Hello and welcome to my Burton Custom Camber review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Custom Camber as an aggressive all-mountain snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Custom Camber a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Burton Custom Camber
Price: $599
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 82.0/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain Boards
Out of the 20 men’s all-mountain snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Custom Camber’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Custom Camber’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Aggressive All-Mountain |
Price: | $599 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium-Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 12.5mm (0.5") |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Lighter side of normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (CM) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
150 | 248 | 120-180 | 54-82 |
154 | 250 | 120-180 | 54-82 |
154W | 258 | 120-180 | 54-82 |
156 | 252 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
158 | 254 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
158W | 262 | 150-200 | 68-91 |
162 | 256 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
162W | 264 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
166W | 266 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
170W | 270 | 180-260+ | 82-118+ |
Who is the Custom Camber Most Suited To?
The Custom is a great option for someone looking for that traditional camber feel, a board that is an awesome carver, has great pop and one that can bomb, but who isn't often in either deep powder or really icy conditions.
Definitely not for the beginner and even low intermediate riders might find it a little technical ride - but fine for a high-end intermediate rider with solid technique.
The Custom in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Custom is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Burton Custom 2020, 154cm (250mm waist width)
Date: March 9, 2019
Conditions: Sunny with some clouds and perfect visibility.
Snow was well groomed and soft on top on groomers and soft but quite tracked off groomer (but there had been quite recent snowfall and still some untouched pockets).
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 530mm (20.9″)
Stance Setback: 12.5mm (0.5")
Width at Inserts: 259mm (10.2")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 185lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
To keep in mind for this review, I rode the 154 which is smaller than I would normally ride for this type of board. The 158 would have been the ideal size for me, with the 156 the next best alternative.
Powder
Not great in powder. I could feel the nose wanting to sink at times. I didn't get anything super deep - but I suspect that feeling would get worse the deeper the snow got.
It's got a small setback stance and a slightly longer nose than tail - but that's about all it has going for it powder-wise.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Really fun to rail a carve on. And a regular turn. Good spring out of a turn and really let's you carve it up. Not to the extent of it's older brother the Custom X - but there aren't many that carve like that thing.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Really quite maneuverable when riding slower which surprised me a little. It was a 154 and that's short for me, so that was certainly part of it - but even given the size was rather nimble.
Overall edge-to-edge speeds: Overall quite quick edge-to-edge when riding fast or slow.
Skids: Not very forgiving of skidded turns. A little catchy but not quite as catchy as I thought it would be for a trad camber.
Speed
Even in the 154, this thing felt good at speed. Nice and stable. In a longer size would feel even better.
Uneven Terrain
Nimble enough to go around bumps and forgiving enough to go over them. Was decent in crud too - though I didn't have much at the time I rode it.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Overall a really fun board to jump and ollie with.
Pop: Heaps of pop. To access some of it you have to wind it up a bit, but you can still access some of that pop without too much effort.
Approach: Really stable on approach for bigger jumps but also nimble for those trickier access side-hits.
Landing: Solid landing platform. I felt like I could have had a bit more, but my weight on the 154 was a bit much - a more appropriate size and I think this would be a stomper.
Side-hits: Nice and nimble and good pop. If the pop was a little more easily accessed it could improve a little, and perhaps a longer size wouldn't have been quite as nimble. Good to get around for spins too, though again, a longer board would have been more tricky and it is quite torsionally stiff.
Small jumps: Really good for small jumps.
Big jumps: Excellent for larger jumps - just a little better for large vs small overall, I would say.
Switch
There's a bit of a setback stance and the nose is slightly longer than the tail (though that's outside the contact points), but overall it still fine for riding, landing and taking off switch.
Spins
As above, good for landing and taking off switch, great pop to give you plenty of air-time (so long as you load it up a bit) and a good landing platform. Was easy to get the spin around, but it was a 154. Probably not the easiest in the world to get around for a longer size - it's relatively stiff torsionally.
