Post edited 5:26 pm – December 16, 2011 by DutchAblaze Post edited 5:56 pm – December 16, 2011 by DutchAblaze
This is a debate that, due to the unique personal preferences of each rider, may never come to closure or resolution. The terms camber and rocker (reverse camber) refer to the curvature shape of the base of a snowboard between the upturned tip and tail sections. Both technologies have their advantages and disadvantages, and the ultimate decision to buy a board will depend on the individual’s riding style, terrain and snow conditions, and personal opinions. Check out the video and then read the rest of the blog for in depth information on boards from several of the largest snowboard manufacturers!
In 2005, Mervin Manufacturing offered one board with rocker. Up until then, snowboards were made with camber, which basically means when the board is lying flat on a smooth surface, the center of the base will be off the ground with only the tip and tail touching. Rocker is the opposite of this, where the center will be the only part of the base making contact with the surface.
The advantages and disadvantages of camber and rocker are basically the opposite of one another, meaning the pro of camber is the con of rocker, and vice versa.
Camber boards excel in providing stability, responsiveness, and pop. Since more of the edge in the sidecut of the board is making contact with the (snow) surface, the board will hold its edge better while carving and transitioning from edge to edge. The sidecut radius and camber work together to provide increased edge contact and “bite” delivering stability at high speeds in a variety of terrain and snow conditions, including icier situations. The camber curvature increases the efficiency in storing and returning energy as the rider flexes the board when initiating a turn and carving, and this provides improved responsiveness. Traditional camber also provides additional power and consistency in the pop and ollie potential of the board, while reducing the likelihood of washout when landing too far “in the back seat” (on the tail of the board).
Rocker boards excel in board floatation, playfulness, and freestyle situations. When riding in deeper powder, the rockered or reverse camber curvature increases the buoyancy of the board, allowing the rider to effortlessly float on and above the snow. This basically eliminates the need in the past of riders to set their bindings back on the board in order to allow the tip to rise above the snow and tail to sink down. Rocker boards initiate turns easily and are much more playful and forgiving in a variety of snow and terrain conditions. Because the reverse camber shape lifts the contact points off of the (snow) surface, these boards have a “looser” and more catch-free ride. This allows these boards to excel in buttering and flatland techniques, in terrain park and other non-snow jib features, and in the much sought after and often elusive deep, untracked champagne powder. Newer/younger riders will often find it easier to learn on a rocker board because they more maneuverable and forgiving while carving, and they will reduce the chance of the rider catching an edge in the case of under or over rotation.
Generally speaking, in summary, camber boards have proven their solid and stable performance when carving at high speeds, riding halfpipe, and when hitting large jumps. Rocker boards are increasing in popularity, and different hybrid designs are quickly becoming the norm for park and freestyle riding, and big mountain, backcountry powder boards.
Today, many snowboard manufacturers are producing boards with their own brand-specific technologies featuring a hybrid of camber and rocker. Unfortunately for the consumer and end-user, these companies utilize their own unique terminology to describe and market their products so it can be confusing for the rider to differentiate between the many various features and hybrid designs of each.
The following excerpt is from an excellent article from the team at http://www.trusnow.com, where they break down several of the largest manufacturers with profiles of their various product lines with respect to their unique hybrid camber and rocker technologies.
A) Camber: Proven performance when carving, riding halfpipe, and launching big airs.
1) Reduced Camber: Traditional snowboards have anywhere between 15 mm and 5 mm of camber underneath. Reduced camber boards have 5 mm or less of camber built in.
• Reduced Camber (Burton) = Low Camber (Nitro)
B) Flat: The middle of the road — great balance for freeriding performance along with easy edge engagement for the new and progressive rider.
2) Zero Camber: No curvature on the base whatsoever – neither camber nor rocker.
• Zero Camber (Burton) = Flat Profile (Salomon)
C) Jib Rockers: Made for locking onto rails and easy buttering. Rockered nose and tail will also make riding powder more fun.
3) Rocker-Flat-Rocker: Zero camber between the bindings, with rocker in the tip and tail from the bindings out.
• Party Rocker (Burton) = LowRize Rocker (Ride) = Jib Rocker (K2) = Powder Rocker (K2) = Bender/BDR (DC & Academy) = FK/Flat Kick (Capita) = Three Stage Park Rocker (Signal) = Reverse-Jib (Rome) = Pow Rocker (Salomon)
D) All Mountain Freestyle Rockers: A fun, loose ride for a playful feel made for jibbing the entire mountain as well as the terrain park. Also excels in powder.
4) Flat-Rocker-Flat: Rocker between the bindings, with flat sections underfoot.
• Banana Tech/BTX (Lib Tech & GNU) = Reverse-Mountain Camber (Rome) = All Terrain Rocker (K2) = Reverse-Free Camber (Rome) = I-Rock (Flow)
5) Rocker-Flat-Rocker-Flat-Rocker: Rocker between the bindings, with flat sections underfoot, and additional rockered sections outside the bindings.
• V-Rocker (Burton)
5) Continuous Rocker: Rocker throughout the base of the board.
• Chilly Dog (Forum) = Street Rocker (Arbor) = Pressure Rocker (Salomon)
E) Performance Rockers: Take a little from each camp and you get a board with a bit of the playfulness and buttery feel of a rockered board, with a little extra snap and pop from the cambered sections. Great for big airs, the halfpipe and high performance rockering.
6) Camber-Rocker-Camber: Rocker between the bindings, with cambered sections underfoot.
• R.C. Tech (Never Summer) = C2BTX (Lib Tech) = Gullwing (Nitro)
7) Rocker-Camber-Rocker-Camber-Rocker: Rocker between the bindings, with cambered sections underfoot, and additional rockered sections outside the bindings.
