Summary
The Burton Custom Flying V is the mellow playful easier floating version Burton Custom that pops and butters really well. However, If you ride in hard snow it loses a lot of its charm.Where To Buy
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Blauer Board Shop
Favorite Storeevo
Sun & Ski Sports
Dreamruns
Snowboards.com
Burton UK
Burton Germany
Burton France
SnowCountry
PRFO Sports Canada
Burton Snowboards Canada
Riding Style | All Mountain |
Riding Level | Beginner - Expert |
Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10, 10-12, > 12 |
Manufactured in | China |
Shape | Twinish |
Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker |
Stance | Setback -12.5mm |
Approx. Weight | Feels Normal |
Split | No |
On Snow Feel | |
Turn Initiation | |
Skidded Turns |
Flex | |
Buttering | |
Edge Hold |
Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.
Blauer Board Shop
Favorite Storeevo
Sun & Ski Sports
Dreamruns
Snowboards.com
Burton US
REI
Burton Snowboards UK
Burton Snowboards Canada
Burton Snowboards DACH
Burton Snowboards FR
Burton UK
Burton Germany
Burton France
SnowCountry
PRFO Sports Canada
Burton Snowboards Canada
Burton Custom Flying V Written Review Review by The Good Ride
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
- 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.
- 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.
- The Side Cut radius and depth changed a bit, but it still feels pretty close to the older model.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Burton Custom Flying V Past Reviews
Burton Custom Flying V 2013-2010 Review
Days: 7+
Size: 159, 160
Riders: James, Mary
Boots: Burton SLX, Salomon Synapse
Bindings: Burton Cartel and Burton Cartel EST
Set Up: All kinds of widths from 19″ to 23.5″ and all kinds of angles.
The Burton Custom Flying V has one more bend up than most hybrid rocker boards. Here are some pics to show how there is less camber in this hybrid rocker board than others.
Here is how most boards do hybrid rocker.
On Snow Feel: Our initial impression was that the Burton Custom V-Rocker’s medium flex did not translate to the slopes like the camber version did. We we felt it to be very loose and buttery for an all mountain board. We like that there is still a choice between camber custom and rocker custom. We hope it stays that way because each board has strengths over the other. It would be fun to have both for different moods and conditions. The feeling between the feet is loose like most continuous rocker boars. The Flying V-Rocker bend between the feet makes is a little more challenging to one foot and feels loose when flat basing. So it’s totally the opposite of the custom camber. It’s a loose playful ride
Turn Initiation and Carving: The Burton Custom Flying V-Rocker shape makes it incredibly easy to turn. The rocker between the feet is more exaggerated than most hybrid rocker boards so it makes for a very loose feel between the feet. It turns really easy for almost any rider of any level. If you like to exert little effort in your turns, then look to the Custom.
Powder: This is one of the areas that the Custom V-Rocker outperforms the custom camber and many hybrid rocker boards. The V-Rocker’s extra kink-up in the board gives it a lot of float and lets you take more of a park approach on a fluffy day. It also reduces rear leg burn and makes it fun to ride in almost any powder set up. Its quick turn initiation can handle a tight tree run and can bomb a hill without the sketchy feeling that you would have on a hard pack day.
Edge Hold: There isn’t much edge hold going on and it’s not fun at all when the conditions get harder.
Speed: In good conditions this isn’t too bad, but in hard conditions the board’s tip and tail bounce around when going at medium to high speeds. It’s a common problem with some rocker boards, but for some reason, we found the issue to be particularly pronounced with the Custom Flying V-Rocker. The center of the board has the most contact with the snow and is pretty stiff, but the tip and tail bounce so much that the chatter feels like it works its way through the entire board. You can also hear it hitting the hard snow with a unique sound similar to a bike with a card in the spokes. After a while you get used to it, but this is not ideal when riding at high speeds. It tends to wander from edge side to edge in a squirrely type of manner, but this is nothing new to rocker/camber boards. In good conditions, we would call the speed good, but in hard conditions, it’s just average.
Uneven Terrain: Now when you slow this board down to ride over uneven terrain it’s soft floppy feel handles bumps and end of a crowded day groomer runs very well. It’s got good shock absorption in uneven terrain as long as you are taking it on at slow speeds.
