# Full camber, how I missed you...



## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Basically made the switch back last year. On Saturday (yesterday) at Bakes rode 15" of pow on a 11-12 year old Option cambered shovel nose pintail that I hadn't ridden in 5 years...and it frick'n ripped steep and deep, moguls and groomers. So much fun...more fun (lively pop) than my old c2btx billygoat.


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## Jonny C (Mar 16, 2017)

I'm a surfer so i also like the surfy feeling that you get from a hybrid rocker. I can understand that snowboarders that really like to carve prefer camber to hybrid boards but when I want to have some fun, relaxing doing only slopes with good conditions snow, I take my hybrid rocker board not my camber one.


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## BoardieK (Dec 21, 2015)

My first board was (still is) an unforgiving Nitro Blacklight camber. After a couple of years I discovered the joy of a forgiving flat base and was able to progress to a more aggresive style. This week I used the Blacklight again for the first time in 2 years with stiffer boots, stiffer bindings and a stiffer resolve and for the first time I'm really carving the board the way it was built to.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Jonny C said:


> I'm a surfer so i also like the surfy feeling that you get from a hybrid rocker. I can understand that snowboarders that really like to carve prefer camber to hybrid boards but when I want to have some fun, relaxing doing only slopes with good conditions snow, I take my hybrid rocker board not my camber one.


Different stoke for different folk...I find my cambered boards more fun and relaxing, regardless of good snow conditions. My progression....started on stiffer camber which was rather punishing due to my lack of dynamic skill. Moved on to rocker and crc...which pushed/required me to become more dynamic, fluid and intentional. And now, back to camber with these skills there is a lot more confidence...thus more relaxing. But yea for leisure cruising on a bit of pow, crc works.


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## BCBoarder (Dec 19, 2016)

*Switch to Camber for carving?*

I'm beginner-intermediate, currently ride a Burton Process Flying V 162W, size 12ish feet. I'm about 6'4", 180ish lbs. My understanding is that it's a Hybrid rocker - rocker in the center with camber under each binding. This is my second season snowboarding and feel like I've progressed reasonably well. I bought the above board as it seemed like a good all-rounder, but now that I have more experience and realize I mainly want to carve. I ride mostly groomers, variable terrain in BC (mostly Cypress, sometimes Whistler)

I realize my technique can still be improved quite a bit but I just love the feeling of getting on edge and carving. With my limited experience, my current board does seem like it's a little 'loose' under my feet. I'm not the type that likes to bomb down the hill though I do like to aggressively get on edge and carve as sharply as I can without washing out.

So my question: Would I realize a significant improvement in edge hold and stability by moving to a traditional camber? My research suggests that the board I have is playful with moderate flex. Since carving is my focus, I'd like something that's suitable. 

Input re: camber is appreciated as well as boards I might recommend? I should add that I like to ride switch as well. (I'm not affiliated but I absolutely love Ryan Knapton's carving videos and aspire to get 1/10th as good as him! Donek looks like a good option to set me up with something suitable for my needs?)


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

^If you want to carve switch...get a stiff cambered twin


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## Fielding (Feb 15, 2015)

Feel like a stiff camber board is the right tool for the job as long as the job isn’t constant pow or park-centered riding where the ability to cheat a landing is kinda important. Even better when that pure camber board has a long effective edge and none of that bumpy proprietary traction technology shit (eg. mongotraction, Frostbutt, or NAMBLAtraction, etc.) on the edges.


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## poopresearch (Jan 2, 2016)

BCBoarder said:


> I'm beginner-intermediate, currently ride a Burton Process Flying V 162W, size 12ish feet. I'm about 6'4", 180ish lbs. My understanding is that it's a Hybrid rocker - rocker in the center with camber under each binding. This is my second season snowboarding and feel like I've progressed reasonably well. I bought the above board as it seemed like a good all-rounder, but now that I have more experience and realize I mainly want to carve. I ride mostly groomers, variable terrain in BC (mostly Cypress, sometimes Whistler)
> 
> I realize my technique can still be improved quite a bit but I just love the feeling of getting on edge and carving. With my limited experience, my current board does seem like it's a little 'loose' under my feet. I'm not the type that likes to bomb down the hill though I do like to aggressively get on edge and carve as sharply as I can without washing out.
> 
> ...


Your mileage may vary because I have literally thousands of days on cambered boards, but no other profile rewards skill the way camber does. I had an interesting conversation in the lift line yesterday with a dude who really liked his CRC before because he put it, the board tolerated and kind of corrected his mistakes. The thing I like about camber is it consistently allows you to correct your own mistakes if you learn how. I holds an edge better and doesn't loop out as easily giving you the chance to save many mistakes, but you have to work for it. Of course the pop of camber just feels amazing when blasting a hit or popping edge to edge while carving.

I explored other profiles looking for more float in pow, but ultimately the answer was sticking with camber, picking up a pow board and sizing up my all mountain stick. The newer cambered board do a better job with vibration dampening and torsional flex as well.

