This is my review of the Burton Custom Flying V snowboard.
I’m a certified snowboarding instructor, and I ride as often as I can. I’ve tried out many different Burton snowboards over the years and have spent dozens of days on the model reviewed here.
The Custom Flying V is one of Burton’s most popular boards, thanks to outstanding versatility that allows you to take it all over the mountain and experience high-end performance throughout. It’s well constructed and built to last.
I’ll take an in-depth look at my experience with this board in this post to show you everything that I like and dislike about it.
Let’s get rolling.
Contents
Burton Custom Flying V Overview
The Custom Flying V has been one of the top-performing models in the Burton lineup for years. This board will give you the versatility to go anywhere on the mountain with confidence while handling just about anything and everything that comes your way.
If you are an intermediate to advanced rider looking for a quality all-mountain option that can help you explore all terrains and extend your range, this is an excellent board to ride. If you’re a beginner, it’s probably a little on the aggressive end because of its stiffer flex.
You’ll get a twin shape that helps enhance versatility to give you a smooth and balanced ride in everything from powder to the park. This helps increase the all-mountain focus of the board while allowing you to mix in freestyle pursuits if you want to.
The board earns the ‘Flying V’ name because of a unique Flying V rocker profile design that Burton has created. This increases the amount of rocker in between your feet, as well as just outside of them.
The profile makes the board playful and responsive, which is an impressive trait that helps it stand out. It’s another nod to versatility and allows you to get excellent performance as you change environments, conditions, and terrains.
You can also expect a solid construction that will hold up well under heavy use. Carbon laminates keep everything held together nicely, and a sintered WFO base provides a smooth and durable ride along the way.
The Custom Flying V features the Channel binding system, which offers a lot of room to explore different binding angles and makes for easy adjustments – you just need to make sure you get bindings that are compatible with this system.
Overall, it’s a solid option that makes for a reliable one-board quiver for intermediate and advanced riders. It is expensive, which knocks down its value ever so slightly, but you’ll get a very strong board backed by Burton’s reputable customer service.
Detailed Review
The Burton Custom Flying V is a great all-around snowboard. It’s one of the most popular all-mountain snowboards around and has a solid reputation for delivering quality performance in varied terrains and situations.
Performance
I’ll touch on how this board performs first because it’s probably the most enticing aspect. It gives you the benefit of all-mountain ability, and Burton did a great job making the Flying V more than capable in many different situations.
It has a stiffer flex than the average all-mountain board, making it an excellent option for intermediate and advanced riders. That same characteristic means I don’t recommend it for beginners. It’s simply too aggressive.
Combined with the Flying V rocker, the stiffness allows you to charge through technical lines confidently while also maintaining plenty of power and response. You can expect reliable performance in powder as well, and it has a surf-like feel.
The twin shape also allows you to venture into the park or any other freestyle situation whenever you want to. It has a balanced and symmetrical feel that will enable you to ride switch and perform all of your favorite tricks and maneuvers.
Another stand-out trait of the Flying V is that it’s both playful and powerful. For the advanced, all-mountain rider, this is awesome because you can go big on challenging conditions and lines but then play around and have some fun in the park or riding with friends.
Construction
This is a well-constructed board with a solid reputation from Burton and many riders who have used it on the snow over the years. It’s built to hold up strong under heavy use and abuse and will last you for many seasons on the snow.
At the heart of the board is an FSC certified Super Fly II core. This uses lightweight woods that are strong, lightweight, and flexible. This design and blend of wood make the board snappy and poppy without weighing you down from the start.
It also features a Squeezebox profile that varies the thickness of the board in critical locations to increase performance. You get a thicker layer in the core to help you generate power with thinner layers outside that help with maneuverability.
Added durability is made possible by laminates that feature carbon highlights. These carbon layers help add strength to the wood and fiberglass that make up the rest of the board. It provides you with torsional strength without adding much weight.
