The Burton Custom X: The Most Aggressive Board

Violently Precise

There are days when either the weather, the time available, or our very location, keeps us away from the mountain and the slopes. To get your boarding fix, you may look up a video of the best riders making the elements all their own.

What does it take to get to that level?

A constant and consistent challenge. You need to be repeatedly put through the paces, always on the back foot but also, always looking ahead. You need something that’ll create a challenge for you no matter where you ride.

Enter the world of the Burton Custom X. The build and shape of this board demand your focus and undivided attention, you’ll sweat, but you’ll love every second of it. This all-mountain beast is every bit as aggressive as it is a test. One that if you can pass, will catapult you onto new heights.

This Entire Board In Charts

It’s clear that there is a massive amount of information to go through with this board. That is the case with anything of this caliber. Unfortunately, you may not have the time to run through it all with me. This is why I’ve outlined key specs data down below for you.

As for those that are looking for the right size, worry not. I’ve also taken the liberty of breaking down this information for you. It is all laid out for you in the chart below. Keep in mind that the right size for you may vary from region to region.

Is The Burton Custom X Snowboard For You?

This is always the key question for any product that I write about. I personally ask myself this when purchasing anything really, even when at the drive-thru. Should I really be getting large fries with this?

Those matters aside, there is a clear picture of the kind of rider that should be considering the Custom X. There’s also a clear portrait of the kind of rider that should stay far and away from this technical beast.

If you are an intermediate rider and below, seek other options. This board is way too complex for anyone under the advanced skill level mark. If you want something to use for powder riding, definitely head elsewhere. While the Custom X is a true all-mountain beast, it is not made for powder.

In other words, if you are an advanced or expert rider that wants a board that not only will keep up with you but challenge you, then I wholeheartedly recommend the Custom X. The same goes for if you love to ride aggressively and aren’t afraid to work for it.

This board can do it all, but you’ll need to become familiar with it. Learn and develop a partnership in order to get the most out of it.

Our Burton Custom X Breakdown

Here we go! The Burton Custom X left me impressed with how much it asked of me and how much it gave me in return. There was a bit of a learning curve, but once I had a feel for it, I didn’t want to stop.

There are certainly some weak spots, and it is debatable whether the high barrier for entry when it comes to skill is a flaw in and of itself, I don’t think so. However, it’s not often that one gets to experience a true tool for the pros. One that challenges you and helps you grow in the process.

Fresh Pow Days

I suppose that it’s never a good sign to start with the negatives. However, there’s a lot of good that I want to say about this all-mountain board. This is why I believe that it is best to get minor issues and flaws out of the way first.

Alright, let me summarize this board’s performance on powder in just one word, sink. This baby sinks. Now, on some level, I fully expected this, boards with this shape were never going to be masters of the good stuff.

When I was able to pick up speed, thanks to the stance width and stance placement of the Burton Custom X, there was some float. But this was by no means a top-grade feeling. The slightly longer nose and directional shape also helped lift me a bit but not much more could be done. Not with this shape.

The Burton Custom X required too much effort to string along a good run or two. There were moments when I felt like I was just wasting my time. This wasn’t the worst pow performance that I have come across, but it certainly wasn’t enjoyable.

Keep in mind, that the above may not apply to you. It could be that the conditions will be different for you and therefore better. Although, you must know that a camber board like this one is never the best board for pow days.

I’d go as far as to say that the Burton Custom X is not even a great board for deep powder days. Don’t let this discourage you, there is plenty about this board that really impressed me.

You’ll be hearing about these factors shortly.

Turning Performance

Alright, we got the icky parts out of the way. Now’s the time for me to cleanse your palate and show you the goods. The edge control and turning of the Burton Custom X left me with two impressions. The reason why is that to get the most out of the effective edge, I had to put in a bit of work.

Don’t take this as a strong statement, what I mean is that the Burton Custom X has a precise design to it. This board was made for demanding riders, and so it is equally demanding in return. As a result, it did take me a little while to get used to it and understand it.

