reviews about the older models, maybe the older one was way stiffer...
> I had a custom from 2009 and it was actually stiffer than this Custom X. (from memory though! Its been a few years…?)
> 
> So if you are looking for a deck to charge groomers but still want to be able to do some messing around with it, don’t shy away from trying a Custom X.


I fully agree with you. I owned a 2009 Custom, and a 2015 Custom X, both of which felt significantly stiffer than a 2017 model I recently tuned and rode. The 2017 is the last year before the shape change but it was definitely softer than the older iterations, which is a little sad as it's no longer the super stiff hard charger it once was. More accessible/rideable for more of the snowboarding population, but that wasn't it's purpose, that was what the Custom was for... Wish they didn't soften it up.


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## Nolefan2011 (Mar 12, 2011)

Great read and agree 100%. I never understood the “be on your game or die” posts. I rode it. Really good snowboard. Great carver. Not the most energetic in terms of pop but very good.

I really liked the board. I think most of the archived threads on this board come around 2011-2014 during the Rocker revolution, and there weren’t many true camber decks around then.


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## Myoko (Dec 11, 2018)

I had a couple of runs on one this season, pretty sure it was the current years model and was very happy to give it back. I personally prefer a looser/softer feel to the stiffer Custom X.


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## MrDavey2Shoes (Mar 5, 2018)

I think a lot of the “this board will kill you and hunt down your family” comes from reviewers and commenters too young to have grown up riding in a time when literally every board tried to kill you. Catching an edge and slamming super hard for literally no reason was a right of passage! Now we have snowboards you could use a cereal spoon.


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## Scalpelman (Dec 5, 2017)

Nice write up. Thanks. I have been looking at this board for a while but still haven’t pulled the trigger. The reviews about stiff full camber is what entices me. I think that those review comments about “beware...A game, etc” are for the intermediate masses, not an 18 year vet like you. Just my opinion.


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

I have '18 Custom X 166W (@93kg) and find it's a board that becomes much more enjoyable the faster you go on it. This is where the Custom X wants to be......., ridden fast and hard. I've been a BIG advocate of Customs for over a decade and find full camber is the definitely the way to go for all mountain performance. 

Yep I truly love the Burton Custom, but the Custom X is a different baby altogether. 










It definitely requires much more focus whilst riding.










I would hardly call it a playful ride. It's a precise, clinical, scalpel like carver.










I really like the Custom X but it's not a board you can relax and clown around all day on.


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## fzst (Jan 3, 2019)

Craig51 said:


> I have '18 Custom X 166W (@93kg) and find it's a board that becomes much more enjoyable the faster you go on it. This is were the Custom X wants to be......., ridden fast and hard. Been a BIG advocate of Customs for over a decade and find full camber is the definitely the way to go for all mountain performance. Yep I truly love the Burton Custom, but the Custom X is a different baby altogether. It definitely requires much more focus whilst riding. I would hardly call it a playful ride. It's a precise, clinical, scalpel like carver. I really like the Custom X but it's not a board you can relax and clown around all day on.


Well Im sure the 166w is another beast ;-) 
Of course you are 18kg heavier than me but still....10cm more board under your feet is quite a difference! I also noticed that the burton wide boards feel way stiffer than the normal width ones. 
My brother just bought a custom 158w and I could test it 2 weeks ago. His board actually felt stiffer than my custom X!
As I said in my review, the 158 or even the 160 would probably be a more appropriate size for my weight, if I truly intended to do just some hard charging. 
I actually really like the 156 though, because its still playful and well manageable at slower speeds.


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## DauntlessDan (Oct 21, 2019)

No go on the Endeavor, Made in China..


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

DauntlessDan said:


> No go on the Endeavor, Made in China..


Because?


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## DauntlessDan (Oct 21, 2019)

Snow Hound said:


> Because?


Longevity wise ? Little Cheaply made ?, and I’m Asian too so it’s not a racial thing


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

DauntlessDan said:


> Longevity wise ? Little Cheaply made ?, and I’m Asian too so it’s not a racial thing


Do you know how many boards are made in china? The results may surprise you.....