As for good boards for carving, Donek specializes in that sort of thing, but really there are lots of very conventional options out there like the Custom Camber or Rome Agent, etc.


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## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Different stoke for different folk...I find my cambered boards more fun and relaxing, regardless of good snow conditions.


ehhh.....I love full camber on groomers....and maybe that is what you meant. But, I can't stand riding it in pow. Hate fighting that nose all day. One reason i love the Dupraz boards so much......with the rocker nose and spoon bill....that nose can't sink if i tried to. So much more relaxing to just smoothly surf and not wear out the hind leg with one run.

yup, I like camber on groomers....but think any full camber deck is a quiver board only.

@pootanen has me dreaming about the Virus aft flp as a camber, softboot, groomer slicer. I keep dreaming and it stays right there though. they are priced so high they must come with a free African Krugerrand or something 

https://shop.virus-snowsports.com/produkt/virus-aft-flp-168/


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

Alpine Duke said:


> ehhh.....I love full camber on groomers....and maybe that is what you meant. But, I can't stand riding it in pow. Hate fighting that nose all day. One reason i love the Dupraz boards so much......with the rocker nose and spoon bill....that nose can't sink if i tried to. So much more relaxing to just smoothly surf and not wear out the hind leg with one run.
> 
> yup, I like camber on groomers....but think any full camber deck is a quiver board only.
> 
> ...


Did you know...... that Dupraz is a full camber board?


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## kvw (Apr 2, 2013)

Hmm, I've been out of snowboarding for a few years. There's traditional camber and then there's all them hybrids, but what about completely flat profiles? No love? I find they carve nearly as well as a traditional camber while still being predictable in parks (in a good way). I want to get a new flat profile board to accommodate my recent weight loss so I need a smaller one than my 158cm slash paxson. Any recommendations pop in to mind?


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## poopresearch (Jan 2, 2016)

Alpine Duke said:


> ehhh.....I love full camber on groomers....and maybe that is what you meant. But, I can't stand riding it in pow. Hate fighting that nose all day. One reason i love the Dupraz boards so much......with the rocker nose and spoon bill....that nose can't sink if i tried to. So much more relaxing to just smoothly surf and not wear out the hind leg with one run.
> 
> yup, I like camber on groomers....but think any full camber deck is a quiver board only.
> 
> @pootanen has me dreaming about the Virus aft flp as a camber, softboot, groomer slicer. I keep dreaming and it stays right there though. they are priced so high they must come with a free African Krugerrand or something


I don't see the problem with camber in powder. I had no problem floating the Custom camber in 15in of fresh this weekend with the reference stance. For the really deep stuff I have a powder board which also happens to be cambered but with taper and a lot of set back. I think you are conflating camber with the challenge of riding a twinnish board in pow. I love my powder board, but I wouldn't want to use it as my daily driver because it's not versatile.


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## GDimac (Nov 19, 2015)

poopresearch said:


> I just picked up a 2018 Custom camber and good lord I didn't realize how much I missed full camber (spent the last couple seasons on RCR and the season before that on CRC). It feels like I'm back home again! Full camber rips carves like nothing else and boosts you to the moon.
> 
> Camber for life!!



Yep, love mine a ton and ride it everywhere. No matter if I try a new profile via purchase or test out my friends' boards with diff profiles, I always go back to full camber. And for all the reasons you've already stated. Nothing like the pop, stability and power of full camber imo. 

The current trio, with the Custom as my go to. Will be adding next year's 161 Speed Date as my 4th 0


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## Synathidy (Apr 4, 2017)

Full camber, bruh? That's stone age tech, bruh. Living in the now is all about the quad-cam. How else are you gonna engage and disengage your edges sequentially, one quarter of the board at a time as you rip a carve, bruh? Like the movement of a centipede's legs. Be the centipede, bruh. That's the future.



Bruh.


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## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

F1EA said:


> Did you know...... that Dupraz is a full camber board?


ha ha....its a unique hybrid. 

"aqua smooth rocker" they call it. Camber underfoot but the nose has a long, smooth climb up, rocker up front. Kind of a Rocker Camber but not much rocker in the aft end so no RCR designation or anything.

Ya, it isn't a rocker board, but that nice, long climb up front makes it "not a full camber" board either.


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## Alpine Duke (Jun 21, 2015)

poopresearch said:


> I don't see the problem with camber in powder. I had no problem floating the Custom camber in 15in of fresh this weekend with the reference stance. For the really deep stuff I have a powder board which also happens to be cambered but with taper and a lot of set back. I think you are conflating camber with the challenge of riding a twinnish board in pow. I love my powder board, but I wouldn't want to use it as my daily driver because it's not versatile.


I think we're pretty close to being on the same page  

I like camber, want boards with it, think it is spot on for groomers...but for those reading i think one take home is that they don't (YMMV)make the best "one board" setups. They fit better in a quiver.....though your point about "aren't you talking about a twin with FC" is correct. Those are indeed the setups that cause me grief when I spend a pow day with them. Not that fun can't be had....but I just spend the time wishing I were on.....say the K2 Ultra Dream which is Sooooo much better in those conditions. Sooooo much better. And you said you also have a pow board so you seem to be in the same camp.

