Burton Custom Flying V Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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If it had the same personality in hard snow as it did in soft snow, this would be a really fun all-mountain ride for all conditions. The 2018 Burton Custom Flying V got a few tweaks to the design but it’s still got that very distinct Custom personality it had in 2017.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

2018 Burton Custom Flying V vs. the 2017 Burton Custom Flying V

1. The 2018 Burton Custom has a blunted nose, which we think makes it look better, and it also probably adds a smidge of extra float in powder.
2. The effective edge is a little shorter to compensate for the bigger blunted nose/tail.  It’s not much, but maybe if you rode the older model a lot, you might notice that we didn’t notice the same change on the Custom Camber. It’s also even more subtle with the Custom Flying V than it is with the Custom because the tip/tail are lifted off the snow.  Even when pressed down, it’s not the same contact as camber from tip to tail.
3. The Side Cut radius and depth changed a bit, but it still feels pretty close to the older model.
4. The setback on the side cut went from -10 to -12.5″, which is more a true 1/2 inch, so that’s ok.  We didn’t get to put the Custom Flying V on the table and measure the set back on board, but I imagine it’s going to be a good bit more because the nose is longer than the tail.
5. They upped the maximum weight recommendation to reflect the more portly Americans these days.  Not sure if there was a core change or just a relaxed weight recommendation.
6. It’s got a more environmentally friendly Epoxy.  Well, at least that’s how we understand it.

We don’t ride the Custom and Custom Flying V a lot each year like we used to in the past, so when we rode the Custom Camber, it still had a very similar feel to the older Custom Camber models.  So yes, there are some changes for the better here, but Burton made sure that the overall personality was still very much the Burton Custom Flying V that most got to know over the last few years. It’s just a refined custom that makes its strong points a little stronger.

2017 to 2014 Burton Custom Flying V Review

Other than a few minor tweaks, the 2017 Burton Custom Flying V is pretty much the same ride as it was in 2015 and 2014.

The Burton Custom Flying V 2014 to 2017 is pretty much the same general ride, except Burton is constantly finding little ways to improve the board over the years. Here are some highlights of what’s recently changed.

1. One relatively recent difference that improves the ride is the SqueezeBox tech that changes the cores flex between the feet. It’s not a total game-changer, but it definitely does help improve the pop and overall flex of the board.

2. The 2014-2017 Burton Custom Flying V added Carbon to the tip/tail to give it a little more snap and help to dampen up the ride a bit.  It helps make 2014-2017 a little snappier than 2013, but it’s no game-changer.

3. It seems like over the last couple of years, there is a little more camber these days, and the V isn’t super crazy, so the tip/tail is closer to the snow, which makes for a more stable ride.  We like this change, and it gives the board a lot less of a continuous rocker feel on the snow. Remember, though, that wood is hard to control, and just like every company out there, it’s difficult to have a consistent short rocker bend in the middle.  Some boards can have the tip/tail pretty close to the snow, and others can be higher off the ground.  The same goes for all camber bends, but it affects the ride consistency more with hybrid rocker boards.

Days: 15+
Size: 156, 158 and 160
Conditions: All kinds of conditions from 1+ feet of powder to snowment and everything in between from the Rockies to the Sierras
Riders: James, Peter, Jimbo, Stephen, Christopher, and a few others
Boots: Burton Ion, Burton SLX, Burton Imperial, Nike Kaiju, DC Judge, Burton Ambush, Burton Ruler, Salomon Synapse
Bindings: Burton Cartel, Burton Cartel Limited, Union Force, Burton Genesis
Set-Up: All kinds of widths but usually close to 23″ and generally something like 15 front and -9 back to duck at 15 front -15 back.

On Snow Feel

It’s a bit loose between the feet in the soft snow and going to be pretty loose in harder snow. The camber in the tip/tail helps stabilize the board as long as you keep it a bit on edge when one footing, and it doesn’t have a flat base as well as many other hybrid profiles other than rocker. It’s very forgiving, though, and very easy to get off your game without massive consequences.  Some might not like this feeling underfoot when one footing and flat basing but it’s very easy to butter and play around with.

Powder

Nothing has really changed in terms of its powder performance.  The Flying V-Rocker has a good float, and there is a little setback on the effective edge as well as a little more onboard.  It’s easy riding with a centered stance in shallow powder, but you have the option to set it back and get some surfy directional float going on.  It’s not like many of the Family Tree boards, but it does give a pretty good all-mountain float.

Turn Initiation

It’s the kind of board that has a nice lively feel underfoot but still works with even mellow boots and bindings.  Short to wide-radius turns are pretty fun. It’s a little too easy for my taste, but some might really like how you can flick this thing around with just the slightest adjustment.

Skidded Turns

It’s very easy to skid turns, and it’s a great board for that.

Carving

So, with the lower profile and what seems like more camber these days, there is a better feel when leaning into a hard carve.  Its borderline soft snow-only kind of edge hold makes it a little washy in firm snow, but in good snow, it’s not bad. It’s a massive departure, though, compared to the Camber Custom and not really a board that will allow you to really maximize carving.

Speed

The Squeeze Box from the last couple of years along with the carbon in the 2014 Custom Flying V helps stiffen it up but it’s still fighting the flop that can happen from this camber profile design. It’s getting better, but it’s still not there with many other hybrid rocker boards out there that have fewer bends throughout the board. You feel the tip/tail get more and more floppy when in harder conditions.

Uneven Terrain

The flex of the squeeze tech makes the board ride even easier on uneven terrain on the mountain.

Edge Hold

The Squeeze Box and carbon tech combined with the existing frostbite edges give the 2014-2017 Custom V-Rocker more edge hold than it did in the past, and it’s an improvement, but we all would like a lot more. None of us would like to be on this in harder conditions. None of us want magnatraction, but we would love to see a massive augmentation of the Frost Bite edges. It’s only like a 1/2 mm by 1/2 almost nonexistent mm extension.

Flex

The change to the core profile isn’t a game-changer, but it definitely improves the ride and continues to help the board flex naturally underfoot. Burton’s hybrid rocker boards make it very easy and playful when it comes to buttering and such. It’s one of the board’s best qualities, and there is a nice, playful, forgiving, easy feel when coming into butter, and the camber in the tip/tail gives a nice, snappy return out of it.

Switch

The Burton Custom Flying V is a pretty easy board-to-ride switch, even though it’s a twin-like shape.  The lifted tip/tail makes it feel a little more like a twin too.

Jibbing

You would think it would be worse with its medium flex, special core profiling, and all those bends, but it’s not bad there.

Pipe

We have had fun in the pipe with hybrid rocker boards, but this didn’t do a great job. It’s mainly because of the edge hold and the minimal camber in the tip/tail. Still, it’s fun if the pipe is soft but it’s not a day in day out pipe ride.

Jumps

If you combine this with hinge tech bindings, this board will pop really high.  Even with Re:Flex bindings, this is still really poppy and fun to Ollie. You find yourself looking for things to pop off around the mountain when you are on this board. Butterability and ollie power are probably the two strongest things going for this board.

So, in conclusion, this is a blast when the conditions are good, but it’s got a manic personality change when the conditions are hard. Very Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Slyde.