Category: Boarding Gear

Guess what: I got really frustrated when I started looking for my dream board. The Custom X was not available at all in many stores, and where I found it, it was the ugliest shade of green anyone has ever seen on a mountain. So I go to my trusted eBay, where I had already bought my new Verizon phone (California law requires handsfree operation now). Get that: I got a Custom X for under $500!

I won it last night, and it's going to show probably some time next week. We'll see… The seller has 100% positive rating, but on only 21 items, of which only 2 sold. We'll see, I trust paypal protection on this one. More comments to come once the board is here. 

Well, I decided to treat myself to something special, this year – a Custom X. My friend D. has one, and it looked like it could do a lot that my own Cruiser couldn't. It's more rigid, but has better torsion flex. The cruiser behaves a little like it doesn't even have a core!

I went to REI, and they had only the green model. Not wanting to look like a frog on the mountain, I checked Sports Basement, but they had only one Custom X, size 160. Where to find a 156? 

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Would you have guessed how I spent my $150 REI gift certificate? I went to – drum roll, please – REI and bought myself a new pair of boots. What was wrong with the old ones? For one, the lacing system was a pain to deal with: the strings would get wet and then freeze, and I would alternately cut off the circulation in my fingers and then in my feet from trying to tie them strongly.

I compared the three brands they had in the store: Burton (my first preference), K2, Solomon, and Vans. Once I saw the different boots in real life, I quickly honed in on the Vans. They were incredibly easy to tie, and amazingly durable. Once in the boot, you simply tie the front clip, then twist a dial in front that latches a cabling system. I loved it!!! 

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