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

I cant tell if this is a review or a weird flex post.....


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

DauntlessDan said:


> Longevity wise ? Little Cheaply made ?, and I’m Asian too so it’s not a racial thing


They'll last longer than American made 

On the subject of Endeavor, I've got an Archetype that must be over 80 days of riding on it now, still in great shape, zero core shots or edge damage. I've also got a first year Warpig, made in China, guarantee that's got over 100 days on it. Probably the most durable board I've ever owned that one... 

Worry less about the country and more about the factory. Lots of good factories in China.


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## DauntlessDan (Oct 21, 2019)

There’s a difference between manufactured and built in China or tech parts sourced in China and made in here.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

DauntlessDan said:


> There’s a difference between manufactured and built in China or tech parts sourced in China and made in here.


You missed my point. Factory > Country. 

There's fantastic factories in China, and terrible ones in North America. There's also terrible factories in China, and fantastic ones in North America. 

It's not as black and white as the country a board is made in.


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## seatosky (Dec 16, 2020)

This is a post from last year but I can say I'm starting this year out about to buy my 4th Custom X. They start to break apart after 3-4 seasons. My home mountain is Whistler which I ride every week. I agree with the commentsmade about reviewers of this ripping board that it won't hurt you. Custom X keeps on giving but like wine, depends on the point of view. Great on cliffs, steeps, powder, groomers, slush and hidden rocks--oops.

Not sure which bindings yet but staying with EST. Anybody out there tried the new Burton X bindings? They look great but for the money want to see if there's any feedback if there's a problem with them. Thanks!


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## fzst (Jan 3, 2019)

*Follow up review / comparison to the regular Custom:*

While doing my christmas shopping last week, I stumbled upon a great deal on a regular Custom 156 from the 2018/19 season. I jumped on it because I wanted a complementary board to my Custom X that is a bit more playful and forgiving. This void is currently filled by my Capita DOA but it’s on it’s last legs.
I rode the Custom paired with Malavitas EST last Saturday on a very nice sunny day. The snow coditions were quite fresh and grippy – so a great groomer day without too many people around. I really liked the Custom. It is a pretty stiff - but not too stiff - board, so still a bit playful and the full camber holds an edge really well.

It was pretty much what I am used to with my Custom X really and to be honest, I was hard pressed to find any differences to my CX at first. I only had the memory of my CX though, the last time I rode it was two weeks prior. After warming up with a few casual runs I noticed that it felt even stiffer, more plankish in a way, like the torsional flex wasn’t as reactive as the one on my CX but still really stiff. The longitudinal felx felt the same, I wouldn’t say it’s any softer than my CX – if anything it felt stiffer and less reactive aka harder to engage torsional movement. I just felt like it was more difficult to maneuver overall than my CX. The pop was pretty good though. It also felt heavier than my CX (just from memory but we will get to that).

I had a great day on the Custom and I was going to recommand it when I got back to the parking lot in the afternoon, where I planned to do some back to back laps to test the difference to the CX. After I picked up the CX for the first lap after a whole day on the regular Custom, this view changed instantly though. The CX felt so much lighter! It was a huge difference, doing some ollies, 180s and some buttering was effortless compared to the regular Custom. This is not a subtle difference – it was obvious during the first few turns! Also the better maneuverability was back! The Custom felt like a plank in comparison. Weardly, the torsional- and longitudinal flex felt softer than the Custom's, while still beeing more reactive. I don’t know if this was due to the fact, that the Custom would have to be broken in first or if the CX really isn’t stiffer than the Custom though. From this experience I have to say; In my opinion the CX is simply the better board overall. It does everything better including riding at slower speeds. The weight differene alone is worth the higher price IMO. Back home I weighed both boards, the CX was «only» 270 grams* lighter than the Custom but on the slopes it felt like it was only half the weight - which improved the maneuverabilty of the board substantially. The CX is also more reactive without feeling stiffer or more catchy - if anything the Custom felt slightly catchier due to it's plankish feel.

