Burton Custom X Review

The Burton Custom X takes no prisoners and doesn't have time for messing around. It wants speed under it and wants you take it as high on its edge as you dare to go. 

Yes, it's a little more forgiving than it once was, but its still predominantly all about bombing hard and leaving the slow-go areas to other riders. 

In this review, I will take a look at the Custom X as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Custom X a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mtn snowboard snowboards.

Overall Rating

Board: Burton Custom X

Price: $899

Style: Aggressive All-Mountain

Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (6-9/10)

Flex Feel on Snow: Stiff (8/10)

Rating Score: 91.5/100

Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards

Overview of the Custom X'S Specs

Check out the tables for the Custom X’s specs and available sizes.

Who is the Custom X Most Suited To?

The Custom X is very much a beast and is best suited to those like to ride aggressively and have the technique and physical strength to ride a stiffer, fully cambered board aggressively. If that's you and you love to carve, then this board will repay your efforts tenfold. 

It's not quite as hardcore/unforgiving as it once was, so it feels a little more well rounded than it used to be, but it's still certainly one for more aggressive riding and prefers high speed over low speed any day of the week. 

Would make a good one-board-quiver for someone who likes to ride aggressively and doesn't often go in deep powder. And a great compliment to a multi-board quiver with a more freeride/powder oriented board, and/or a more park/freestyle oriented board or a more mellow board in general, if you were to want something that you could use to play around with on days your tired or riding with less capable riders, etc. 

Not for beginners and even intermediate riders are likely to find it hard work. This is still for advanced to expert riders, IMO. 

TEST/REVIEW DetailS FOR THE Custom X

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Custom X is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Burton Custom X 2025, 156cm (252mm waist width)

Date: February 6, 2024

Powder

Nothing fresh or too deep to test in on the day, but based on specs and feel, it's not going to be more than average in powder. 

It has a bit of setback stance and the nose is a bit longer than the tail, but otherwise not much else going for it in powder.  Should still handle shallow powder OK, but probably a back leg burner in deeper powder. 

Increasing the setback will help it to float better in powder for sure, if you're willing to do that on a powder day, but it's still not going to make it an epic powder floater, IMO. 

Carving

I felt this thing to be an absolute carving beast! While I feel like it's a little more forgiving and not as stiff as it once was, it still performs carves like it was born to. High speed long radius carves felt sick, but it was also really good at more moderate speed, shorter radius carves. 

I was on the 156, and I think the 158 would be the best size for me in this board. So, that would translate to subtly even better on higher speed carves and subtly not quite as good for slower, shorter radius carves, generally speaking.  

But no matter which way I look at it, this is one of the better carvers going around (not counting more specialized carving boards, which we don't test). 

Turning

Ease of Turning/Slashing: I rode the Custom after I rode the Custom X and also, like every time I test, did some control laps on my control board (Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker) and the Custom X was certainly harder to initiate turns on and felt like it had more consequences for badly executed slashes. 

However, compared to older models, it was certainly easier than it used to be.  

Maneuverability at slow speeds: This board is really all about high speed riding, so slow speed maneuverability isn't much of a thing for it to consider - and it wasn't super agile at slower speeds - certainly not as nimble as the TW or regular Custom. 

But again, it is better in this area than some older models. Likely down to the slightly more forgiving overall feel and because of how light the board is. But still certainly not its forte. 

Catchiness: The most catchy, particularly at slower speeds, when compared to the Custom and TW, but overall nothing super catchy. Another thing that this board is better for than older models. And quite surprising given its flex and the camber. I have to assume the contact points were detuned - but that's easy enough to do if you want to. 

Speed

I actually felt like there was a limit to how fast you could ride this thing, which is the downside of it being a little more forgiving, but in saying that, it still handled high speeds really well. And that limit came only at really high speeds. And even then, it's not like it couldn't handle it - it just started feeling a little less stable. 

And if I'd been on the 158, that speed ceiling would have been a little higher. 

Uneven Terrain

Crud/Chunder: The other downside to being softer/a little more forgiving (and a downside that lightness in a board has) is that it's not quite as bulletproof in crud. But that statement shouldn't be mistaken for saying that it doesn't hold up well in crud, because it does. It's simply that it's not as invincible in crud as it once was and compared to some other damper, stiffer, heavier boards. 

It's not easy for this board to get bucked around, but it can happen and a lot of that is down to its lightness, I would say. But it's certainly still more stable than the average board in crud, in my experience. 

Trees/Bumps: On the flip side, the Custom X is an improved board for weaving between bumps. Still certainly not its forte, by any means, but it's not as fatiguing and as much hard work as it used to be to dart around between trees and bumps.

Jumps

Another area where I prefer the newer Custom X's is for jumping. Previously I found it too hard to get it popping, which was frustrating, knowing that if I could get the pop out of it, there would be ample there.  

Pop: Still not super easy to access, but easy to access than in older models and that meant I could actually explore this things total pop to a greater extent. And it didn't disappoint. I still prefer easier access, but if you're willing to put in a bit of work to access it, the Custom X delivers oodles of total pop. 

It didn't surprise me then that when I measured this things highest camber point after riding it, that it measured at 12mm! Which now that I look at it, is the most pronounced camber that I've measured (have had a couple at 11.5mm, but this is the first that I've measured to reach 12mm). 

Approach: Definitely favors stability over maneuverability, but has a little better balance than it once did.

Landing:  You can really stomp a landing on this thing and when you get it right, man does it feel good. But it can be a little unforgiving of errors and not the easiest to make sudden quick maneuvers or quick speed checks. 

Side-hits: It wasn't my favorite for side-hits, but certainly wasn't bad either. 

Small jumps/Big jumps: Definitely favors bigger jumps, where you need stability on approach and landing. 

Switch

It was somewhat sketchy on transitions, just because of that stiff torsional flex and mega bow of camber. But it wasn't anything too bad, so long as you weren't day dreaming or distracted by something.

And it felt relatively similar riding in both directions. Though, being a more technical and physically demanding ride, it can make riding switch a little more difficult if you're new to it or aren't that good at it yet.  

Spins

Setup can be a little sketchy, as per switch transitions, but nothing too bad. Same with completing an under-rotation after landing, but it's certainly doable. 

Doesn't over spin after landing and in general feels easy to rotate, probably largely due to its lightness. 

Jibbing

No thanks. I took it there, because I take every board that I test there, but it's not a board that I would optionally take down the jib line. But that said, I'm not a strong jibber, so someone more adept would have a better time with it, I'm sure. But certainly not its forte. 

Butters

Not as hard as you'd think to press the nose and tail, given its overall flex. But definitely still requires a bit of muscling to get it locked in. And I would be very impressed by anyone who could over-flex the nose or tail of this board. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

The Custom X is stiff, light and aggressive. It's been that way for a long time. It is now a little more forgiving/well rounded than in some older models, but it's still the kind of board you get for riding fast and carving hard.