Snowboard Review: 09-10 Burton Custom V-rocker

Location: Loveland, CO

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy conditions on the mountain.

Setup: I rode the Burton Custom with Burton Lexa bindings and Bonfire Geo boots.

Size: 156cm.

First Impression: The v-rocker upgrade finally enticed me to check it the new Custom and see what the fuss was.

Weight: Average

Flex: The custom is in the middle of the road on flex, it wasn’t a softer flex but not stiffer either.  Longitudinally it seemed stiffer which gave it more stability and really let it handle turns with ease.  Torsionally there was good flex and with the rocker really easy to roll over onto edge for a quicker response than I was expecting. The softer nose/tail makes it so you can play on it when you aren’t charging.  It’s not a soft noodly board and I found I could still get some good The V-rocker is a 3 stage rocker, center rocker between the feet and then rocker outside of the foot that lift up the tip and tail of the board.

Turning: Riding the custom was very smooth and predictable when it came to turning down the mountain.  I had no problems with initiating a turn, holding it through the arc of the turn (whether short or long radius) and coming out of the turn.  Personally I liked just charging with it and riding it without worries because it really was predictable.

Stable: I didn’t encounter any stability issues with the custom, it was a solid ride down the mountain and handled speed good with no chatter/vibrations.  No problem with holding an edge and I felt immediately comfortable on it.

Pop: It wasn’t difficult to get some pop from the tail of the board and decent snap, I made sure to land centered.  In the park, no catching on the boxes and I found it really fun to tail press the custom because it wasn’t so soft it’d flip out from underneath you, but not to stiff so you couldn’t get some rise from it.

Switch: The custom might have a directional shape with the longer nose than tail, but the flex is twin giving it the same feeling when you take it into switch riding.  I didn’t notice any catching or difficulty maneuvering into switch either, super easy to move around.

Overall Impression: The Custom has always been a favorite for riders, it’s the board that can handle everything you throw at it.  From park to powder (especially with V-rocker now) it really is the one board quiver.  It’s not a difficult board to ride, predictable but also forgiving on the mountain.  The added V-rocker this year makes it fun and lively on the mountain which it definitely needed.  Overall to me it’s still that solid board that any rider can get on and enjoy.

Shay’s Honesty Box: The custom was the first board of many demos but it remained on my mind as one of the boards I liked from the moment I stepped on it.  The V-rocker made it fun and playful but it could also handle the mountain.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the 2011 version of the Burton Custom V-rocker or shop their full line of Burton snowboards

On Snow Photo

(the model I rode did not have the norm graphics for the Custom)

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Burton Custom V-Rocker description

Review Disclosure: I rode this board at a demo day.