Every year there are more and more products out there then ever before. Technology is improving gear at an exponential rate and they all promise to improve your riding but can this really be true? In order to get the best gear for you we need to teach you to look past the marketing and focus on the product performance instead. Without further adieu lets get rocking!

Tip 1
The web has tonnes of great offers on gear and lots of useful info but the real trick is in matching your riding style to comparable products they sell. That means we have to know what we are after before we go shopping.

Tip 2
To get more than you paid for out of your gear check out the entry and mid level stuff. Technology that is brought into high tech gear is usually brought into the same companies entry and mid level lines too. Don’t be surprised when lower priced products can give you similar levels of quality.

Tip 3
No matter what someone tells you new boards are impossible to determine how well they will perform for you. You can test the flex and pop of the board without actually riding them. Grab onto the contact points at one end and place the other points on the ground to fell the flex in the center of the board. Don’t just flex from the nose and tail. Rocker boards are tested by setting them down and standing on the inserts to determine where the contact points actually touch compared to other camber types.

Tip 4
Board size is actually important and has changed with the introduction of new cambers and flex patterns. As an example, new rocker boards can decrease the size of board you need by a few centimeters.

Tip 5
Depending on the brand of boot you buy, you can see a 1/4 size or more break in. If you are fully grown then that means getting a boot where the toe gently touches the end. You don’t want a boot that is too big. You don’t want to have any gaps between your calf and shin and you will also want to have a snug feeling from the tongues of the liners. Everyone likes different levels of flex and stiffness in their boots so you are on your own in that one. Spend some time trying different brands on to get the best one for you.

Tip 6
Bindings need to be checked out with the boot you have selected to ensure you don’t have any pressure points. Adjust the bindings to match the size of your boot. Many brands will tell you that their products are best matched together but that doesn’t mean that you can’t mix and match when they aren’t feeling right together.

Follow these tips and save yourself a lot of pain and cash. Saving money when you get your gear can be easy if you know what to say. Local shops should be willing to give you a deal on a boot, board and binding package if you ask for it. Usually its no tax or a free item thrown in. They want your loyalty. Watch for mid to late season deals and you could save big.

Last year spawned a myriad of camber styles from the Pres-Sure Rockqualizer to the Powder S Camber but most inquiring minds want to know how this will help them ride better and just what the hell does it mean. So in this article we are going to have a look over all of the relevant camber types and explain how they will impact you without having to go and ride each one yourself. Here goes…

Classic Camber
This camber we all know as it was on our original boards and remains the most commom style today. Many pro’s stilll rock this camber style. You can tell it by the gap in between the board and the ground when it is laying down flat.

Summed up: Great for riding all mountain riding, lots of pop in it with the charged tail yet is easy to catch an edge with.

Reverse Camber (AKA Rocker)
Newly developed out of the pacific northwest and is famous for its similarity to a banana in shape. The center of the board when laying flat is touching the ground. Makes it great for riding powder since there is no camber to fight with.

Summed up: Good for the park (rails) and powder days, surfy feel (easy to transfer from one edge to the other) with it being easy to press and float over powder, not as much pop as a cambered board and not as stable on edges.

Flat Camber (AKA No Camber)
The flat camber is quite similar to the reverse camber design above except that it feels less surfy and loose. Flat camber is a nice balance between the two as you still get good pop and less catching along the edges.

Summed up: Good all round shape with good balance between rocker and camber, less pop than regular camber and less energy moving between edges.

Pow-Reverse Camber
Think reverse camber supersized for powder riding. Comes with a more extreme rocker compared to more directional models.

Summed up: Made for powder riding, floats well in deep stuff with a nice surfy feel to it, doesn’t do well on hardpack.

Pow-Hybrid Camber
This spices things up for powder boards. Usually there is a camber in between bindings and then becomes a rocker before the front binding.

Summed up: Rocks in powder, gives a surfy feel with the nice addition of a slashy tail, can’t ride switch and makes it tough to land drop offs with shallow tail length. Your typical one hit wonder.

Hybrid Camber
Comparable to the pow-hybrid camber above except this mixes in camber and reverse camber along the board to give you a nice blend between the two.

Summed up: For all mountain riding, float on the pow and no edge catching with pop and stability to boot. Not many cons but should be demoed because you will either love it or hate it.

There you have it. As you can see each board has its merits and you should definitely demo the type of camber that you want to try before purchasing.

Want more?

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