Butters
Was better than I was expecting. I would say mid-level for buttering - not super easy to butter but not super hard either. Might have been a little easier to butter the 154, given that I'm on the big side for that size.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING/TURNS | 4.0 | 20/25 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 16/20 |
JUMPS | 4.0 | 12/15 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 3.5 | 7/10 |
PIPE | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SWITCH | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 82/100 |
The Custom Camber is a really fun deck. It's nice and aggressive, stable at speed, carves well and has a really fun carvy feel on any turn type. It's got plenty of pop and really nice to jump and ollie with.
If you see a lot of powder (or really icy conditions a lot), especially deeper powder, there are better one-board quivers - but if that's something you can and are willing to sacrifice on, then it does everything else really well.
Price-wise it's not the most affordable going around, but for this category it's pretty much the average price.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Custom Camber, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other aggressive all-mountain snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Custom compares to other aggressive all-mountain snowboards, then check out the next link.
I’m considering the Custom, but have some concerns regarding its edge hold as I ride primarily on the east coast. Everyone raves about the carving and turning ability of the Custom. Can you recommend a board that has similar characteristics but with better edge hold? I don’t ride in the park and rarely ride switch, but like to rip the groomers.
Hi Denny
Thanks for your message.
First board that springs to mind is the Nitro Team Camber, which is quite similar to the Custom, but with slightly better edge hold in icy conditions, IMO. Custom Camber not bad in icy conditions, certainly a lot better than it’s Flying V counterpart. But yeah, I found the Nitro Team just that little better in hard/icy conditions. There’s certainly a lot of options for boards that rip the groomers, but in terms of something close to the Custom, the Nitro Team is the first that comes to mind. I can do a more thorough search if you want, but there are quite a number of options that will fit that criteria.
Hope this helps
Hey,
I’m considering buying Burton Custom asap, since my current equipment just broke. I have a small problem in deciding the size. My current old board is Burton Bullet 162W and i thought that 162W whill be the proper size for Custom as well. Unfortunately, in my area this size is unavailable – i need to go either smaller (158W) or larger (166W). Which one would you recommend to me? On the beginning I thought of going larger (166W) but after reading some info on the web, I understood that this size is better for heavy riders and with shorter board I might get more agility/
I am intermediate rider, 6’3″, 195lbs, I’m mostly riding on the slopes (no off-piste), not doing much freestyle but I would like to learn to jump a little.
Hi Marek
I think the 162W would be the perfect size for you! Unfortunate that you don’t have access to it. Because that would be what I would recommend. Personally I’d rather ride too short than too long. That would be my personal preference, so I’d be leaning 158W. But you will loose stability at speed. It will be easier to extract the pop from it, and learning jumps on it will be easier, so it’s got that going for it. But purely for bombing and big arcing carves and that kind of thing, I think you’d certainly be better off going 162W. But I would go 158W before I went 166W, if it was me with the same details. Might also depend on boot size (if you can let me know boot size) but I’d say I’d still be leaning 158W over 166W, but if you were able to somehow find a 162W, that’s what I’d go with.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate,
Im trying to decide between the Burton Custom camber, Flying V, and Flight Attendant. I would say im a high level intermediate who does mostly blues and blacks. I don’t spend too much time in the park but im thinking of doing that a bit more in the future. I would say I mostly ride resort groomers although I will chase POW when its there. Im 6’4″ with size 13 nike Kaiju boots and union strata bindings. My last board was a never summer west bound and it was solid but I wanted to try something else. Im thinking whichever one I go with ill need either 162w or 166w. What are your thoughts?
Hi Alex
Thanks for your message.
I would be leaning Flight Attendant, if you weren’t looking to get more in to the park in the future. But not as suitable for the park.
Between the Custom Camber and Custom Flying V, the Flying V is better for powder and has a looser, more forgiving, more playful feel, but it’s not great in icy conditions (not sure if you see those much or not). The Custom Camber is a much more precise feel. It’s not as good in camber, but it’s poppier, better for carving better at speed. If you’re a more casual rider and don’t see ice that much, I would be leaning Flying V. If you
re more aggressive, then the Custom Camber, but you would sacrifice in powder.