Flex: It seems like the flex is similar to the camber custom but that flex doesn’t translate to the hill. It’s on the softer side of medium and on the hill it’s very easy to butter and press.
Jibbing: It’s not bad for a mid flexing board. It doesn’t do this as well as many of the softer Burton boards but it’s one of the better all mountain boards for jibbing we came across. If you weigh 180lbs+ or are a very strong rider it will be easier because it seems like Burton’s sweet spot is set up for lighter riders.
Switch: The Burton Custom Flying V has a twinish shape that’s almost the same as the camber custom, but thanks to the v-rocker profile, the board does a great job riding switch because the nose and tail aren’t really initiating the turns like a camber board would. It’s almost like a twin.
Pipe: The Burton Custom Flying V isn’t the best pipe board around, but can handle it on softer spring days. The lack of edge hold means it won’t be great at climbing an icy pipe wall, but it will forgiving enough to help you learn the pipe or try new things. For us, we’d use something else.
Jumps: The mini camber near the tail in this rocker/camber combination helps keep the board very springy and playful. We never went big but the Custom Flying V did pretty well on the jumps we hit. Even though this board isn’t a twin, it felt a lot like one with a centered stance hitting jumps.
The Final Take on the Burton Custom Flying V
We’d love to see a little more edge hold and a little less chatter in the nose/tail but still this is a really fun board for someone who rides in good to powder conditions. If you have some cash to burn, it would make great companion to the Custom cambered board, giving you the option of which you want to ride given your mood or the conditions.
Burton Custom Flying V Specs
Burton Custom Flying V Images
We try to get as many images of the Burton Custom Flying V, but forgive us if they're not all there.
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Burton Custom Flying V User Reviews
Be cautious if it's icey/hard packed
Look, last season I rode this board in Mammoth and Whistler and had an awesome time in powder and soft snow. This year in the Swiss Alps has been super challenging. When we find soft snow, it remains great bit if you get hard pack or ice with uneven terrain, you are gonna feel really uncomfortable at high speeds. You will feel speed wobbles as if your on a skateboard. I had to pick up speed to lead into a catwalk and hit some uneven terrain and completely ate S#%£... It is so disappointing. It always feels uneven and out of control. It's kind of a dangerous board if you try to push it's limits. I guess if you are more of a beginner this could be a great board but if you are trying to get to the next level, or stay up with a more experienced group of riders, it will be a hindrance... Even on an icey catwalk it can be an issue, especially if it's crowded and you are surrounded by inexperienced riders or kids. I wish I could trade this board out for something else.... I'm even considering going back to my ancient K2 Fat Bob with a more camber shape... Beware taking this board out in anything other than soft snow.
Good to improve technique
Honestly, I'm happy with this board. It does everything except riding hard pack or ice. Riding hard snow I feel that I would die at any point in time. Regarding the rest: 5 stars. 1 star removed for not having a minimum grip when facing hard pack. I recommend this board to people that are beginners or intermediate and want to improve their riding skill to the next level. Learning tricks is easy with this board, jumping as well since the landings are very forgiving, switch is super easy, buttering is good, powder has a good float if you have the right size and carving is ok as well with good snow. The board is fast enough for intermediates and is a very durable board.
Nice 2nd board
I have this board since 2013 and I ride mainly in good conditions. I take this board quite often to do backcountry and ride fast in groomed runs. I can confirm what everyone is reporting about this board: hard pack or ice, you will fall down. It has no edge grip whatsoever in these conditions. If you use it in good conditions with some fresh snow or spring snow, you will have a very surfy and playful feeling. I recommend this board to a beginner that wants to get to the next level of riding because this board is a catch free board. If the rider is aware of it's limitations on hard snow, this is one of the best progression boards out there because it will forgive any mistakes that the rider may do and will allow to boost the confidence of the rider to go to other levels of riding. What I dont understand is that everyone complaints about the edge grip in this board and Burton does not develop a similar technology of the Magnetraction from Mervin to contradict this. Magnetraction works really well with hybrid rocker boards so lets hope that one day Burton is able to fix this.
Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.