Sunday, April 18, 2010

Understanding Rockered and Cambered Boards OR, For Those About to Rock(er)? Snowboard Tech

With all this new snowboard technology emerging, deciding on the right board is a more difficult choice than ever. This article is going to cover rockered (reverse camber)boards, their variety and how they differ from traditional cambered boards, which is what have dominated the market for the last 25 years or so.
NOTE: Companies are using many different terms for rockered, or reverse cambered boards, so pay attention to the stat sheets on each board. Names like Banana, Chilidog, Iroc, LowRize, are all terms for rockered boards.
CAMBER. If you lay a traditional board on the ground, it will bow up slightly in the middle, off of the ground. This is camber.
WHAT IT DOES. When you turn, the middle of the board is forced along the sidecut to touch the snow, allowing the board to bend in the direction you are turning. By forcing the flex of the board against that of the camber, the board achieves better pressure on the edges, giving you 'grip' through your turn. By nature, the camber is creating constant pressure on your tip and tail, the widest points of the board. Typically, these points are where you will catch an edge and fall, as the camber forces them into the ground. A stiff board, or one with a lot of camber increases this likelihood.
BENEFITS OF CAMBER. By the same token, these characteristics are also what give the board it's 'pop'; for better ollies or spring off of the tail, whether it be springing off the lip of a jump or springing you out of a turn. For a competent, aggressive rider, this is often preferred when jumping, carving, riding the pipe, racing, or just enjoying the feel of a solid edge in the snow for a stable feeling ride.
ROCKER. Ok, now picture a board laying flat on the ground. With rocker, the middle of the board is touching, and the tip and tail are off the ground. Hence, reverse camber. These boards have a 'loose' feel to them compared to one with camber, as it is much easier to release the edges of the board when turning or shifting your weight front or back.
BENEFITS OF ROCKER (REVERSE CAMBER)
1. They work great in powder. The turned up tip allows the board to stay afloat in soft snow, while the turned up tail sinks more easily at the rear, putting much less strain on the back leg. This can eliminate the need for a longer, powder specific board. Also with this type of board, it is not as important to move the binding stance towards the rear. This is very appealing to the freestyle rider, as they can ride more of a centered stance, making tricks in powder much easier, not to mention making it much easier to ride switch in pow.
2. Great for beginners. Since the tip and tail are off of the ground when your weight shifts, it is almost difficult to catch an edge. Actually, great for anyone who wants to make easy turns without a lot of effort, or someone who wants a loose, surf- style feel to their turns.
3. Great for jib- style park riders. Nose presses and manuals almost feel like you are cheating on one of these, but make for some super fun and stylish box and rail tricks. Also, when doing spins on jumps, the lifted edges can save you if you hit the ground without completing your spin; you can just pivot the board around to land without snagging the edge.
That being said, there are many variations of this technology. A rocker with one continuous curve ( think of a smile) has a very loose feel. Whenever you shift your weight off of a foot, that end of the board will lift, releasing the edge from that end of the board. This is great for beginners as it is almost hard to catch an edge, as well as being a good shape for powder. The downside to this is that it is somewhat difficult to actually set an edge once a turn is initiated. Companies have solved this issue by adding 'bumps' along the sidecut of the board. If you look down at the top of a board, it is somewhat hourglass shaped due to the sidecut. The 'bumps' bring out the edge along the sidecut, usually around where the binding inserts are, and towards the center. The most widely recognized of this technology is Lib Tech's Magne-Traction, which has a series of 'bumps' along it's edge to maintain edge hold. Burton calls their tech Pressure Distribution Edges, which bumps the edges out where the binding inserts are. This tech holds great when on edge, as there are several contact points of the edge in the snow. Again, each company has their own name for this technology, so do your homework when shopping. One other way to add edge hold to a full rockered board is to add camber in two separate spots, under each foot. This gives the board a loose feel when flat, but the camber kicks in when the board is put on edge. This also returns some of the 'pop' feel to the tail. Looking at one of these from the side, think of it as a 'W' shape; rocker in the middle, then camber on each side, then lifted tip and tail. Other boards are flat through the middle and are rockered from around the binding area towards the tip and tail. Again, this gives the board a loose feel when flat, as the edges are slightly lifted, but the flat center of the board allows it to hold an edge. Many of the park specific boards are using this tech.
ZERO CAMBER. Like it sounds, these boards are completely flat. They have a loose, neutral feel, but since the tail is on the ground at all times, they still have somewhat of a 'pop' when doing ollies, jumping, or coming out of turns.
There are other variations of this technology out there, and all of this being relatively new, expect things to change slightly over the next few years as companies dial in riders' needs. For some, one may be better than the other. Others may prefer a 'quiver' of boards, with a cambered deck for one application and a rockered one for another. Me? I'm just giving you some insight into what to look for the next time you shell out your hard earned cash on a new deck!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Epic Days; Put 'Em in the Bank

Back in 98 I think, I went to Mammoth with a few friends. It was one of those gnarly winters, and we hit snow in the high desert a good hundred miles before the mountain. Unheard of. Four of my friends and I had ridden there many times together, and one, Len was new to our pack. Long story short, between snow, beer, a total lack of common sense (bringing chains for a VW GTI that I knew would not fit), and a crazy Frenchman from Montreal who had no problem fishtailing at 70mph through 8 inches of fresh without chains, it took us 7 hours to complete this 4 hour journey.

In typical Mammoth fashion, we woke to several feet of fresh powder, along with 45 mile an hour winds, shutting down most of the mountain. We made the best of it of course, finding our white room in the trees on the lower chairs. Next day, the storm was clearing, but the winds were still blowing it out, and ski patrol had the top shut down. As any Mammoth local knows, this is exactly the time to head to June Mountain, Mammoth's little known sister some 30 miles north on the 395. Sure enough, pulling into the parking lot, we were greeted by maybe 30 other cars, blue skies, and just a strong breeze. Holy shit, we had heaven to ourselves! Heading straight to the top, we found run after run of open trails and untouched powder. Now, even for the seasoned vet, this is a rare treat, but our friend Len had never seen anything like it. First run, looking down the untouched canvas, I gave Len the go ahead for first tracks. "you've got three turns and then I'm coming after you!" After all, "no friends on a powder day," right? After lunch, we were still finding untracked on the open trails, rarely seeing anyone else. An epic day for all, but for Len, who had never had a day like this, proclaimed it his "best day ever."
Shittily, Len died of cancer right before he turned 30 in 2000. As far as I know, that day at June was still his best day ever. Last night, I drove 15 miles an hour through zero visibility in a storm to make it to my local mountain, hoping for some El Nino pow in April. Total nightmare. Today, in April of 2010, I rode untracked powder on trail under bluebird skies and was reminded of that day riding with my good friend Len. Point is, this is why we snowboard. Remember these days, they are what help make it all worth it. Some of those turns were for you too, buddy.

Putting Your Board Away. Or, What the Hell Happened to Winter?

OK, for those of us being blessed by El Nino, this post is a little premature but, there will come a time when your board's services will no longer be needed. At least for a few months. When finished riding for the season, there are a few things that should be done to keep your board in good condition while you ignore it and go skateboarding and drink beer at the beach.

Firstly, wipe it down and get all the dirt and other crap off the top and bottom. To best maintain the core's integrity, it is best to remove the bindings. Be sure to mark on your board where they were and your stance and foot angles. Since you probably milked the last hot, slushy days out of your local mountain, there is probably some disgusting dark grime on your base. Remove this either by using wax remover or hot scraping it. Hot scraping is waxing your board with an all- temp wax, and then scraping it off while the wax is still warm. The dirt and grime will stick to the wax and be pulled out when you scrape. This is the better of the two methods.

Finally, re-wax the board with the all- temp wax, coating the base more heavily than usual. Also, allow the wax to get over the edges too, as this will help keep them from rusting. Done. Put your board away somewhere relatively dark and cool for the summer.

Why is this important? The base of a snowboard is sensitive to UV rays, hence somewhere out of the sun. The base is also porous, so this treatment maintains it's integrity, keeps it from drying out. Come fall, just scrape that protective coat off, re- wax with your normal, fast concoctions of wax, and your baby will be ready to run like hell for another winter!