The Flight Attendant good for carving, speed and powder, but you would sacrifice in the park.
Size-wise, if you could let me know your weight, that would be great. I like to take height into account, but it’s less important for sizing than weight, boot size, ability and riding style. Also if you could let me know how aggressive/fast you like to ride that would help for sizing too.
Thanks for the response, I appreciate all your insight here! My weight is 220 lbs. I’ve been riding for around 7 years and its mostly at big resorts riding fairly fast and aggressive. While I’m located in the Midwest and will make the occasionally trip to my local place (more icey), I would say that I typically tend to focus on a couple big trips out west where I do most my boarding for the year. When I’m out west, like in Jackson hole or Aspen, I will mostly try to focus on carving down blacks and hitting any powder I can find. Lately I’ve also been spending more time in the trees. I would say the park is more something I want to try, but not totally committed yet.
Hi Alex
Thanks for the extra details.
I think for right now for what you’re doing the Flight Attendant would certainly be your best bet. Not the easiest for starting out in the park, but not something that I wouldn’t take in the park. If you’re not looking to go park right away, I would be tempted to go FA and then at some point when you want to commit to the park a little more, then get something more park friendly. Even if you got a cheap used something to get you going in there (softer park boards tend to be cheaper anyway too).
Size-wise, I would go 162W.
Hey Nate,
I started snowboarding last year and now i have to decide wich board I want to buy. I usually ride red slopes but also black. I would love to have a board where I could ride everything (slope, park, powder) and should be good for carving and have a nice pop. I am 182 cm tall and my foot size is 42. But I don’t want to have a catchy board. What snowboard would you recommend?
Hi Kevin
Thanks for your message.
From what you’re describing, I think an all-mountain board is the way to go, but probably something that’s a little better in powder. I would check out:
>>My Top 10 All Mountain Snowboards
If you narrow down to a few options I would be happy to recommend what I think is the most suitable for what you’re describing.
Also, would be happy to give a sizing opinion, but would also need your weight.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate
Thanks for your answer!
I found some boards:
Jones Mountain Twin
Nitro Team Camber
Burton Custom Camber
Capita Mercury
The first two I think would fit me better, but were is the difference between directional and directional twin and how does it effect me, willing to learn how to ride switch.
I am 182 cm big and I weigh 69kg.
What would you recommend me?
Hi Kevin
Based on previously saying you didn’t want a catchy board, I would be leaning towards the Mountain Twin. Also the Mountain Twin is the best equal powder option there, IMO.
Size-wise, I would go 154 for the Mountain Twin for your specs. 157 isn’t way off either but I think overall the 154 is a better fit taking everything into account.
Difference between directional and directional twin, is that directional twin is usually just that the nose is longer than the tail and there may or may not be a setback stance. But things like the sidecut, camber profile and flex are twin. With a directional board, there is usually more than one thing that makes it directional. Directional will always have a longer nose than tail, and usually a setback, like directional twin, but one or all of sidecut, flex and camber profile will also be directional. So directional twin definitely better for riding switch.
Nate!!
Thank you so much!!
You have helped me so much!
I was copleatly new to the world of snowboarding!
Thanks a lot!
You’re very welcome Kevin. Happy riding!
Hey Nate,
Also trying to decide between custom camber and custom flying v. I am an intermediate rider primarily looking for carving/turning/stability. Don’t usually find myself in very deep fresh powder, usually groomers and blues tend to be my favorite runs. I am 6’1″, 225lbs with size 13 boot. I have been riding a 162w and was thinking of going with 166w. Would you say the camber is my better bet? Would you also suggest going with the 166w instead of staying with 162w. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Also if you feel a different board would be worth considering I’m open to that as well (ideally with channel system)
Hi Kevin
Thanks for your message.
I think I would be leaning Custom Camber for you. Your style sounds like it would suit the camber more than the Flying V.