Now, most boards have great slashing and turning capabilities when moving at a high speed. This is why you’ve got to judge the turning of a board when going at slower speeds. When it comes to turning initiation, I noticed that I really had to catch the momentum of the board to get a good amount of power.

In fact, this is a common theme with all aspects of turning on this board. Does it feel great? Absolutely, more than great, it feels powerful. You feel powerful on this board, but is it easy to achieve this feeling? No, as mentioned before, this is a board for expert riders.

In short, I loved the feeling and the performance of the board, but you must be aware and on your game. Otherwise, you can expect to catch an edge and a faceplant to go with it. It is not so much a condition board as it is an ability board.

Speed Limits

Speed limits? Break them all with the Burton Custom X. While it takes a bit of craftsmanship and timing to get some nice turns, boy do they feel great once you get it right, the speed capabilities of this board are a different story. Let me tell you, it does not take a lot to get into a powerful drive.

With a high-density sintered material WFO base providing plenty of pro-caliber speed potential and a directional shape to underline it all, speed is all but guaranteed. I’ll be talking about the dampness of the ride in the next section, but here’s the short and sweet of it. It’s good, really good.

The damp ride lets you fully enjoy the high-voltage fiberglass build. Of course, this isn’t the only part responsible for the speed on offer here, but it does play a big part. Take my constant gushing over the speed of the Burton Custom X as further evidence of its greatness.

This is the board that you want for bombing down anything that is dumb enough to get in your way. There’s nothing that I took issue with and found the overall ride to be stable, no matter how hard my inexperience wanted to trip me up.

Even the base, which was coated with a specially formulated wax played a big part in this. I should have expected as much, after all, a top competition-grade base on a directional board was always going to fly by all the rest. Even so, I was very impressed.

Uneven Terrain

Have you gotten tired of all the praise that I am heaping onto the Burton Custom X? I sure hope not because there is a lot more to go around. As I mentioned in the previous section. This is an incredibly damp board, reliably so.

It didn’t matter if I was smashing through crud, like an ice breaker in the arctic, this board would not buck, stumble, or get caught up. By far, one of my favorite features of the Burton Custom X.

Crud can usually be the great humbler of high-performance boards but within the fine tune-torsional feel of the Burton Custom X, it has met its match.

What about those other bumps and imperfections that line the mountain? Did the Burton Custom X continue to deliver? Yes, one hundred percent so. Again, this was to be expected. If it can handle crud-like water, then of course it would make short work of your neighborhood bump.

Don’t get too confident, when coming up against moguls, utilize the lighter weight of this board and its quick edge-to-edge transitions to weave out of trouble.

However, say you are backed into a corner, or maybe you’re just feeling backcountry, should you decide to go head-to-head with a bump, it can be done. You can expect a catch-free feel throughout your crusades. Just keep in mind that this board prefers to be on edge.

The Burton Custom X is filled with many such caveats, and once more, this is why it is best left to the experts.

Burton Custom X Snowboard

The price of “Burton Custom X Snowboard” varies, so check the latest price at

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Carving and Tearing It Up

I’m sure that you can draw up a somewhat reliable image of the carving ability of this board. At least, from everything that I’ve said so far about the turning and dampness of the ride.

Well, allow me to tell you that you are right, albeit with a caveat. I know, I know, always caveats and conditions with this board.

It will take you placing your best foot forward to get a good carve out of the Burton Custom X. With the right amount of effort, you too can get the most out of the frostbite edges.

These edges extend outward from the sidewalls. This is necessary because of the sidecut depth, but the effect can be felt. One thing you will notice with most boards is that they can all carve pretty well. It’s just that some boards are better suited for smaller carves, and others trend larger.

What sets the Burton Custom X apart is that you can carve exceptionally well at any length. All that is required is that you place the right amount of effort into it. Even when moving at higher speeds, I never felt like I couldn’t rely on the impact zones or the edge hold.

It’s the same story as with the turns. Get it right, and it’ll feel amazing, but getting it right will require precision and hard work out of you. This is by no means a criticism or complaint. It’s just the way things are when using a snowboard that is made for advanced riders.