I think they are quiver boards. I still hold with that  Nothing wrong with that though. I have a quiver and anyone wanting to dial in to match conditions needs to have one.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Synathidy said:


> Full camber, bruh? That's stone age tech, bruh. Living in the now is all about the quad-cam. How else are you gonna engage and disengage your edges sequentially, one quarter of the board at a time as you rip a carve, bruh? Like the movement of a centipede's legs. Be the centipede, bruh. That's the future.
> Bruh.


U get rocked by the 8.0 shaker? Stay safe.

As for my cambered pow board... an old Option Northshore 162, shovel nose, taper, healthy set back was great in the 15" we had on Saturday; no leg burn and was able to attack on the nose and not sub and busted the chop. It worked really well on the steep and technical short radius and for groomers to get to the next stash. However also have a 164 Charlie Slasher which also would have worked well for wide open bowls but not so much for the tight technical stuff.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

It's kind of neat being old enough to see this stuff come full circle. The tried and true things will never go away, just turn untrendy for a while when new tech drops. Laced boots, strapped bindings and full camber all have gone through major innovations and dips in popalarity but I doubt they will ever completely go away.


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## trpa_ec (Jan 22, 2012)

I don't know if traditional camber has really made such a big come back. 

I know camber is popular but most of what I see labelled as camber is not so much traditional camber but a more modern variation of full camber. You see microcamber, directional camber, camber with early rise tip or tip and tail, camber with extended transition zones/contact points to eliminate hooking and non-parabolic lifted flat camber. It seems influenced by the RCR boards. 

For example, I have an older Burton Custom Twin that is just standard traditional camber but Burton dropped that profile for their "pop camber." Capita had traditional camber on their Super Nova but the Super Nova is dropping out of the catalog for next year and is being treated as a lesser version of the BSOD next year. Nitro still has traditional camber in their Quiver series, Team, Pantera and Pantera SC but the Pantera SC model got dropped this season and good luck finding any Panteras. 

I like having a traditional camber boards in my quiver. I have an Amplid UNW8 and Custom Twin. But it seems like the traditional profile I like is not popular. I like that catchiness of camber and don't want nose rocker/early rise or extended contact points in my regular camber.


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## zc1 (Feb 20, 2017)

kvw said:


> Hmm, I've been out of snowboarding for a few years. There's traditional camber and then there's all them hybrids, but what about completely flat profiles? No love? I find they carve nearly as well as a traditional camber while still being predictable in parks (in a good way). I want to get a new flat profile board to accommodate my recent weight loss so I need a smaller one than my 158cm slash paxson. Any recommendations pop in to mind?


Haven't ridden one, but I looked pretty seriously at the Rome Mod Rocker -- flat to rocker, but with reinforcements to give it a bit more pop as well as some torsional strength and edge hold.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

Alpine Duke said:


> ha ha....its a unique hybrid.
> 
> "aqua smooth rocker" they call it. Camber underfoot but the nose has a long, smooth climb up, rocker up front. Kind of a Rocker Camber but not much rocker in the aft end so no RCR designation or anything.
> 
> Ya, it isn't a rocker board, but that nice, long climb up front makes it "not a full camber" board either.


Just because they call it aqua smooth rocker doesn't make the board not full camber.

The long rocking nose is just a long nose. The board is cambered from the rear contact point to the front contact point = full camber.


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## poopresearch (Jan 2, 2016)

trpa_ec said:


> I don't know if traditional camber has really made such a big come back.
> 
> I know camber is popular but most of what I see labelled as camber is not so much traditional camber but a more modern variation of full camber. You see microcamber, directional camber, camber with early rise tip or tip and tail, camber with extended transition zones/contact points to eliminate hooking and non-parabolic lifted flat camber. It seems influenced by the RCR boards.


I can't tell if you are proving or disproving the popularity of camber here. 

The variants of camber you describe still mostly ride like camber but tweak the ride a bit in order to achieve better flotation or a more forgiving ride. With that said, tons and tons of pros ride full camber and Burton sells a shitload of Customs and Processes with camber. I wonder what proportion of boards on the mountain on any given day are traditional camber or early rise camber (traditional camber with a big powder nose). I bet it's pretty high! 

I also think that some of this camber variants are more camber than not but the marketing teams believe that you need to plug the tech to sell boards. I mean isn't the Capita Outsiders practically just a traditional camber board because the flat zones are so small.


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## Synathidy (Apr 4, 2017)

wrathfuldeity said:


> U get rocked by the 8.0 shaker? Stay safe.


I DID feel that. At 12:30 last night, my room was shaking pretty well for like three minutes. No danger where I am, but a little scary.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

You can tell there's a bit of a popularity comeback because Burton changed the name from their older S-rocker to directional camber.

