Wintersports
Snowboarding
Camber vs. rocker snowboards: How to choose the right snowboard
It just comes down to your style, skill level, and typical snowboarding locations.
If you’ve ever spent time on a snowboard, you know riding down the mountain or around the terrain park is an unparalleled thrill. But have you ever had a less-than-perfect day on the slopes, one when you just can’t seem to get control of the board? If so, you might want to consider trying a new snowboard profile.
Participants running to pick their snowboards at Red Bull Homerun
© Akifullah Khan / Red Bull Content Pool
Snowboard profiles make a huge difference in the quality of your ride — where one shape may excel, another may hinder your performance. When it comes to choosing the right profile, it’s usually a question of camber or rocker. Below, you’ll find a guide to these popular profiles, along with tips for deciding a winner in the great camber vs. rocker snowboard debate.
Understanding snowboard profiles
What keeps your board stable during turn initiation or helps you float on soft snow? Your snowboard’s profile, or the shape of your board’s curve, contributes to all of the above. Profile affects many aspects of your performance, from where the board makes contact with the snow to how much pop you can achieve.
All snowboards were designed with the same cambered bend until the rocker profile was created in the early 2000s. There have been tons of variations invented since, but for most people, deciding on your preferred snowboard profile is a choice between camber or rocker.
Kai Lenny snowboards in Valdez, Alaska
© Chad Chomlack / Red Bull Content Pool
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Camber snowboards
The original snowboard profile has a concave curve, with the midsection slightly raised off the ground. When laying flat on the earth, a cambered board’s contact points are at the nose and tail. The elevated portion of the board flattens out once a snowboarder puts their weight on it and rides away.
A camber snowboard’s characteristics create continuous edge contact, which is ideal for speed control and getting a good grip on hard snow. The traditional cambered profile is great for keeping you steady on turns, and the extra spring makes for super effective edge control when carving. You do need strong precision when you launch your turn, though.
Racers and high-end park riders remain the biggest fans of this classic snowboard profile. It’s hard to beat the powerful pop and smooth landing that comes from a cambered board. This type of snowboard is also great for handling the harder snow of East Coast ski and snowboard destinations such as Vermont.
Riley Morris at Red Bull Railer Coaster at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire
© Gus Noffke / Red Bull Content Pool
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Rocker snowboards
The rocker snowboard profile, the innovation that changed everything, is also known as the reverse camber profile. Rockered boards make contact with the ground at the midsection, while the tip and tail are raised, similar to the legs of a rocking chair.
The continuous upward curve makes the board much easier to maneuver, and that’s just one of the many rocker snowboard advantages that riders love. If you live for a casual day of tricks at the terrain park, rockers’ reduced spring makes it way easier to slide on rails. While your turns may not be quite as sharp on a rockered board, the upside is that you’re much less likely to catch an edge.
Rocker snowboards are also known for better flotation, which makes them great for deep powder in places such as Aspen. In fact, this type of snowboard is made to maneuver soft snow. The tips and tails are higher up when you ride, so you can maintain a balanced stance and nimble reaction time. If you have to navigate around a tree or through a narrow chute, it’s often much easier on a rocker snowboard.
Marion Haerty at Natural Selection Tour stop one in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
© Colin Wiseman / Natural Selection Tour / Red Bull Content Pool
Camber vs. rocker: Choosing the right snowboard
There are a lot of factors that go into deciding between a rockered or cambered snowboard. Here are some of the things to consider when picking out the perfect one for you.
- Your skill level. Some say the agility and lack of edge contact make a rocker board easier for beginners. Newcomers can be especially prone to catching edges, which a rocker snowboard can prevent. If you’re getting back on the board for the first time in years, a rocker can also offer an easier transition. However, if you’re playing with higher speeds, you’ll want more edge contact for better control, so a camber could still be the right beginner choice.
- Your unique riding style. Both camber and rocker snowboards can be great for certain freestyle tricks. If you want to spend time practicing how to butter and other moves that focus on spins, a rocker board is probably your best choice. If you love a good pop on your jumps, though, camber is king.
- Your terrain preferences. Often, your snowboard profile decision comes down to a matter of location. If you’re spending a lot of time on groomed snow, a rocker may not give you the great performance you’d get with a cambered board. That’s because rockers don’t perform quite as well on icy slopes.
Other snowboard profiles
Are you struggling to choose between a camber or rocker profile because you see the benefits of both? The good news is that snowboard manufacturers never stopped innovating after the rocker profile was born. Some snowboarders prefer to avoid the camber versus rocker debate altogether and get a flat snowboard with no curvature. You can get pretty good edge grip and pop with a flat board, making them great for some beginners.
You can also find hybrid models that combine the benefits of both primary snowboard profiles. Hybrid cambers have rocker tips, with a slight elevation in the middle, so you get edge control with the ability to float in deep powder. Rocker-dominant hybrids have upward curved tips, with a variation of curvature in the midsection. You get a rocker feel between your feet and camber underfoot, so edge contact only happens when you put weight on the tip or tail. The result is lots of pop and smooth turns.
Camber or rocker: The choice is yours
In the choice between camber or rocker profiles, there’s no right or wrong answer. It just comes down to your style, skill level, and typical snowboarding locations. If you truly can’t decide between the two, there are always hybrid profiles that give you the best of both worlds. Whichever profile you choose, the most important thing is to pick the one on which you’ll have the most fun riding.