Jumps and Air Time

Can it jump? Yes, it can and it can jump as high as you want it to go. At least, this is what it felt like in my experience. That’s a good thing. Any board that makes you feel confident to try it all out is a board worth buying.

Whether I was attempting a small jump or a great leap into the unknown, it all felt within reach. Something to consider is that the Burton Custom X may feel better suited to big jumps. This is a misconception. In my opinion, it is equally good with large or small jumps.

However, due to how fast this board can go, pulling off a larger jump is much easier. In no way does this mean that the small jumps are hindered. The same can be said about side hits.

Side hits that were larger felt better because they got the most out of the speed and pop of this board. I suppose this area may be a bit different. How side hits sprout up is not dependent on your ability to ride, but I felt it was an apt comparison when it came to feel.

Okay, so we have established that going up is a breeze, but what about coming down? After all, the higher you go, the bigger the drop. Landings with the Burton Custom X felt stable. It’s a pretty stiff board. With your weight distributed evenly, I’d say that this forgiving performance was repeatedly delivered.

I’d suggest placing great emphasis on the tail when landing. The setback of this board makes for the perfect stance location. Fit for the task.

Finally, that running theme of effort required continues here. Want to pop? This board will but you’ll have to work for it.

Buttery Smooth

The butter, the smoothness, this isn’t a freestyle board nor one with a soft flex, but could it deliver? Yes, but allow me to describe it so that you get the full picture. Buttering on the Burton Custom X is a bit like moving up a hill.

Getting started requires hard work and lots of energy but once you are at the top, coming down is easy. Some might say a breeze. Buttering is the same way. You’ll have to fully swing your weight into it. I mean really come down hard on the board.

But once you get started, holding the position was a cakewalk. This is more than can be said for other stiff boards. Even those with a classic snowboard shape. The Burton Custom X has both of those qualities but what really helps its butter performance is its core.

The core of this board was made with end-grain woods. Couple this with the twin flex, and it’s easy to understand where the lightweight responsiveness comes from.

Most Burton snowboards have all of the above and great continuous edge control, then again, most of what Burton does is top-drawer quality. That is their way of doing things. Who else would think of placing end-grain wood in only high-impact zones in order to reduce drag but not board strength?

No doubt that the squeezebox high-core profiling and its improved pop allowed this board to have a great buttering capability. The more I go on, the bigger fan I become of the Custom X.

Build Quality

It seems that we have properly dissected everything there is to this board. Now all that is left for me to do is fill in the blanks. What wasn’t discussed in all the previous sections? Well, there was quite a bit when it comes to build quality and overall, the materials used.

The thickness of the tip and tail is tapered. What this does is reduce weight when it comes to swinging this board around. It makes for easier mobility, but as I discussed in the previous section, it takes a bit of effort to get started.

The pop and strength of this board were maximized thanks to the little nuggets of innovation sprinkled throughout its structure. Innovations like the Infinite Ride build process.

What Burton did was overbuild the board, and then they used special machines to break it in. Retaining all the pop and strength that you could want but without weighing down the board. At least when it comes to strength.

The channel mounting system is used for this board, and in case you weren’t familiar with it, this is the best mounting pattern by far. It allows you to set any stance you want, with no issues, and no fuss.

All of this, without mentioning the longer nose for added control and depth, great design.

There is no need for me to go on. Once more, anyone familiar with Burton was already going to be aware of the build quality. Top-notch products are what they do best.

Burton Custom X Snowboard

The price of “Burton Custom X Snowboard” varies, so check the latest price at

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My Final Thoughts

So then, with everything that we have gone over in mind, where does that leave the Custom X? I’d say in a pretty great spot. It was top of the line in most of the areas that mattered. Certainly in the areas that you would want a board to perform in.

Namely, carving, turning, speed, and dampness. To help break down my final thoughts on this Burton offering, I’ve created a snappy graphic for you down below. For all the rest that would rather hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, read on.

This is an elite board that only the most experienced riders should use, but that’s because it takes skill to really enjoy this board. The build quality is immaculate, and the performance made me feel incredible.

It is more than just a great board, more than yet another Burton home run. The Custom X is one of the best around.