Now everyone wants to have camber in their name. Not the taboo it was before.

Frankly, rocker has its pretty good place. Definitely better for totally unathletic beginners to start with heavy rocker. You could argue it's better for pow, but not necessarily... almost all my pow boards are full camber or at least mostly camber.

Full rocker, banana stuff or never summer type stuff. But people who are moderately athletic and understand the 'sport' part of snowboarding are fine starting out with camber. So in a way, snowboarding has done that; which is fine.

It's like learning to play soccer or volleyball or whatever on a pro field with a pro ball. Shit's hard.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

GDimac said:


> Yep, love mine a ton and ride it everywhere. No matter if I try a new profile via purchase or test out my friends' boards with diff profiles, I always go back to full camber. And for all the reasons you've already stated. Nothing like the pop, stability and power of full camber imo.
> 
> The current trio, with the Custom as my go to. Will be adding next year's 161 Speed Date as my 4th 0


If you don't mind, how much does you weight and does the 158 custom work well in some moderate pow day as well?

BTW. Is that Speed Date next year's Burton board? Where to see next year's catalog?


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## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

for the past 3 years I've only seen "I love trad camber" posts(mostly from poop). I've never seen a "I love CRC!" post lmao. I ride w/e board is fun traditional camber or not, but every time I get back on a full cambered board I think to myself "I missed this."


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## zc1 (Feb 20, 2017)

While I still enjoy riding other profiles, I favour camber-dominant boards -- full camber or camber with varying degrees of tip and tail rocker/flat sections. The harder/more icy the riding surface, the more towards the full camber end of the spectrum I ride. It's what I've ridden for most of my life and what I enjoy most but, as was said earlier, different strokes for different folks.


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## kvw (Apr 2, 2013)

zc1 said:


> Haven't ridden one, but I looked pretty seriously at the Rome Mod Rocker -- flat to rocker, but with reinforcements to give it a bit more pop as well as some torsional strength and edge hold.


Thanks for the lead!  Evo has the 2017 153cm version on sale too. Looks like a good board. Might have to do a stealth purchase. h34r:


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## trpa_ec (Jan 22, 2012)

poopresearch said:


> I can't tell if you are proving or disproving the popularity of camber here.
> 
> The variants of camber you describe still mostly ride like camber but tweak the ride a bit in order to achieve better flotation or a more forgiving ride. With that said, tons and tons of pros ride full camber and Burton sells a shitload of Customs and Processes with camber. I wonder what proportion of boards on the mountain on any given day are traditional camber or early rise camber (traditional camber with a big powder nose). I bet it's pretty high!
> 
> I also think that some of this camber variants are more camber than not but the marketing teams believe that you need to plug the tech to sell boards. I mean isn't the Capita Outsiders practically just a traditional camber board because the flat zones are so small.


I'm saying camber is popular but true old school camber doesn't seem nearly as popular as modern camber. At least in my opinion, things like set back camber, flat zones and lower camber rise make a noticeable difference in how a board feels to me. I rode the Flight Attendant and Custom X back to back and the decreased precision and vaguer initiation were really noticeable. Liked the Custom X and disliked the Flight Attendant.

What's a little odd about me is I actually really like NS's CRC profile and use a Chairman as my daily driver but when it comes to my camber decks I like having really traditional catchy camber with a lot of rebound. I like being able to have the board hook in hard as soon as I slightly pressure an edge and having it load up and spring me onto the other edge.

I'm not saying that my preference is the correct one but it's been hard for me to find local shops stocking stuff like the Capita Super Nova, Amplid UNW8 or Nitro Pantera. I'm not giving up my Custom Twin until it dies because I want camber not Burton pop camber with its flat zones and early rise.


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## Fielding (Feb 15, 2015)

Am I too old for modern camber?


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## zc1 (Feb 20, 2017)

poopresearch said:


> I can't tell if you are proving or disproving the popularity of camber here.
> 
> The variants of camber you describe still mostly ride like camber but tweak the ride a bit in order to achieve better flotation or a more forgiving ride. With that said, tons and tons of pros ride full camber and Burton sells a shitload of Customs and Processes with camber. I wonder what proportion of boards on the mountain on any given day are traditional camber or early rise camber (traditional camber with a big powder nose). I bet it's pretty high!
> 
> I also think that some of this camber variants are more camber than not but the marketing teams believe that you need to plug the tech to sell boards. I mean isn't the Capita Outsiders practically just a traditional camber board because the flat zones are so small.





Fielding said:


> Am I too old for modern camber?


It's backwards compatible.


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## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

Fielding said:


> Am I too old for modern camber?


If you have to ask......


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Camber rules. For everything. 




GDimac said:


> Yep, love mine a ton and ride it everywhere. No matter if I try a new profile via purchase or test out my friends' boards with diff profiles, I always go back to full camber. And for all the reasons you've already stated. Nothing like the pop, stability and power of full camber imo.
> 
> The current trio, with the Custom as my go to. Will be adding next year's 161 Speed Date as my 4th 0


Have you ridden the Speed Date yet? I'm seriously considering one next year. Other than being a little narrow, I feel like it's what the Flight Attendant wanted to be. Its gonna be either that, a Custom X, or Custom. Decisions.


