Gear Chat: Ben Ferguson on his Custom Limited Edition

Ben Ferguson just turned 30, and the legendary Burton Custom is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so they united in celebration, and this is the result.

Interview by Alba Pardo
Photos by Jess Dawson / Burton Snowboards

The Custom has been Burton’s all-mountain benchmark for 30 years. What does it mean to you to have your own version of such an iconic board

It is an honor to have my graphic on the 30th anniversary Custom! I’ve ridden the Custom since I was 13 years old, and the Custom and I are the same age. So many amazing snowboarders before me left their mark while riding the custom, so it is amazing to be a part of that legacy.

The Custom is known for versatility across park, pipe, and pow. What specific tweaks in your version make it feel like a true ‘Ben Ferguson’ board?

I used to design custom-made Customs with John Gerndt, the OG at the Craigs facility. We would add a bit of length to the tip and tail, slim up the waist a bit, add a lighter mystery core, and add a bit of stiffness to them. This was my 162 custom Custom. On my 160 custom Custom I would also change the nose to a pointed shape, which cuts nicely through the pow while moving forward, and acts as a bit of pin tail for added mobility while riding switch. These shapes were always pretty aggressive and designed specifically for my riding, and never saw the main production line. I still get these custom shapes made for me today and love to ride them for specific conditions. But for the 30th model, it was all about the graphic on the Original Custom design. 

Can you walk us through the process of working with Burton’s design team – how do your ideas translate from concepts to the final board?

There had been talks of me doing a graphic for a while, but I never got the green light or confirmation that I was doing a graphic. I had done some drawings and been messing around with different ideas and sent them to the creative director at Burton, Mike Gratz, last fall. Finally, in December/January, they let me know they wanted me to do the graphic. Which made it hard because it was the start of winter and my busiest time of the year. Also, we were in the second year of filming for Paved, and that was for sure my main focus. I had some ideas and examples on paper, but not a finished product. I wanted to paint or draw something for the graphic; however, being on the road, living out of the truck to snowboard makes it hard to bring the proper supplies to do so. So I bought an iPad with a stylus, started playing around with that, and was able to figure out a program well enough to make some art. It was nice to have something to focus on during the down days and nights after boarding. I drew a couple of things on the iPad and went back and forth with Gratz about the way we wanted it to sit on the board. Then we dialed in colors and finishes. All in all, I think it turned out pretty cool. I do wish I were able to spend a bit more time and was able to paint or draw something. I think we finalized the graphic while I was at dinner the night before Natural Selection.(!)

How does the Custom reflect the way you ride and the terrain you’re most drawn to?

The Custom is the perfect all-around aggressive snowboard. When I think of the Custom, I think of flying through chunder, mashing the park. maxing out a hip and going 20 feet out of the pipe. Carving corduroy, railing banked turns, launching side hits, or landing big airs into powder. The Custom’s classic camber construction can do it all.  

The Custom has been a constant in Burton’s line for three decades. Do you feel a sense of responsibility in designing a model of it?

For sure. It all happened so fast that I barely even had time to think about it, until boom! Now it’s baked. But it is a pretty limited run. Also, two other graphics are coming out at the same time, so it’s a little less pressure in that way… If I fucked up the design, it’s not like no one would buy a Custom because of it.   

What do you hope riders experience when they step on your Custom model – for both longtime Custom fans and those riding it for the first time?

I just hope when they are flying down their local hills and look down and see the graphic, they give a little fuck ya in their heads.