• Flying V (Burton)
8) Rocker-Camber-Rocker: Camber between the bindings, with rockered tips and tails.
• Hybrid (Rome) = Wavelength (Signal)
F) Powder Specific Rockers: The ideal board design for shredding powder, these directional boards will float better than anything when charging the pow in the dominant direction.
9) Directional Rocker: Rocker in the tip of the board, with the rest of the base being either flat or cambered.
• S-Rocker (Burton) = One FK (Capita) = Pow-Rock (Flow) = S-Camber (Rome) = Wavelength (Signal)
rode the rome agent with mtn pop at the begining of this season. carved real well but felt so sketchy on rails and liked to be very edgy and grab when trying to ride flat base on snow.
"I dont do it everyday but im better at it than you" – Nate Bozung
tried rocker boards and camber is still better for groomers and jumps. I don't see myself buying one unless i move to a place that is known for their powder. considering a lot of pros still use camber over rocker, i don't think rocker is all its hyped up to be compared to what the companies would like us to think.
I have had the privileged to demo almost everything out there, in all types of conditions. With that said, if you are on a pure camber snowboard you are riding a SKI! The only time i have ever seen camber win out is on the flats. The camber in the deck allows for more surface area to be spread throughout therefore, minimizing friction. I over come this by using One Ball Jay Biogreen wax.
Rocker is here to stay, while you will most certainly always have a camber option for those who like to slalom, wear tights and rock angels like 35 – 25!
Check out the newest snowboarding community website.
Live Free Ride
Where skiers and riders collide.
www.lfrus.com
My answer to this is simple: it's all about the quiver soN! Save up some money, learn how to wax a snowboard and go get a job at a shop tuning skis to get that discount and pick up 1 of each.
I think it all depends on the situation, every single board design has a role and purpose, as that video breaks down pretty well. But heres my 2 cents cause this is the internet, and thats what happens here.
Cam/Rock (Performance rocker???) is my personal favorite for all around riding, especially if the board is a little stiffer so that the extra pop combined with the rocker in the nose and tail create some most excellent butters. I've got the jones mountain twin and it's what comes out of my trunk most days. The shovel nose and tail combined with the full board rocker make it super playful and floaty, with the camber under foot giving that extra pop that's so so nice. BUT! I'm definitely going to want some Magna-traction on my edge cause all that board being lifted off the ground in the nose and tail is going to definitely take away from my ee (effective edge NUB!) and without magna will be all loosy goosy like your mom after thanksgiving. And dont gimme that Burton frostbite edge. Shenanigans.
NO camber is also a great time. The rome atrifact 1985 is super dank. And not just riding rails, go take that shit in the trees and it'll swim and swivel around better than a crawdad in louisiana stirfry (A LOT), and if you're not lame this is a real awesome good time. The one negative is that there is no way in HELL i would take this thing off a jump of any large size (45+) sober, but that may be due to the design of the specific deck and it being a limp noodle. Additionally if you're going flat camber I'd recommend finding a board that incorporates some carbon fiber in either an I beam or forks in the nose and tail to give it a little more beef.
Regular camber is tried and true, and if it's super bulletproof or i want my testicles to crawl up inside my lower intestine from the shrinkage inspired by a big boy park that's what I'm grabbin. If I'm getting the camber board I'm gonna want a bonus round though and I'd go with that sweet sweet EST technology from burton (i dont care what noone says, I become one with the core of my snowboard with those bindings, combine them with some burton boots and shits better than riding a light cycle).
Whatevs though, this is just me and completely based on personal riding style. When looking up a camber option, don't just stop there and start checking out additional techs that are offered to help get you to that sweet snowboard nirvana that you're searching for. Personally what I'm lookin to try next is the YES. snowboards GBH (Great boobies of history) 1. because of the amazing topsheet, come on…boobies! 2. the ultimate grip serated edge!!! WTF IS THAT! Shits like a bread-knife thats what.
Post edited 2:18 pm – December 25, 2011 by Debaser Post edited 2:21 pm – December 25, 2011 by Debaser
I didnt really like the camber on my Forum because of how stiff it was, I got to ride my signal park camber and I like it so much more, it flexes like a dream
sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken
I love/hate how precise camber boards are. and you get some landing gear with them instead of just slipping out. But rocker board have awesome float and are really playful.
I think rocker is just all around more fun to ride but it really dose have alot to do with what your doing so i dont think you can really pic on or the other
Everyone that is saying rocker is better are most of the time people that haven't tried camber and have fallen for the propaganda. I have A ride agenda from like 09 and its like a flex of 4 but its like slight camber. I also have a capita horrorscope and a indoor survival(broken) both this years. I can tell yeah my horrorscope is one fuckin fun board and flex like a stripper. but i felt that everytime i would spin off a rail, I just kept spining. also wash out way easier. I just went back to my camber… since i had the rocker vibe going it felt gripy at high speeds and yet loose at slower speeds. i could stomp tricks easier and it was could still flex but more like pregnant stripper( can flex but can only go so far) so i think i'll stick to camber for a bit. but for pow…. rocker for sure.
Boards with one shorter camber section in the middle and early rise rocker in the tip and tail are, in my opinion, the best quiver-killing boards. You have stability at high speeds, off jumps, off cliffs, and yet still float effortlessly in pow, regular and switch. Jibbing is also really fun with the pop of camber and the easy press rocker combined. I've got a YES famous beauties of history 153 with their CamRock profile, serrated edges and asymmetrical heelside edge, and it is without a doubt the funnest board i've ever rode, in all conditions it combines grip and looseness perfectly. I hope Capita puts this hybrid camber technology into more boards than just the Totally FK'n Awesome this year. Honestly I don't know why more boards aren't made this way.
Login 
Register 
Search 
Home
Topic RSS 
Join the forum discussion on this post 