I really don’t know why the Custom is so much more popular than the CX, especially amongst pro riders (although they probably get special editions). Anyways, after briefly testing both back to back, I can’t see why someone would prefer the Custom over the CX – for anything really… Maybe the Custom would become better / a bit different after some break-in period but Burton boards usually don’t require a break-in period as much as others do due to their infinite ride process. The only downside of the CX I can see, is the higher price tag.

*














Custom X 158:*

Yesterday I took out my new Custom X 158 (2018-19 model) for the first time. I got it pretty cheap during preseason sales but haven’t had a chance to test it out until now. I was especially interested in how the board would ride given my testing of the Custom last weekend. I began to wonder if my Custom X was just a lemon or if Burton maybe made it softer / different that year.

Now that I have ridden this new CX, I can say that all my findings about my older model are true for this iteration as well. Honestly, if anything it's even softer. Most likely though, this was just in my head, it was probably pretty much the same. Keep in mind that I didn’t ride them back to back yet, so the comparison probably isn’t as accurate as the Custom / CX comparison I did, even though I just rode my CX three days prior.

After testing the Custom last weekend, I was wondering if the Custom just needed some break-in period but after riding this CX, I would say no. This board definately didn’t need any break-in, I felt instantly at home on it. It felt pretty much the same as my 156 model just with the expected benefits from the slightly bigger size. It is more damp and I also felt like it got better edgehold as well. Strangely, I thought I liked the sicedcut more on this 158. It felt like this board liked doing bigger radius turns more than the 156 – this was probably just in my head again though, since the two sidecut radii are almost the same. Most likely it was just the new, sharp edges which were responsible for the smoother turning. It delivered the slightly better carving experience, I hoped it would provide. It did feel a bit heavier* though but not plankish like the Custom.

I just fell in love with this board once more. It is amazing to rip groomers on it but it’s still flexible enough to do some buttering and messing around. For me it’s the perfect groomer - board but I could also recommend it for park riding if you are mostly into jumps (maybe size down a bit there). Now I’m even tempted to try a 160 but the 158 is probably the biggest I would go for my size and style of riding. I like to do a lot of freestyle on groomers like sidehits and buttering. The 158 still handles this well but it is already noticeably slower / more sluggish when doing spins and ollies than the 156. An even bigger board would probably feel too big for me when doing spins... but if you buy it primarly for carving, go ahead and get a bigger one 















*If anyone is interested, here are the weights (with inserts):
Custom X 156 ~2850g
Custom X 158 ~3060
Custom 156 ~3125g


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## Jp9514 (Mar 3, 2021)

fzst said:


> Hi there,
> I wanted to post this review because I will have to contradict pretty much every review I read about this board.
> 
> Introduction:
> ...


So I picked up riding again after 10 years and I relearned a bit on my friends old 154 Rome national I started getting really comfortable on it but gave it back after 3 trips. I came across a 2020 custom camber x for a steal but am getting nervous reading all the reviews about how it’s not for a beginner or intermediate. I am 5’9” and 170 should I be worried or happy when I get out there on it?? Also I put union atlas bindings on the cx. I plan on going out this week.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

Jp9514 said:


> So I picked up riding again after 10 years and I relearned a bit on my friends old 154 Rome national I started getting really comfortable on it but gave it back after 3 trips. I came across a 2020 custom camber x for a steal but am getting nervous reading all the reviews about how it’s not for a beginner or intermediate. I am 5’9” and 170 should I be worried or happy when I get out there on it?? Also I put union atlas bindings on the cx. I plan on going out this week.


You should always be happy when out snowboarding!

You've bought the board and put bindings on it, you'll find out soon enough if that was a good choice or not. If you were a good rider 10 years ago I bet you'll progress again quickly. What size Custom X did you get?


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

The CX is a brilliant board but it sort of has it's place in your quiver. It's a true carve machine but you'll need to be on point whilst riding it all day long. At the end of a hard charging day those tired ol' legs can get a bit clumsy and ultimately.., it can punish you. If you're a good rider, you'll have no problems with it. It's just not really a dick around playful ride.