Size-wise, I think I would stick with 162W for you. You could certainly ride the 166W, but I think at an intermediate level predominantly riding blues, I think the 162W would work better. If you were riding more open terrain powder and more big mountain stuff, then I think 166W would be a good way to go, but I would be leaning 162W for you.
Hope this helps
Hello
I’m looking for your help I am undecided on the measure to settle
Burton Custom 2021 width 158w or 162w ??
6’2 ” tall by 185 lbs
Hi Andrea
Thanks for your message.
Can you give me a little more information.
a. What’s your ability level – intermediate? Advanced? Expert
b. How do you like to ride and where? – i.e. aggressive? bombing, carving, trees, park, etc
c. what’s your boot size
Either size could work for your specs, depending on those things
Hi Nate,
I’m putting serious consideration into the Custom Camber, but hoping you can drop a bit of knowledge on sizing for me. I’m 6’3″, roughly 200lbs, with size 13 Burton boots, which I’ve heard tend to have a smaller profile compared to other boot brands. Anyway, I’m currently riding a Burton Mayhem 165W. Looks like the waist width on that is 268mm (26.8cm) and I have not experienced any toe or heel drag at all, and I’m a fairly aggressive rider. However, I’m looking to size down a bit on the Custom to the 162W. What do you think about that in terms of it’s length, and probably more importantly, the waist width of 264mm (26.4cm)? Do you foresee any issues with toe or heel drag? I’d like something a bit more maneuverable, without sacrificing too much on speed.
I’m certainly open to other board suggestions if you have any, but the options seem to be limited for my specs, especially when considering waist width, my large boot size, and the potential for drag. I’m a mostly east coast, intermediate rider, sticking to mainly groomers, pow when it’s there, some side hits, and the occasional run through the trees. Appreciate any insight you can give!
Hi Kyle
Thanks for your message.
I definitely think 162 could work for you in terms of length, for your specs and for what you’re describing, particularly if you have an instinct for something a little shorter. The width, like you say, is the biggest question mark. Not sure what the width at inserts is on the mayhem, compared to waist width, but if you wanted to measure it you could find out (measure at the reference stance – the center of where the bindings are – and measure across the base of the board, from outside of steel edge to outside of steel edge). The Custom 162W is likely to be around 275mm at the inserts. If the Mayhem is a similar difference waist to inserts, then it’s likely to be around 279mm. So you would get a bit more overhang on the Custom in the 162W. Burton boots are lower profile than the average boot, so that certainly does give you some leeway. I think you’d probably get away with it depending on your binding angles. But no guarantees of course.
If you wanted to look at a really similar board, but one that’s wider, I would check out the Nitro Team (Camber version) in the 162W. It has a 270mm waist and likely around 280-282mm at the inserts. I think that would be a pretty safe bet, in terms of drag, if you’ve never had issues with your Mayhem. I could look at other options if you wanted, but that’s the one that immediately came to mind.
Hope this helps with your decision
Nate,
Thanks so much for the quick and in-depth response. After doing some measurements, you were pretty much spot-on with the Mayhem’s width at the inserts. That said, I’m still a bit hesitant on the 162W due to the potential for over-hang/drag . I may consider the 166W and will certainly check out the Nitro Team you mentioned above.
I was also looking at a few other options, namely the Ride War Pig and Algorythm, though the latter seems like it’s more park-focused but capable of a bit of everything else. I don’t know exactly what to make of the War Pig other than I really like the idea of a volume-shifted and thus short, wide board that seems to hold it’s own everywhere (though can it handle the ever-present ice of the east ok?). Any of these seem like a viable option, or any other boards you have in mind for a big-footed ogre like myself? Thanks again man!
