Whereas the Blossom is one of the newest freestyle boards in the Burton line, the Custom is a freestyle board that has been around forever. So how do the two boards compare? And which one is the best choice for you?
Despite being designed by a group of young up-comers on the Burton pro team, the Blossom is actually a very traditional snowboard. In fact, it's almost a throwback to the early 00's when the Custom first came on the scene.
This makes you wonder if all the new innovations are actually just snowboard companies trying to reinvent the wheel, and a lot of what worked 15 years ago still works today! But I will get on to how if performs later
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| Blossom | Custom | |
|---|---|---|
| Camber | Camber | Camber |
| Shape | Directional Twin | True Twin |
| Flex | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| All-Mountain | ||
| Park | ||
| Powder |
As you can see from the table above the two boards are very similar and essentially designed to do the same job. So let's first have a look at what they have in common.
Shape
Although Burton classifies the two boards differently, the Custom is an all-mountain board, and the Blossom is a freestyle board; they are both very similar in shape.
Both boards have the same twin-shape silhouette, meaning the boards are both symmetrical from the center of the board out to the tip and tail.
This gives them a very balanced feel that suits freestyle and riding switch.
Both boards have a twin shape, but the Custom has the stance setback 12.5mm
Where they differ is in the positioning of the binding mounts; the Blossom has the bindings centered so that the nose and tail are the same length, making the board a true-twin.
The Custom has the bindings setback 12.5mm making the nose a little longer than the tail and giving the board a directional-twin shape.
However, you can still set the two boards up the same by just shifting the bindings forward or back along the slider system binding mounts.
Comparing Camber
Again, with the camber, there is nothing new going on. Both boards are traditional, positive camber boards from tip to tail.
This camber profile has been tried and tested over the years, and despite lots of new innovations, traditional camber remains a firm favorite with many experienced riders.
The full camber gives an exact, responsive feel to the boards and with plenty of pop. This is one of the main reasons why the Custom has remained Burton's top-selling for so many years; the ultimate all-mountain freestyle board.
Perhaps it is a little surprising that a dedicated park board such as the Blossom doesn't have some early rise going on in the tip and tail, which can reduce the risk of catching an edge. This may make it slightly less forgiving and less easy to press when compared to the Process – Burton's other top-selling freestyle board.
Comparing Flex
Up to now, you may be thinking, is there any new innovation in the design of these boards? And the answer lies in these snowboards' cores.
Over the years, Burton have developed really strong, lightweight, high-performance snowboard cores.
Despite all that they have in common, the two boards feel quite different to ride, and this comes from the differences between the cores.
Both the Custom and the Blossom have carbon highlights running through the board, but they are laid out in different patterns.
The Blossom has carbon running the length of the board, which provides loads of snap for ollies and jumps. The overall flex is medium to stiff for a freestyle park board. This gives the board enough stability for hitting bigger jumps.
In addition to the carbon running the length of the board, the Custom has carbon stringers overlayed at 45-degree angles. These make the board stiffer than the Blossom, particularly torsionally, which gives more energy out of turns and keeps the board stable, and gives more control at high speeds.
The Custom's construction
- Topsheet
- Top glass 0°/UDG & +/- 45° stitched
- Core
- Bottom glass 0°/ carbon & +/- 45° stitched
- Base
The Blossom's construction
- Topsheet
- Top glass +/- 45° & 0° stitched
- Core
- Bottom glass 0°/ carbon & +/- 45° stitched
- Base
Underneath, both boards have a high-grade, WFO sintered base that runs super fast, holds wax well, and is tough enough to withstand a few rocks.
How the riding compares?
As you can see, these two boards share a lot of common design features. But what really matters is how they ride in different types of terrain.
All Mountain
If you are looking for a board that you can take anywhere on the mountain then the Custom definitely wins! The Custom is pretty much the benchmark for all-mountain snowboards with an emphasis of freestyle.
The difference between the two boards is the torsional flex. When you push the Blossom into a turn you can feel the board start to buckle under the pressure of the turn.
On the other hand, the custom remains rock solid all the way through the turn and (if you get it right) springs into the next.
The other difference is the slight setback stance on the custom, which helps to nose cut through, chunder and slush. Although you can set the Blossom exactly the same by just sliding the bindings back a little.
Park
Whilst you will see a lot of snowboarders, including the pros, riding the Custom in the park, it was primarily designed as an all-mountain board. The Blossom, on the other hand, was always meant to be ridden in the park.
Although the Blossom has a softer flex, it has loads of pop, which really boosts your ollies. The Custom also has plenty of pop, but you need to put a little more effort into bending the board
I felt the main difference between the boards was on the rails and boxes. Thanks to the softer torsional flex, for can twist the board on the rails which helps you when spinning on and off of the rail. You can feel the same effect when buttering, it is just a little easier, and takes less effort to manipulate the Blossom than the Custom.
On bigger jumps and performing tricks at higher speeds, the Custom catches up again. But you probably need to be a stronger, more precise rider on this less-forgiving board.
Powder
Although neither of these boards was designed with powder in mind, they won’t hold you back from getting a few turns on a powder day!
Twin, camber boards do not have a lot of float in the nose, but you can easily slide the bindings back.
However, if you really want a freestyle board that you can take into the powder, then you've got to go for the Custom.
Again, it's all in the flex; the extra torsional rigidity will help you drive the bottom of your turns. You will really start to feel the benefit of this when the snow starts to warm up and become a little heavier.
Which one would I choose?
First, let's look at the price; at $610 compared to $660 the Blossom is a little cheaper than the Custom. Which is still expensive for a park-specific board, but that is a reflection of the materials and the build quality.
For me, and my style of riding I would choose the Custom. That's because I ride a resort that has awesome terrain and not such a great park.
So I'm looking for a board that I can do tricks on outside the park, where the jumps aren't perfectly groomed and I need a little extra stability.
I'm not a big guy so in the park I loved the Blossom as I could bend it a little easier, and I don't need the extra stiffness of the Custom. So if I rode a resort with an awesome park (and if I was 10 years younger!) and was hitting jumps 80% of the time, I would probably go for the Blossom.
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