I'd be looking at a 156-158 for you.


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## Snowplough (Mar 5, 2021)

Thanks for the great review and follow-up!
Reading this thread earlier made an influence - and now I finally ordered a CX. Size 162W for a 90 kg / 182 cm / US11 guy, which may be on the larger end but since I plan to focus on carving on it, hopefully right on the money.
Now I’m just waiting for the board to arrive and re-reading what everyone says about how it rides


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## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

Snowplough said:


> Thanks for the great review and follow-up!
> Reading this thread earlier made an influence - and now I finally ordered a CX. Size 162W for a 90 kg / 182 cm / US11 guy, which may be on the larger end but since I plan to focus on carving on it, hopefully right on the money.
> Now I’m just waiting for the board to arrive and re-reading what everyone says about how it rides


162w is not large for 90kg.


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

I rode a Custom X with Malavita bindings a few years ago as a demo. Coming off my Hot Knife with NX2-GT bindings it felt pretty lethargic. I rode a Donek Sabre SRT that day too so it made it feel even more under-whelming. I don't want to sound like I'm flexing or anything.



DauntlessDan said:


> No go on the Endeavor, Made in China..


I've been more fond of made in China boards, because they use real epoxy and not this tree hugger hippy bean stuff. The green epoxy is not anywhere near as strong as real epoxy in my experience. My 2 year old lib tech has the metal edges separating and the inserts are starting to bulge. Meanwhile I have an 11 year old Flow that's made in China and it's still not a single problem other than wear, and I rode the snot out of it, sometimes in absolutely horrid conditions for a board (like ice marbles). 

I'm usually not very fond of made in China stuff, but if you want a board made with actual epoxy and not some bean paste China is probably one of the only places you can get it done. Mervin is all bean paste, so is Capita. Which really doesn't surprise me, China can pollute and do whatever they want and no doubt Western companies are trying to look green and probably have much stricter environmental regulations when manufacturing. Same deal with metal edges, recycled steel is much softer than virgin steel, meaning those green recycled steel edges in your snowboard are weaker and are going to wear out faster than some quality virgin steel. Granted most of the steel and iron in Asia is low quality, even the virgin stuff. But still. I think you will find that your snowboards for 10+ years ago, before the green craze hit, are still going strong and the newer boards are having problems like delaminating and stuff. 

I gave my 2004 Burton Clash to my little brother, and it's still fine. So is my buddy's ancient Ride Control. But people are saying a new Custom X is falling apart in a few years. The green craze for snowboarding has really negatively affected snowboard durability.


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## Snowplough (Mar 5, 2021)

Craig64 said:


> 162w is not large for 90kg.


You’re probably right. I could’ve gone for the 162, but thought I’d rather reduce the risk of toe/heel drag and sacrifice some in quick edge-to-edge.


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## Snowplough (Mar 5, 2021)

Jp9514 said:


> So I picked up riding again after 10 years and I relearned a bit on my friends old 154 Rome national I started getting really comfortable on it but gave it back after 3 trips. I came across a 2020 custom camber x for a steal but am getting nervous reading all the reviews about how it’s not for a beginner or intermediate. I am 5’9” and 170 should I be worried or happy when I get out there on it?? Also I put union atlas bindings on the cx. I plan on going out this week.


I’d be curious to hear how the Atlases worked with the CX? Been considering those bindings, too.


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## d3tro (Apr 4, 2018)

Craig64 said:


> The CX is a brilliant board but it sort of has it's place in your quiver. It's a true carve machine but you'll need to be on point whilst riding it all day long. At the end of a hard charging day those tired ol' legs can get a bit clumsy and ultimately.., it can punish you. If you're a good rider, you'll have no problems with it. It's just not really a dick around playful ride.
> 
> I'd be looking at a 156-158 for you.


I came with the same opinion of it when I tried one 4 years ago maybe. 
Truly a board that you take out sometime when morning conditions are perfect but not all day long.