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## GDimac (Nov 19, 2015)

Nivek said:


> Camber rules. For everything.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Nah, I wish. Just saw the specs tho and fits exactly what I'm looking for to slot in as my pow board/big mtn charger. Going for the 61, told my buddy at my local shop already haha. And width should be fine no, cos I think we wear same size boots. That 252 ww is money for me. Unless you're going for the 56, then ya I can definitely see that.

Love the redesign of the Custom, she's the go to for me. Get both Speed Date & Custom? ... That's what I'd do :grin:


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## GDimac (Nov 19, 2015)

LALUNE said:


> If you don't mind, how much does you weight and does the 158 custom work well in some moderate pow day as well?
> 
> BTW. Is that Speed Date next year's Burton board? Where to see next year's catalog?


~175lbs. And I ride mainly hard packed snow cos of where I live, but the few pow days we do get it's about a foot or so at most and the Custom holds up just fine for me.

Speed Date is a new board for next year. Catalog not out yet, but another forum has shown some of the specs. Plus you can see an IG clip of Dave Downing ripping on it. I'm excited to try it/add it to the quiver.


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## Jonny C (Mar 16, 2017)

I see a lot of comments saying that the camber board allows you to fix your own mistakes when riding. I really agree with this if we are talking about traditional carve riding on a groomer. Riding a groomer with a hybrid rocker VS a camber board is different. But the hybrid rocker or a rocker board does allow you to focus on other issues that you also need fixing while jumping, jibbing, 360s, etc and allows you to fix those issues instead of focusing on landing in a very specific way so that you dont end up on your ass.
On top of that, the traditional camber boards, not the hybrid camber boards, dont make your life easy when venturing on powder or slushy snow.
For certain styles and types of riding, traditional camber is more correct fit and for other styles and types of riding the rocker or hybrid is a more correct fit.
I dont see it as a "if you want to learn correctly how to ride you really need a camber board" because for me that's simply not true.

I use my hybrid camber board on backcountry and big mountain resorts (high altitude) because for me, its more trustworthy and stable to ride fast. For the smaller resorts (lower altitude) I use the hybrid rocker board because its just more more fun, in my view.


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## Seppuccu (Dec 4, 2012)

Six seasons deep and I still haven't been able to try a full cambered board. Probably every other profile, but not pure camber. Fucking rental shops...


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## poopresearch (Jan 2, 2016)

Jonny C said:


> I see a lot of comments saying that the camber board allows you to fix your own mistakes when riding. I really agree with this if we are talking about traditional carve riding on a groomer. Riding a groomer with a hybrid rocker VS a camber board is different. But the hybrid rocker or a rocker board does allow you to focus on other issues that you also need fixing while jumping, jibbing, 360s, etc and allows you to fix those issues instead of focusing on landing in a very specific way so that you dont end up on your ass.
> On top of that, the traditional camber boards, not the hybrid camber boards, dont make your life easy when venturing on powder or slushy snow.
> For certain styles and types of riding, traditional camber is more correct fit and for other styles and types of riding the rocker or hybrid is a more correct fit.
> I dont see it as a "if you want to learn correctly how to ride you really need a camber board" because for me that's simply not true.
> ...


You know, I really agree with a lot of what you are saying here. I have the good fortune of riding Western Washington and Whistler (fairly steep aggressive terrain) and logging a lot of days a year for an adult with an "adult job". If either of those things were different I'd probably gravitate to something other than traditional camber. 

On low aspect stuff, full camber never gets up to "cruising speed" and can be kind of a bear compared to basically any other profile. I will also note that my Custom Camber replaced a Custom Anniversary (Custom w/ Pure Pop/RCR profile), but I'll probably be holding onto the Custom Anniversary for spring slush riding for the reasons you mentioned.

I will say, that I feel like for jumping, 360s and such, it's a bit of pick your own poison. Camber gives you more fore/aft stability but requires better edge precision. Other profiles loop out easier, but are more forgiving with regard to edge precision.


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## TheSleezstak (Jan 17, 2018)

A few years ago I bought a NeverSummer Proto which had the rocker camber. This board was the first non-100% camber board I've ever ridden. There was so much hype on rocker boards I thought I'd try it out despite my intuition telling me not to buy it. 

Back in the late 80's and early 90's we used to go to a friends (also a California state trampoline pro) house who lived a few blocks from me. We taped our snowboard edges and jumped on the trampoline to practice our airs. However we didn't realize at the time that our boards were being 'flattened'. At the time I was riding a Burton Craig Kelly Mystery Air. Nice board at first, but after the trampoline sessions the board was devoid of its camber and it no longer was rideable. Lesson learned. 

