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Rocker, Camber, and everything in between

275K views 448 replies 130 participants last post by  16gkid 
#1 · (Edited)
Looking around at all of the current board designs at the SIA show in Denver a couple of weeks ago was cool as always, but also dizzying. Board profiles (camber, rocker, etc.) were still the top story, with every booth showing off their favorite flavor (or in most cases flavors). It made me think how confusing it would be for a newer rider to make a board choice in the current market and how hard it would be to feel confident in their selection. There are now so many varieties out there that it is hard to stay on top of them all.

I thought it might be helpful to start a thread here that showed the basic profile types all in one place without the marketing spin. There are definately many sub categories of each, but these are the broad strokes.




Traditional Camber

Pros - Tried and true performance. Great rebound which helps transition from edge to edge and also adds to pop for ollies etc. Longer running surface means good speed and edge bite in carves. Boards can be ridden shorter than some other designs without sacrificing running surface.

Cons - The contact points of the effective edge (roughly the boards wide points) are in constant contact with the snow. That can mean caught edges and some hard take downs.

Rocker

Pros - Easy turn initiation. Lifted wide points even when weighted means less caught edges. There are many varieties of this design which include various degrees of rocker, asymmetrical rocker (nose lifted more than tail, rocker center point shifted more towards tail, etc.) and multi-stage rocker.

Cons - Lost running surface, lost rebound, lost edge grip (many rocker designs get around this by using other design elements to add grip back in).

Flat

Pros - Maximum Stability. Longer running surface. Boards can be ridden shorter.

Cons - No inherent rebound. Without additional measures these boards tend to feel less lively. The contact points of the effective edge (roughly the boards wide points) are in constant contact with the snow. That can mean caught edges and some hard take downs.

Camber-Rocker-Camber

Pros - Reestablishes much of the lost running surface inherent to camber and some of the rebound. There are many different varieties of this design which alter the placement of the camber and rocker elements as well as the dimensions of those elements.

Cons - Potential for more catchy spots due to the multi stage profile.

Rocker-Camber-Rocker

Pros - Reduces the issue mentioned above from traditional camber where the wide points create catch spots. Good rebound.

Cons - less running surface than conventional camber.

Flat with lifted contact points

Pros - Reduces the issue mentioned above from Flat where the wide points create catch spots. There are many variations of this design. Some have so long a flat spot that they are very close to flat. Others have so little flat spot that they might better be called "Rocker with a little flat spot".

Cons - less running surface than Flat.

Flat-Rocker-Flat

Pros - Reestablishes much of the lost running surface inherent to camber and some of the rebound. This design has a little smoother weighted profile than Camber-Rocker-Camber...

Cons - ...but a bit less rebound and pop.
 
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#33 ·
The bad habits argument just doesn't hold up to the sniff test. Bad habits are bad habits and any style board. Rocker boards are a tab bit easier to learn on. With the current trends, I doubt many will be going back to a cambered deck anytime soon. Sure there will be a market for it, but I doubt it'll be the mainstream. By the time you get to the point where you might want to ride a cambered deck, you'll have no problem with it.
 
#37 ·
I have a question about traditional camber and reverse camber boards. I read online somewhere that when choosing a reverse camber board, you'd want to select a size a tad bit smaller than a traditional camber board, is this true? And if so, is there an explanation for this reason? Thanks.
 
#38 ·
Yeah, I've heard that too. It doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy a smaller board; more you can go shorter without loosing the advantages to the longer board. Sorry, I'm not great at explaining things. I mean, it really comes down to if you want a shorter or longer board. RC basically gives you the option to go a little bit shorter and still keep what the longer boards give you. I'm not exactly sure why.
 
#41 ·
Now I have a follow-up question...

I am looking to get a snowboard for the upcoming season because I have only ridden rentals...the rentals thave I've ridden was a 150. I'm looking at the Stepchild Latchkey and wondering should I go for a 148 or a 153?

Any info would help. Thanks!
 
#42 · (Edited)
Hi Broken,

Thanks again.

As mentioned above, you cannot determine the correct board size based on length. Without knowing the specifics of the rental boards that you used, we will need to start from scratch. What is your weight and foot size?
 
#49 ·
Which of the new designs stands out the most?

It was difficult to purchase a board with only effective length and flex patterns. I truly cannot decide what I need for next year. Too many damn options and with the market hype it is hard to tell what works. So which of the hybrids carves the best and is made in the US!
-I sold my BSOD Speed tribe"STIFF like morning wood".
-Sold my 167 Arbor Roundhouse! Even stiffer and way too big.
-My old Lib Tech JL Phoenix was too loose and made me nervous. I did have to hit the edges with a file!
-My Rome MOD just does not carve that well but has the best pop without a doubt.
-I rode the NS heritage in powder and loved it. We just do not have powder at my local hill. How is it on ice, groomers and windblown?
 
#50 ·
Just been looking at next seasons DC snowboards and caught this video:


At about 1:06 in he mentions a new board with "skate camber"?
I just wondered if anyone could explain this version of camber to me?
From his explination I'm under the impression that it's like traditional camber but with the ends remaining in contact with the floor instead of the very tips bending up?
If I'm right, what were the pro's and con's of this system?
 
#51 · (Edited)
Just been looking at next seasons DC snowboards and caught this video:


At about 1:06 in he mentions a new board with "skate camber"?
He is saying that this is flat-camber-flat. We did see a few boards with that config on display this year, but when we laid them flat they actually had camber in the mid section leading into flat sections and then lifted contact points which made them really more a variety of rocker-camber-rocker. I did not check out these DC boards so they may indeed be true flat-camber-flat. Expanding the flat at the contact points could provide some extra freestyle stability out there for butters, etc, but it would come at the expense of catchy edges (as with dead flat boards). Consider that the reason for lifting the contact points in original rocker was to achieve that looser feel and reduce snagged edges.
 