Envoyé de mon SM-A520W en utilisant Tapatalk


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

@SEWiShred 

I wonder if you would have felt differently after riding it with cartels. A lot of people love the vitas but they're just not for me.


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

ridethecliche said:


> @SEWiShred
> 
> I wonder if you would have felt differently after riding it with cartels. A lot of people love the vitas but they're just not for me.


After I tried the Custom X I tried a Donek Sabre SRT with my NX2-GTs on it and I really stopped caring about the Custom X. It made me start questioning if I should just stop bothering with a charging board and just get a boardercross board with another board for the park. It was actually leaps and bounds better at handling ice and chop that even my hot knife. I never understood how people could spend that much on a snowboard until I rode the Sabre SRT. Before COVID this next weekend is when they normally would do demos, which is a bummer, because I don't think we're getting any this year. 

I kind of think mellowcross/boardercross boards are going to be the next big thing after riding one. I think this twin aggressive carving setup is going to become a lot less popular. And I say that as someone who really likes his Hot Knife but rode a real boardercross board.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Mellowcross! I like it. Directional boards for the win!


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## fzst (Jan 3, 2019)

SEWiShred said:


> After I tried the Custom X I tried a Donek Sabre SRT with my NX2-GTs on it and I really stopped caring about the Custom X. It made me start questioning if I should just stop bothering with a charging board and just get a boardercross board with another board for the park. It was actually leaps and bounds better at handling ice and chop that even my hot knife. I never understood how people could spend that much on a snowboard until I rode the Sabre SRT. Before COVID this next weekend is when they normally would do demos, which is a bummer, because I don't think we're getting any this year.
> 
> I kind of think mellowcross/boardercross boards are going to be the next big thing after riding one. I think this twin aggressive carving setup is going to become a lot less popular. And I say that as someone who really likes his Hot Knife but rode a real boardercross board.


I definately can imagine this, I want to try a true carving board as well sometime but I wouldn't want to buy one probably, I still like to do freestyle stuff as well.

That's what I was saying all along: The Custom X is not a hard charging carving board! It's still a freestyle board at heart, just one that's a bit more demanding for the folks that like a firmer more agressice style board with that true camber feel. You can charge with it for sure! but it is not designed for that in my opninion despite all the marketing that states otherwise.


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## GWoman (Oct 2, 2017)

I've had Burtons and rented them and don't really like them. The laminate on my last Burton started coming apart after 2 seasons and I hated my Burton boots because they were too wide in the heal and felt cheap. On top of that, I think almost all Burtons are downright fugly.

I bought the top of its line Soloman 7 years ago and love it! Too bad my knees can't take the steep stuff or the jumps like they used to. I guess as I get older I'll have to switch to skis.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

GWoman said:


> I've had Burtons and rented them and don't really like them. The laminate on my last Burton started coming apart after 2 seasons and I hated my Burton boots because they were too wide in the heal and felt cheap. On top of that, I think almost all Burtons are downright fugly.
> 
> I bought the top of its line Soloman 7 years ago and love it! Too bad my knees can't take the steep stuff or the jumps like they used to. I guess as I get older I'll have to switch to skis.


There are more damp boards that smooth out the bumps in the steeps and save your knees. There's bindings that help with that too. Skiing looks hard on your knees too... Don't go to the dark side!


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## Needmoresnow (Dec 29, 2019)

SEWiShred said:


> I rode a Custom X with Malavita bindings a few years ago as a demo. Coming off my Hot Knife with NX2-GT bindings it felt pretty lethargic. I rode a Donek Sabre SRT that day too so it made it feel even more under-whelming. I don't want to sound like I'm flexing or anything.
> 
> 
> I've been more fond of made in China boards, because they use real epoxy and not this tree hugger hippy bean stuff. The green epoxy is not anywhere near as strong as real epoxy in my experience. My 2 year old lib tech has the metal edges separating and the inserts are starting to bulge. Meanwhile I have an 11 year old Flow that's made in China and it's still not a single problem other than wear, and I rode the snot out of it, sometimes in absolutely horrid conditions for a board (like ice marbles).
> ...