Fast forward to Lib Tech's Banana and the latter rocker profiles and hybrids. All the rage and also a new wave of riders into the snowboard/ski industry. This new thing took over and gradually camber snowboard faded away. I also took a hiatus from snowboarding due to situations that prevented me from the sport I love. Once back, it was like riding a bike. I've been snowboarding since 1989 (minus the season off). So I thought I'd get a new board....the Proto.

I took two runs. I felt like I was riding my old fucked up tramoline flat Craig Kelly but twenty years later. And I thought "and people are buying these?" So I went to my vehicle, took off my boots, put the snowboard in and drove to the shop were I bought it and returned it! 
I couldn't stand it. It was as if every thing I know to haul ass, lay lightning quick razor sharp carves so railed they are quiet and my mind/body form communicating to the snowboard what to do....the snowboard didn't understand or just plain incapable of high performance to follow my orders. I kept washing out of turns. Yea sure riding on the flat was fine, so what? I wasn't there to ride flat ground. Riding in the halfpipe sucked too.
There was no powder. My opinion on the subject mattter is moot. 

Now I know. For me....Camber is better. Always was and always will be.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

*Make snowboarding great again!*

How about all of us pick 1 local manufacture and we hit them hard in whatever way...email, social media, FB and etc...and BOMB the Shit out of them with demands/request for full traditional old school stiff cambered boards. If we can get one company to go retro...maybe others will follow. In fashion there is the 20 year cycle...I still have 3 high end cambered Options that still have pop and will never get rid of them. I suggest hitting up GNU...I've talked to those fuckers at every LBS demo tent for the past 7-8 years to bring back a stiff cambered board and all they come up with if the fuckin weak ass C3.

Make Snowboarding Great Again...bring back the full camber!!!


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

Ive been a on megawide full camber board for the last season and half after learning on a rCr, rocker feels so meh 
Me on my 29cm waist full camber Donek
https://youtu.be/XFSsjfIoo9g?t=2m1s


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

GDimac said:


> ~175lbs. And I ride mainly hard packed snow cos of where I live, but the few pow days we do get it's about a foot or so at most and the Custom holds up just fine for me.
> 
> Speed Date is a new board for next year. Catalog not out yet, but another forum has shown some of the specs. Plus you can see an IG clip of Dave Downing ripping on it. I'm excited to try it/add it to the quiver.


I am around 150lbs without gears, got stuck between 156 and 158, I assume 158 will be more charging but less playful?

Speed Date looks sweat. The white base with the classic family tree logo rules. But I could't find the specs though. Is it full cambered?


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## poopresearch (Jan 2, 2016)

LALUNE said:


> I am around 150lbs without gears, got stuck between 156 and 158, I assume 158 will be more charging but less playful?
> 
> Speed Date looks sweat. The white base with the classic family tree logo rules. But I could't find the specs though. Is it full cambered?


I'm around 165lbs and the 158 feels just right for something I can charge with and still kind of throw around (I ride trees, groomers, and park jumps mostly, but not jibs/rails). Terrain is pretty tight and technical around my neck of the woods, so I need a deck that I can flex on bumpy trees and tranverses. If my terrain was more open like say Colorado, I might even go 160 if I wasn't going to ride park much. Hope that helps witch sizing for you. The 158 would probably be a charger, but the 156 would be easier to man handle.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

poopresearch said:


> I'm around 165lbs and the 158 feels just right for something I can charge with and still kind of throw around (I ride trees, groomers, and park jumps mostly, but not jibs/rails). Terrain is pretty tight and technical around my neck of the woods, so I need a deck that I can flex on bumpy trees and tranverses. If my terrain was more open like say Colorado, I might even go 160 if I wasn't going to ride park much. Hope that helps witch sizing for you. The 158 would probably be a charger, but the 156 would be easier to man handle.


This really helps! Appreciate it.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

Nivek said:


> Camber rules. For everything.


The end.

...but everyone can ride whatever the hell they want.


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## dannyboy617 (Nov 10, 2017)

Rome makes a couple traditional camber decks.

I ride a 162 Mod which is full camber. Love how snappy it is when transitioning between edges.


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

16gkid said:


> Ive been a on megawide full camber board for the last season and half after learning on a rCr, rocker feels so meh
> Me on my 29cm waist full camber Donek
> https://youtu.be/XFSsjfIoo9g?t=2m1s


Not hating, but that board looks way too big for you


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

I still have the first snowboard I bought -- a 163W Original Sin board from the late 90's. It came in a package deal with strap bindings that had no ratchet on the toe strap, cause toe strap ratchets were for rich dainty people that could afford them. Real men just pushed the toe strap in as far as they could muscle it with their real man fingers.

That board is as heavy without bindings as some of my other boards with bindings on, but what the hell, I'm inspired by this thread to take it out for nostalgia's sake. It should perform a bit better with some decent bindings on it.

I like full camber, I like full rocker, and I like CRC and RCR. They're all different with different strengths and weaknesses, and I don't like when trends make it harder to find good boards of any particular type.