#55 ·
C2 is incredible tech when paired with Magnetraction. You get insane bite and precision, still have a good bit of the stored energy you enjoyed with full camber and reduce the contact point snags and hard take-downs that you you would just as soon forget. The BG is a top notch Freeride deck. I am very biased, but I have also spent some ear to ear days on the BG and can suggest it to anyone who wants a no holds barred all mountain/freeride stick.
 
#61 ·
162 will be very fun and will be pretty ideal in terms of width. You will have all likely freeride stance options available for your size 11's without problematic toe drag issues. The 159 is a hair softer but also narrower and with your specs, I like you on the slightly larger board. I would not worry at all about the minor flex difference. The thickness in the center of this deck is noticable reduced (gotta love C2) and allows for a lot of rider controlled twist. The Flex ratings do not reflect that.
 
#60 ·
162 is a bit too big like i said. keep it at or under 160. at size 11 you dont need a wide board either just fyi. anything over size 12's is when you need to start being concerned with boot overhang. and even now alot of companies are making bindings with toe lifters on the front of the bindings so you dont have toe drag.
 
#65 ·
Hi Snowman.

There are great options in both Camber Rocker Camber and Rocker Camber Rocker for what you have described. Also consider that brands like K2 produc only variations of flat (and flat rock) and that many riders dig some of those for your description as well.

In Rocker Camber Rocker there are great boards that will do what you are looking for. The Flow Infinite is one awesome example.
 
#66 ·
I’m planning to buy a new playful soft board for mainly park/ground tricks and partly mountain freestyle/powder.

I’m 5’11 tall and weigh 138 lbs. My boot size changes between 9.5 and 10. I checked forums/review sites and i’m a little lost on what to look for: RCR or CRC or anything else? I would like any advice or opinion as you experienced...
 
#67 ·
Hi,

There are a LOT of fun designs for what you are describing. Rocker boards and flat-rock boards are both great profiles for soft play boards as well. They will fight you a bit on the freeride / hard snow side of things. RCR is a great option for the middle ground. Did you have your eyes on any specific models or brands?
 
#72 ·
*Neversummer Evo
*Neversummer Proto
*Rome Reverb
*Rome Factory
*Yes Jackpot
*Gnu Carbon Credit
*Gnu Parkpickle
*Capita Ultrafear
*Bataleon Evil Twin
*DC Ply
*Salomon Riot
*Libtech Banana Magic

There are a lot of fun boards on that list (using many different profile technolgies). The Parkpickle and Carbon Credit are both Flat Rocker Flat with the addition of Magetraction for extra grip. The Evil Twin is a classic camber shape but with the addition of TBT which lifts the edges at the contact points and effectively makes it Rocker Camber Rocker. That is a very fun board which is very well reviewd for the usage you are describing. The Park Pickle (multiple Good Wood winner) is as well. The Flat Nitro Rook (multiple Good Wood winner) is also a strong suggestion. Many of those are very inexpensive right now.
 
#74 ·
Happy to help with some generalities. Presses, butters, etc. become amazingly easy and catch free when you lift the contact points (wide points)a bit. For that RCR has the edge biut sacrifices a bit of power and immediacy. CRC redirects the central rocker back down to the snow at the wide points with the addition of the extra cambers. Park/Freestyle boards with that design tend to be a little more powerful and dynamic feeling but sacrifice a little looseness. These are generalities but they hold true in most instances.
 
#75 ·
Just a lil help to confirm my decision

Hello y'all!!..im new to the site and glad to have found an informative community..i just wanna ask and see if someone can help me finalize my decision....im fairly new to the sport but totally addictive to it...i currently ride a forum seeker size 154cm. I am 5'7 and about 165lbs...i have been browsing, researching and wanting to buy a rockered board...i have been told that if im gonna go rocker, i have to go lesser size. Now i read on another reply here that its not necessarily true...i have narrowed my choices to Gnu carbon credit 150 or 153 cm; Gnu park pickle 150cm; or the Arbor roundhouse rx 155cm...now i really like the Arbor rx 155cm but hesitant coz of someone said that if i go rocker, i have to get it shorter...please help me finalize my decision and maybe suggest other stick that maybe good other than what im looking at....thank you and good day to all!!
 
#78 ·
Hello y'all!!..im new to the site and glad to have found an informative community..i just wanna ask and see if someone can help me finalize my decision....im fairly new to the sport but totally addictive to it...i currently ride a forum seeker size 154cm. I am 5'7 and about 165lbs...i have been browsing, researching and wanting to buy a rockered board...i have been told that if im gonna go rocker, i have to go lesser size. Now i read on another reply here that its not necessarily true...i have narrowed my choices to Gnu carbon credit 150 or 153 cm; Gnu park pickle 150cm; or the Arbor roundhouse rx 155cm...now i really like the Arbor rx 155cm but hesitant coz of someone said that if i go rocker, i have to get it shorter...please help me finalize my decision and maybe suggest other stick that maybe good other than what im looking at....thank you and good day to all!!
Hi,

Please let us know your foot size as well. Weight and foot size are the two must-have requirements to get yousized up correctly. Rider height is not a factor.

Stoked!
 
#76 ·
I haven't ridden any of the boards you have pointed out but the 2 dif hybrid camber decks that I have owned 155 & 157 I wish I would have gotten bigger ones.

TT
 
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