Hi Kyle
I haven’t ridden the Warpig since the 2018 version (though I don’t think it’s changed a great deal since then) – but from what I remember of it, and in general that I’ve found with Ride boards, that it wasn’t amazing in hard/icy conditions. You’d certainly have enough width on the 158. I haven’t ridden the Algorhythm yet, but based on specs, I would say it’s just as versatile as the Custom and Team – i.e. no more freestyle oriented than those, IMO. Again, not sure how it does in icy conditions though. My pick would be the Team for icy conditions out of those 4 – and I think the sizing would work well there too.
You could also potentially look into something like the Never Summer Westbound – it has “drag free” sizing, if you wanted to go really wide – and then you could size down a little there too. It would be a different feel from something like the Team/Custom though – having rocker between the feet. Still camber towards the tip and tail, but that rocker underfoot does make for a very different feel versus and all camber board like the Custom or Team.
This is great info. and you’ve given me a lot to think about and consider here. I forgot how much research goes into this process, but you’re making it easy on me. Love this site and your content Nate. Keep up the stellar work and all the best to you!
Thanks Kyle. And you’re very welcome. Happy riding!
Hey Nate,
I am trying to decide between the Burton Process Flying V and the Custom Flying V. I am a intermediate snowboarder. Also a little help on length. I am 6’1″ and 180lbs. I would appreciate any help. Thank you.
Hi Chris
Both are suitable for an intermediate level, for sure. It would depend on how you like to ride. If you’re more focused on freestyle/park riding, but still want to ride the rest of the mountain, and think you’d prefer something softer flexing, then the Process Flying V. If you’re more focused on riding the mountain and not as interested in riding freestyle/park (but still fine for it, if you want to get into it, but just that it’s not really your main focus), and want just that bit more performance for speed/carving, then I would go Custom Flying V.
Size-wise, assuming you don’t need a wide board, then I would be weighing up between 157 and 159 for the Process Flying V and between the 156 and 158 for the Custom Flying V. I would be leaning towards the shorter (157 or 156) if you’re more on the low-end of intermediate and if you want to focus more on freestyle/and or you’re quite a casual rider and/or don’t really ride powder much – and on the longer end (159 or 158) if you see a bit of powder and/or want to ride a little faster and/or are a solid intermediate or on the higher end of intermediate, if that makes sense.
>>Snowboard Skill Levels
Hope this helps
Thank you Nate. This really helps me out. I really appreciate it.
You’re very welcome Chris. Happy riding!
Hi Nate,
Interested in the Custom I don’t know witch size to choose. I’m 5,4 and 145lbs. Boots size 8.5. Really large dude indeed !
I tried last year Custom X 154cm that was a bit too stiff to be ridden 6hours a day for 6 days in a row (what I do while in vacations). But it felt really stable and precise and this Ollie pop, can’t take it out of my mind …
on Burton site I’m on a 150 or 154…
Many thanks I love your site !
Hi Dam’s
Thanks for your message.
I think the 150 is the best fit for your specs. Depends somewhat on what you’re used to riding too though. If you’ve always ridden 154+ boards, then 154 would work. But purely based on your specs I’d say go 150.
Hope this helps
Then if I’m 5’7″ for 160lb 154cm suited perfect for me?
Ciao from Italy!
Hi Luca
Thanks for your message.
Yeah I would say the 154 would be a good bet for you. I would be weighing up between the 154 and 156, but I would be leaning towards the 154 for you, assuming that it’s appropriate for your boot size.
Thank you so much my friend!
My boot size is between 8 and 9. I have had one custom in 2010 camber 156, but now I’d be curious to ride the new custom camber 154, but I’m afraid at high speed she will be…a little unstable?
Hi Luca
Thanks for the extra info. Certainly going a little shorter will be less stable at speed. But subtly so when you’re talking 2cm. Noticeable but subtly. So, I would say it will feel unstable for your specs, but it will feel slightly less stable, subtly, vs the 156. Slightly less float in powder too. But subtly more buttery, more maneuverable and in general easier to throw around. With your boot size, I would be leaning 154, but it depends on whether you’re comfortable loosing a small amount of stability.
Very helpful my friend! Thank you so much! Ciao!
You’re very welcome Luca. Happy riding!