I'll also ride in any condition, all day long, and different boards are fun depending on conditions and how crowded the resort is. No board profile is going to make euro-carving on tracked out runs full of randomly zigzagging moms fun. Lately I'm trying to do my best to support snowboard makers by buying *all* the boards. If I have to work a job I don't like so my kids don't starve I might as well enjoy my time off doing the only sport I really love.

I guess what I'm saying is that camber is awesome, but if we can we agree as a group to not do the trend thing I'll let anyone borrow my O-Sin, any time.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

drblast said:


> I like full camber, I like full rocker, and I like CRC and RCR. They're all different with different strengths and weaknesses, and I don't like when trends make it harder to find good boards of any particular type.


Agree (didn't like full rocker so far tho. Didn't find the niche they could fint in the quiver; same goes for flat). 
Was searching in vain for an old school long slender camber deck... seems as if most off the shelf manufacterers quit making long women's boards. Went the custom route...


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## ItchEtrigR (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm shit on the hill, plus snowboarding is hard, anything that makes snowboarding a lil bit easier is a win for me, my cambered decks have been.collecting dust the last few years.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk


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## kvw (Apr 2, 2013)

ItchEtrigR said:


> I'm shit on the hill, plus snowboarding is hard, anything that makes snowboarding a lil bit easier is a win for me, my cambered decks have been.collecting dust the last few years.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk



Lol This is true. I leave my camber board at home if it's a "I'm going to practice riding switch all day", kind of day. :medic:


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

kvw said:


> Lol This is true. I leave my camber board at home if it's a "I'm going to practice riding switch all day", kind of day. :medic:


Haha, oh yeah. Switch? Beginner faceplant scorpoin alert. I sure as hell don't put my old bones into the danger of my fwd boards but take the small nice forgiving CRC for these rare sessions


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

ItchEtrigR said:


> I'm shit on the hill, plus snowboarding is hard, anything that makes snowboarding a lil bit easier is a win for me, my cambered decks have been.collecting dust the last few years.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk


This ^

I want control, stability, pop and grip. That's why I ride camber boards.

When I'm tired.... I go home.


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## Gnukel (Dec 24, 2015)

I learned to snowboard with a long, stiff, full camber deck (Name is escaping me at the moment), then got decent when I got my reverse camber Joystick. I currently ride CRC but seeing as I'm much better than when I first started maybe I would enjoy the full camber deck more now. I'll have to give it a try one of these weekends and see how I like it.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

... that said, nose rocker adds a lot, but takes away very little from true camber.

So "directional camber" = gooder.


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

Gnukel said:


> I learned to snowboard with a long, stiff, full camber deck (Name is escaping me at the moment), then got decent when I got my reverse camber Joystick. I currently ride CRC but seeing as I'm much better than when I first started maybe I would enjoy the full camber deck more now. I'll have to give it a try one of these weekends and see how I like it.


I feel like the ideal progression is like this:

Rocker or mild CRC for beginners so they don't die and hate it, full camber for intermediate riding to really figure out how to turn, then experiment with different shapes depending on preference or condition.

CRC lets you cheat a lot which is great if you already know how to ride, but I worry that it can develop bad habits. My next learning stage is full-time switch riding on a camber board, and it really makes anything you're doing wrong immediately apparent. I'm good enough to not fall over, but it *feels* more wrong when I'm not doing things exactly right on camber.


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

F1EA said:


> ... that said, nose rocker adds a lot, but takes away very little from true camber.
> 
> So "directional camber" = gooder.


+ some taper.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

redlude97 said:


> + some taper.


Yep. Hahah
But then we're getting into board shapes and stuff...... 

If keeping it to camber profile only.... rocker nose aka early rise, is a beautiful reflection of human advancement in the science of stoke.


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## Osman31ci (Jan 16, 2018)

F1EA said:


> It's like learning to play soccer or volleyball or whatever on a pro field with a pro ball. Shit's hard.


Lol.. if you are like 16. Otherwise it's the real shit. Interesting point..


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## Osman31ci (Jan 16, 2018)

ItchEtrigR said:


> I'm shit on the hill, plus snowboarding is hard, anything that makes snowboarding a lil bit easier is a win for me, my cambered decks have been.collecting dust the last few years.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk


I second this. Camber boards became a symbol of "Old School" fake coolness wannabes. People that truly prefer them for what they are.. good for you but most people just don't realize what they are missing. I still have a traditional camber Custom X and only ride it on early season crap.

CRC sticks can hold an edge just like camber boards, quicker edge to edge in my opinion. I find them more responsive. 

I had this moment just like the original post.. went back to my camber board last year, just to compare it to the Ripsaw I demoed. I was quickly reminded of why I started looking into CRCs in the first place.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

F1EA said:


> Yep. Hahah
> But then we're getting into board shapes and stuff......
> 
> If keeping it to camber profile only.... rocker nose aka early rise, is a beautiful reflection of human advancement in the science of stoke.