A sintered base is another nice touch that helps the Flying V stay smooth and steady all over the mountain. It also comes with a specially formulated wax that keeps the base durable and prevents it from drying out in the long run.
Additional Features
The Flying V comes with a few additional features worth mentioning, as they add increased performance and usefulness.
Infinite Ride technology is built into several Burton models, this being one of them. It’s an exclusive design feature that the brand created to help increase the strength and response of the board, and it’s the key reason the board is lightweight but still very powerful.
It also comes with the Channel Mounting binding system. This is a very effective system that gives you an easy way to adjust and tweak your setup on the fly. It’s compatible with most popular bindings, but be sure to double-check before buying.
At first, I wasn’t convinced about the Channel system because I thought it limited your options regarding binding choices. However, after using the system for a while, I’m a definite convert. Easy adjustment possibilities make it very useful, especially on an all-mountain board.
The board also has some eco-friendly design elements that are important to keep in mind. A Super Sap epoxy is used in the construction of the board. This material uses less oil and has a decreased carbon footprint compared to other board designers.
Value
The Flying V is a high-quality snowboard, and there’s no doubt about that. It’s also quite expensive, which lowers its overall value in my eyes just a bit. Price often translates into quality, and it does here, but I think Burton could make this board a bit cheaper.
If you need a top-notch all-mountain board that can give you reliable performance in any number of on-snow situations, this board is a solid option. If you don’t have technical demands and are an easy rider, I think there are cheaper options out there.
I still think that the Flying V is a good value; it’s just not a great one. Some other all-mountain boards will provide you with similar performance at a lower price. If money is a concern, you should shop around before making your choice.
If you choose to go with this option, there is good value in Burton’s reputation for making quality equipment and delivering excellent customer service. You can rest assured that you made a good choice, even if it’s more expensive.
The Alternatives
If the Custom Flying V seems to be out of your price range or ability level, here are some alternatives for quality all-mountain snowboards. Any of the below come recommended for slightly different reasons.
1. Ride Warpig
The Warpig is another amazing all-mountain snowboard that can tackle anything that comes your way. It’s a super fun board to ride and also caters to intermediate and advanced riders.
It has a short and stout design that makes it somewhat unique among all-mountain boards and how it gets its name. It’s an innovative design that allows you to dive into everything from powder to hardpack to frontside runs.
This is an aggressive but playful board that is exciting to ride. I really like how it handles powder and rips through less-than-ideal conditions. It doesn’t have a twin shape, so it isn’t the best option for freestyle riding.
This is a more beginner-friendly all-mountain option. It has a softer flex with an all-mountain shape, and that makes it a more forgiving board. Even with this soft flex, the board is still more than capable in a variety of situations.
It’s also a very affordable board, which is another ideal consideration for a beginner. You can get a few solid seasons of use out of the Circuit, and it will help you improve your abilities to the next level without holding you back.
The AmpTeck turn rocker is a significant performance design element that helps to increase the maneuverability of the board. The Circuit is pretty easy to control, and this stable ride is another reason I recommend it as a beginner all-mountain option.
The Assassin is a more affordable all-mountain option that is still very capable. It sits in the sweet spot of value and performance and will give you excellent on-snow capabilities without breaking the bank.
The board has a directional twin shape for an ideal all-mountain versatility, and the Rock Out camber gives you a playful but still powerful and responsive performance. The Popster Eco-Booster also increases the playfulness of the board.
==> Read our detailed Salomon Assassin review for more.
My Verdict
The Burton Custom Flying V is a high-quality all-mountain snowboard. It’s one of the best options in the category and will give you supreme versatility and performance in a wide range of conditions. You’ll also get peace of mind with Burton’s excellent customer service and quality.
For all of its high marks, the Flying V does come with a pretty hefty price tag. It’s also not a good option for beginners. If you’re an intermediate or above rider who isn’t on a budget, this is a highly recommended board.
About Lorraine