Totally agree with this. My Austrian made Custom doesn't seem as well made as my Chinese Skeleton Key or Kilroy....


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

fzst said:


> I definately can imagine this, I want to try a true carving board as well sometime but I wouldn't want to buy one probably, I still like to do freestyle stuff as well.
> 
> That's what I was saying all along: The Custom X is not a hard charging carving board! It's still a freestyle board at heart, just one that's a bit more demanding for the folks that like a firmer more agressice style board with that true camber feel. You can charge with it for sure! but it is not designed for that in my opninion despite all the marketing that states otherwise.


I'm not sure I'd call the custom X a freestylel board though...

Also, the board you seem to be describing for your needs is the korua otto.


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## GWoman (Oct 2, 2017)

WigMar said:


> There are more damp boards that smooth out the bumps in the steeps and save your knees. There's bindings that help with that too. Skiing looks hard on your knees too... Don't go to the dark side!


I appreciate the tip.


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

ridethecliche said:


> I'm not sure I'd call the custom X a freestylel board though...
> 
> Also, the board you seem to be describing for your needs is the korua otto.


I think there is this weird section of boards, where they are really good for free ride, but they say they are park boards because you can go off jumps with them and ride them switch a little bit. Kind of like they make free ride boards that aren't fully committed to being free ride (no set back stance, twinish shape) and then sell them to people who don't want a free ride board. I think my Hot Knife fits into this category too. It's great for free ride, you _can_ go off jumps, press, and jib on it, but it's way better on a more park oriented board that doesn't free ride as well.


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

In what world is a custom X a freestyle board?


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

16gkid said:


> In what world is a custom X a freestyle board?


The half pipe world...

It's not what many mere mortals think of when they think of freestyle no, but it's one of the best in that world. You want camber, precision, pop? There you go Custom X.


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

Phedder said:


> The half pipe world...
> 
> It's not what many mere mortals think of when they think of freestyle no, but it's one of the best in that world. You want camber, precision, pop? There you go Custom X.


Im definitely talking about what real people ride, not what paid aliens fly on in the halfpipe lol


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

If your version of freestyle is medium to large jumps the custom X is a great board.

I'm not into butter ground tricks or jibbing much but I love getting in the air, I'm heavy, like to ride switch, and love to carve fast outside of the park. Custom X and boards like it are great freestyle boards for me and the hardest trick I'll ever do is a 360.


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

drblast said:


> If your version of freestyle is medium to large jumps the custom X is a great board.
> 
> I'm not into butter ground tricks or jibbing much but I love getting in the air, I'm heavy, like to ride switch, and love to carve fast outside of the park. Custom X and boards like it are great freestyle boards for me and the hardest trick I'll ever do is a 360.


Sounds like you want a free thinker


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

16gkid said:


> Im definitely talking about what real people ride, not what paid aliens fly on in the halfpipe lol


It's a freestyle board through and through. Yes it's a stiff freestyle board that charges hard and carves very well, but it's still designed with freestyle in mind. Twin shape? Check. Twin flex? Check. Lots of carbon for energy and rebound? Check. 

If it was designed as a freeride board it would have more set back and a less lively board feel. If it was designed as a carving board it would have some kind of taper to it and likely some sidecut tweaks. Actually a modern Custom X with ~30mm setback, 5-10mm of taper could be a daily driver for me. But it's not, because it's a stiff high end freestyle board and I'm not a high end freestyle rider. 

The 2015 I owned was stiffer and more set back (25mm vs 12.5mm) and it was still a freestyle board, took it through the park plenty. The newer version now fits that category even better. 

Plenty of people riding it for slopestyle or big air as well. Just because the majority of us can't ride it to that level in that environment, doesn't mean that's not what it's designed for.