Just got back from day 1 on new Amplid Creamer 163 bit of a rocker nose with camber from the front binding to tail. Worked great on the 14" over night and additional 4" today. Last time out about 10 days ago with a 12" day did an old Option Northshore 162, cambered shovel nose/pin/taper tail...which also worked great. The Northshore busted through the chop better and more lively on the groomer while the Creamer planed/floated better, alright on the groomer and better at hitting low angle. But generally similar boards.


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## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

this thread is TLDR, but IMO no quiver is complete without a full camber board


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Just got back from day 1 on new Amplid Creamer 163 bit of a rocker nose with camber from the front binding to tail. Worked great on the 14" over night and additional 4" today. Last time out about 10 days ago with a 12" day did an old Option Northshore 162, cambered shovel nose/pin/taper tail...which also worked great. The Northshore busted through the chop better and more lively on the groomer while the Creamer planed/floated better, alright on the groomer and better at hitting low angle. But generally similar boards.


Got 2 buddies hitting that deepness across the border 

And yeah i have 2 full camber Pow sticks and 2 early rise pow sticks....lower (elevation and angle) deep stuff is better on the early risers in my case too; but on the bigger steeper faces it's tough to beat those full camber proper pow gun shapes....


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## Varza (Jan 6, 2013)

deagol said:


> this thread is TLDR, but IMO no quiver is complete without a full camber board


Upon obtaining my Arbor camber, I have started agreeing with this. That was last year.


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## ek9max (Apr 8, 2013)

16gkid said:


> Ive been a on megawide full camber board for the last season and half after learning on a rCr, rocker feels so meh
> Me on my 29cm waist full camber Donek
> https://youtu.be/XFSsjfIoo9g?t=2m1s


And carving slow while taking up half the run isn't meh?

I enjoy carving, I really do. And I know knapton is a very skilled snowboarder.... But you guys are carving around like a bunch of old skiers, except a lot slower.


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## 16gkid (Dec 5, 2012)

ek9max said:


> And carving slow while taking up half the run isn't meh?
> 
> I enjoy carving, I really do. And I know knapton is a very skilled snowboarder.... But you guys are carving around like a bunch of old skiers, except a lot slower.


Youre wrong, but its ok to feel that way:smile:


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## ek9max (Apr 8, 2013)

16gkid said:


> Youre wrong, but its ok to feel that way:smile:


I probably am. :grin:


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## Captn_K (Apr 1, 2017)

The new Sims camber boards look nice. I may need to try one out !


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

F1EA said:


> Yep. Hahah
> But then we're getting into board shapes and stuff......
> 
> If keeping it to camber profile only.... rocker nose aka early rise, is a beautiful reflection of human advancement in the science of stoke.


yea didn't mean to open a new can of worms but in terms of added benefit without any real downsides for a directional board taper is one of those, whereas things like shape/width/sidecut etc come with some tradeoffs.


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

F1EA said:


> Got 2 buddies hitting that deepness across the border
> 
> And yeah i have 2 full camber Pow sticks and 2 early rise pow sticks....lower (elevation and angle) deep stuff is better on the early risers in my case too; but on the bigger steeper faces it's tough to beat those full camber proper pow gun shapes....


Curious what the full camber pow guns bring to the table that the early rise pow sticks don't? With full camber on the rear I've never felt like nose rocker hurt on the steeps and only helps.


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## F1EA (Oct 25, 2013)

redlude97 said:


> Curious what the full camber pow guns bring to the table that the early rise pow sticks don't? With full camber on the rear I've never felt like nose rocker hurt on the steeps and only helps.


Yeah good question!
I guess that's why I said "full camber pow gun shapes". Because in the end it's a bit more than just the camber. 

It's not likely to find a full camber true Powder board without some kind of shape thing going on...

In my case, the 2 full camber pow shapes are Dupraz D1+ 165 and Cheetah 159. Neither have a lot of setback or taper and they are relatively stiff. Very precise. The D1 floats everywhere... but it's also 165cm. It is not what people would call a 'forgiving' board. It's a charger. The Cheetah.... very different feeling from the D1, but more forgiving, surfier and still very very precise especially on faster turns.

The 2 early rise I have have more setback and more taper. Landlord 159 and Archetype 158. These are really precise as well, but compared to the D1 or Cheetah, not even close; in the end these two are simply super agile and more playful.... but it doesn't matter because they are precise enough, and bring a lot more playfulness, forgiveness and agility. The Archetype is a crazy thing...... just a perfect mix. Floaty, playful, agile, stable and precise. The nose rocker is a big part of it, but then also the rest of the shape. 

In a way to be able to get away with the full camber, the other boards have to add more of the 'pow gun shape' or more length, etc which makes some compromises (and need my legs in shape to ride these in tight areas), but in the end they add some extra ooomph for steeper stuff which helps...... compromises I guess. 

Then I also have a Fish which is early rise and then very minimal camber. That board is just floaty and playful. Japan tree board.

So... big alpine stuff: full camber pow guns.
Trees and deep snow: setback, taper and early rise.

If I had to choose or design a board myself.... I'd still go early rise for sure.


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