Snowboard Camber Profiles Explained

Ever since the reintroduction of rocker in the late 2000’s snowboard camber profiles has changed a lot. Nowadays there are so many different ways a board is bent and has contact with the snow. Here are some of the more common profiles out there.

*** One thing to remember is Camber is created by bending and then trying to hold that wood in place and not all wood will bend the same way. You might find that the camber of your board is different from your friends. For example, I’ve come across many of the same boards made at the same time with variances in the bend of all types of camber profiles.***

Traditional Camber

Traditional Camber or Full Camber

This was the most common shape for most older riders and then things started changing around 2008. This is unforgiving and it doesn’t float easy in pow but for many technical riders or rippers it’s worth the sacrifice for this kind of pop.

Mostly Camber
Mostly Camber

Boards with just a little bit of early rise before the nose and tail. They are more unforgiving than most camber profiles out there but a good bit less than traditional camber. Some have almost as much or as much pop as full camber so it’s a pretty good compromise for advanced to expert riders.

There are also mostly camber boards with several bends between the feet that sit above the snow before coming back to camber in the tip/tail or just a little early rise. Some feel just like full camber and others feel like mostly camber boards that aren’t as unforgiving.

Tripple Camber

C3 Camber

Camber in the tip and tail but also rocker that touches equally in the middle. You don’t see this much or at all anymore but it often feels more locked in/technical/catchy than full camber.

mostly-camber-hybrid-camber-equal-rocker-and-camber

Camber with the sides lifted that don’t provide extra float but make it more catch free. It can feel washy and auto spin in harder snow though. You can see here that the sides are lifted near the tip/tail but it makes it look like the whole board is hovering in the air.

Camber to flat or sometimes camber to flat to a little bit of rocker.

Mostly Camber to flat to rocker

Directional Camber

There is what many call S-Rocker that has camber from the tail to around the front binding and then rocker to the nose. There are variations of this with more or less camber or rocker.

Directional Camber

These are boards that might have some new hybrid camber tech but mainly ride like a camber board.  They might be more catch free but generally, have the same float or only slightly better float than camber.  Here are some common types of mostly camber.

Hybrid Camber

Some call this Rocker/Camber/Rocker but we have been calling this Hybrid Camber before people started calling it RCR so we just stuck with it. These are boards with camber between the feet and rocker after that float well in powder but also have similar properties to a camber board when it comes to stability. They are also more catch free than camber. There are many types but most are similar to hybrid rocker when it comes to having a forgiving feel underfoot.

Many have a balanced amount of camber and rocker but there are also a lot that is mostly rocker with a small camber profile between the feet.

mostly-rocker-hybrid-camber

There is even hybrid camber with a large portion the sides lifted from the tip/tail well into the effective edge. This makes the edges catch free but can also helps with a float.

twin-tbt

Hybrid Rocker

Hybrid Rocker

Some call this Camber/Rocker/Camber CRC but we have been calling it hybrid rocker before CRC came about so we are just sticking with it. This is what we call a snowboard that has rocker in the center and then a camber bend at the tip and tail.  The end result is the tip and tail are still off the ground and only make contact when it’s weighted. It can have a very loose feel similar to continuous rocker in harder snow but in softer snow it can feel more stable than continuous rocker.

There is also Directional Hybrid Rocker

Flat to Rocker

Flat To Rocker

This has a flat spot starting in the middle and ending somewhere before or after the bindings. There are many variations of this shape and they have a design for just about any riding style and shape. You can also see it a lot less directional than the example above.

Flat-Rocker-2

Continuous Rocker

Continuous Rocker

this is the exact opposite of camber. With rocker, the center of the board is usually touching the snow and the nose and tail are usually above the snow.   This technology was re-introduced in 2007.  These designs are very loose, catch-free and very forgiving. They are great for park and powder play, but not great for high-speed mountain riding or carving out a real turn.

Flat Camber

Flat Camber means there is no bend in the board from tip to tail. You don’t see this anymore and its been phased out. If you come across it you will find it’s more unforgiving than flat to rocker and many other hybrid shapes. This is only a little better than full camber.

flat

If this article helped, we’d appreciate it if you: