This is such an exciting time for snowboarding. Over the past couple of seasons we have seen snowboard design turned on its head. With the introduction of rocker by many companies instead of traditional cambered boards it has opened up a whole new world of snowboarding, making boards even more fun and more forgiving.

Rocker vs Camber:

It's true that many people have made the switch to rockered boards since their arrival on the scene, but how do you know if rocker is for you?

We'll try and briefly explain some of the differences between rocker and camber, hopefully helping you along the way.

Traditional camber is a mellow rise from the contact points of the tip and tail inwards with an apex in the middle. The downward pressure of a riders weight flattens out the board creating continuous edge contact with the snow and giving the board stability.

Reverse camber or rocker will have an arc in the opposite direction to camber, rising from the middle of the board to the contact points. The amount of rocker and where it is placed varies between brands, however this style of board has a much looser feel, works amazingly in powder, for presses, ollie better and offer an extremely forgiving ride. One downside is that this style of board will not have as much stability as a board with camber. Examples are Lib Tech/Gnu' s banana traction, Burton V Rocker, Ride Lowrise rocker and K2 Jib rocker.

Flat camber will be flush on a level surface and helps to create a loose and catch free ride, similar to reverse camber but with a little more stability.

Rocker/Camber combination is something we are seeing much more of. A good example of this is the Burton Flying V, Nitro Gullwing or the C2 banana from Mervin manufacturing. The board has a rise from the middle towards the tips, then often from the bindings to the contact points they have a small amount of camber. This combination provides the best of both worlds making it easier to ollie, better to press, more floaty in powder and also gives the board more stability like a traditional cambered board.

Another exciting snowboard technology is the patented Triple Base Technology from Bataleon snowboards. As they put it, "The best thing to happen to snowboards since edges". Using camber and putting a bend from edge to edge at the tip and tail of the board, giving the stable cambered feel whilst loosening the tips for a more playful feel.

Burton's Channel and Est binding system is another breakthrough in board/binding technology. This combination gives you unlimited stance positions and amazing board feel. Get a foot of fresh overnight? You'll have your stance adjusted and be shred ready in no time.