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

Phedder said:


> It's a freestyle board through and through. Yes it's a stiff freestyle board that charges hard and carves very well, but it's still designed with freestyle in mind. Twin shape? Check. Twin flex? Check. Lots of carbon for energy and rebound? Check.
> 
> If it was designed as a freeride board it would have more set back and a less lively board feel. If it was designed as a carving board it would have some kind of taper to it and likely some sidecut tweaks. Actually a modern Custom X with ~30mm setback, 5-10mm of taper could be a daily driver for me. But it's not, because it's a stiff high end freestyle board and I'm not a high end freestyle rider.
> 
> ...


I mean maybe you're right, but I'm just going with what the board manufacturer says about the board, I'm pretty sure they would know right?


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

Should I buy a nitro cannon for my park board?


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

16gkid said:


> I mean maybe you're right, but I'm just going with what the board manufacturer says about the board, I'm pretty sure they would know right?


Does anything in what they say there tell you it's *not *designed for freestyle? Competition-grade base? Like where you need to carry as much speed as possible in the half pipe or big air jumps to, you know, do freestyle things? 


> *Get pro-caliber speed and precision with the most aggressive board in Burton's lineup.*
> Pro-caliber is a strong statement for any board, but the men's Burton Custom X Snowboard has repeatedly delivered for *snowboarding's most demanding riders* due to precise design and powerful drive. The confidence is in the tech, which includes the *carbon-fueled snap* of Squeezebox High core profiling, a *competition-grade base*, and 45° Carbon Highlights High-Voltage for the ultimate in *lightweight responsiveness*. The hardest charging board we make, the Custom X is available in two versions: Choose the power of camber or the float and catch-free feel of Flying V.


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

Phedder said:


> Does anything in what they say there tell you it's *not *designed for freestyle? Competition-grade base? Like where you need to carry as much speed as possible in the half pipe or big air jumps to, you know, do freestyle things?


Sounds like you're talking about the freethinker, it's what the burton pipe riders ride


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

16gkid said:


> Sounds like you're talking about the freethinker, it's what the burton pipe riders ride


This is just getting stupid, I quoted their marketing for the Custom X. I also owned a first year Gonz Free Thinker, well aware of how that rides too. I think Danny is the only one I've seen on it in the pipe? 

Red Gerard uses the Custom X for slopestyle and big air.
Shuichiro uses the Custom X for pipe. 
Raibu Katayama uses Custom X for pipe.

I'm sure there's more of their riders on it, probably some on the Free Thinker as well. Still a freestyle board.


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

I think the people who want and ride a Custom X are well aware of what it does well. I've ridden one for a day in a demo. It was a great jump board, and carved really well too. Not so stiff you couldn't butter on it. I wouldn't buy it specifically to butter around on, but it's capable of that. The whole point of the Custom X though is aggressive riding and pop. It compares very well to my Rome Mod, and I know I could downsize on a Custom X and not feel like I'm going to overpower it.

But I'm 200lbs and love riding twins and directional twins both centered and set back on side cut. Most twins aren't stiff enough or cambered enough to handle that for someone my size and still be fun. I like to carve morning groomers but usually I'm just riding as fast as I can to get to the next park lap to do the jump line. Not really focused on eurocarving or anything like that, I buy season passes to whatever resort has the best jump line that I can lap the quickest.

I'm pretty sure I'd love the Free Thinker and Deep Thinker too, but they would probably feel lower-mid-flex for me and not carve as well.


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

All this talk about pipe reminds me of my Flow Quantum, which is pretty much a half pipe board. When they say freestyle I think more of something that does jumps, jibs, butters, etc. Pipe boards have one purpose, and that's to handle hard snow, charge the pipe wall, and jump off of it. My Quantum was awesome as a hard charging free ride board and for jumps, but jibbing and buttering on it wasn't the best. It wasn't as bad as my Hot Knife, but it sure wasn't ideal. 

Now that you guys call the Custom X a halfpipe board it makes a lot more sense to me. When I chose my Quantum, I looked at what you needed out of a board in the half pipe and realized it would be great for charging and jumping, even if I never touch a half pipe.


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## Snowplough (Mar 5, 2021)

I've had my Custom X for a few weeks now, so perhaps it's time to chip in with a little review (disclaimer: from someone with relatively little snowboarding experience and just four boards I've ridden enough to be able to compare). 

So far, the board has been everything I thought it would and more. The primary aim was carving, and it obviously carves really well. No washing out like on my Jones Explorer (which is a really nice board for slower speed turns, powder and at least ok for pretty much anything). The only time I seem to really lose grip is on the heelside when the binding touches snow (with bindings already moved as far toeside as possible). Granted, I don't have the skill and the guts to get the most out of the CX yet, but already now I can carve clearly better on it than on any other board before.

Some say it has a lot of pop for jumps and is stable in landings, which I happily agree. I don't do big jumps, but it is very good for "big for me" jumps. I actually thought of perhaps one day getting another board for jumping and really learn to jump, but might be that I won't need to.

It isn't a difficult board to ride. Hard snow in the morning or slush / moguls in the afternoon, everything goes. Admittedly, I have caught an edge once, in slow speed, and landed on my butt pretty hard. That was at the beginning of the first ride of that day and probably due to me being sloppy rather than what board I was on. A healthy reminder of how much I still have to learn that has remained in my tailbone for a couple of weeks now 

An added bonus is how well it rides switch. Especially when set up in a duck stance, I can keep carving both directions (clumsily. perhaps, but still carving). 

For now, I think the CX will be my primary board for groomers and anything else gets ridden mainly for variation. Not sure if I'll ever use it powder very much at all, as I have a hybrid shape board for that and a split as well (also hybrid).


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## jpierre9514 (Apr 3, 2021)

Snowplough said:


> I've had my Custom X for a few weeks now, so perhaps it's time to chip in with a little review (disclaimer: from someone with relatively little snowboarding experience and just four boards I've ridden enough to be able to compare).
> 
> So far, the board has been everything I thought it would and more. The primary aim was carving, and it obviously carves really well. No washing out like on my Jones Explorer (which is a really nice board for slower speed turns, powder and at least ok for pretty much anything). The only time I seem to really lose grip is on the heelside when the binding touches snow (with bindings already moved as far toeside as possible). Granted, I don't have the skill and the guts to get the most out of the CX yet, but already now I can carve clearly better on it than on any other board before.
> 
> ...


I thought i would update.. I have been out 5 times on this board and man am i glad i bought it! i feel so much more confident on it and as far as the icy condition day i went out, the CX absolutely sliced through everything a few times i really thought i was going to catch and edge and the board just sliced through nice and smooth i am so happy i found a deal on this but next year i am going to Park city for a week and if there is a lot of powder im probably going to have to rent or demo something else down anyone have a recommendation for a good board and size i should get for Powder? i am 5'9" 170 the cx is a 156


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## Yeahti87 (Jan 17, 2019)

Snowplough said:


> A healthy reminder of how much I still have to learn that has remained in my tailbone for a couple of weeks now


You’ve just given me some flashbacks how it is to hit your tailbone. Do yourself a favour and get crash pants. One of the best investments I’ve ever made.


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## Snowplough (Mar 5, 2021)

Yeahti87 said:


> You’ve just given me some flashbacks how it is to hit your tailbone. Do yourself a favour and get crash pants. One of the best investments I’ve ever made.


Hmmm... I never thought of that before. Makes sense, I guess. Hurting the tailbone is unlikely to kill you, but it still hurts


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## zc1 (Feb 20, 2017)

Phedder said:


> Actually a modern Custom X with ~30mm setback, 5-10mm of taper could be a daily driver for me.


Speed Date sounds like what you're wanting, maybe?


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Snowplough said:


> Hmmm... I never thought of that before. Makes sense, I guess. Hurting the tailbone is unlikely to kill you, but it still hurts


And a really good smack can stick with you for weeks, throwing your riding off and making you tentative.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

zc1 said:


> Speed Date sounds like what you're wanting, maybe?


Too narrow and tight sidecut sadly. If they made a 161 wide with an 8m+ sidecut I'd have likely bought one!


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