The camber comeback! (not that it went anywhere)

Intro

Ah camber…a friend to those who crave edge-hold, stability, and pop….and an enemy to those striving to learn, as catching an edge seems ever more likely with every millimeter added to its apex. This snowboard profile has an oscillating history of popularity and modification. It was there at the genesis of snowboard design, became a staple profile in the design process, and is making a comeback in popularity today. This article will dive into what camber is, how it works, its history, and how its mechanical advantages impact snowboard technology and design today.

Clip from “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”. If you haven’t seen it yet, you are missing out on some comedic gold.

What is camber

Camber is simply defined as a slight arch, bend, or upward curve in the middle of a member; or otherwise described as a slightly convex shape. Basically, the shape of a frown, and the more millimeters of height that you add to the apex of that curve, the more camber you have.

But why? Why were snowboards designed with camber? How does it work? and what’s all the hype about?

How does it work

In short, camber has been so popular over the years because of the mechanical advantages this shape provides. I’ll explain:

When you place a board with camber onto a flat surface, the net movement and energy of this “system” is zero, as nothing is moving, and there is no stored energy(the “system” in this example is the board and the surface). Now when you add mass to the center of the board, introducing the mass to our “system”, gravity will pull on that mass and create a downward force through the center of the board.

If the force of gravity exceeds the strength, or rather deformation resistance force, present in the boards material, then the board material must “flex.” This is due to the equal and opposite forces exhibited by gravity and the flat surface, basically sandwiching the board between two opposing forces. This “flex” is called elastic deformation, where the cambered board will now change its shape (or profile) temporarily due to the applied forces. The new shape, or profile, is a flat board as the cambered board elastically deforms to match the profile, of the flat surface below it.

If the boards material has a low elastic modulus (like wood), it can elastically deform quite a ways under relatively low force before permanently deforming (known as plastic deformation). Materials with a higher elastic modulus (like ceramic) are typically more rigid and won’t deform as much, even under a larger force, before breaking or failing altogether.

For this article, let’s assume the board material has an elastic modulus that allows the board to flex into a flat profile without permanent damage or deformation.

Now a few big things have already happened here, so let’s start with pressure.

During this “flex” process, the force of gravity was transferred into the boards material to flex it. The surplus force was transferred down to the points where the cambered board touches the flat surface below, concentrating all of that gravitational force into those contact points. Before the board elasticly (temporarily) deforms, the contact points where the cambered board touches the flat surface have a small contact area.

As the board elastically deforms into a flat profile, the contact area that the board has with the flat surface gets larger and larger until the entire board’s underside surface is in contact with the flat surface below. Creating a larger surface area to disperse the applied force.

Keep in mind the formula for pressure is force divided by area (P = F / A). Therefore, as the board starts to flex under a consistent force, all of that force, in the beginning, acts at the small areas of the contact points, creating a large amount of pressure at those points. As that area grows larger as the board “flattens,” the applied force remains the same and becomes evenly distributed across the larger area of the entire underside surface of the board. Thus, decreasing the pressure at any given point.

This is the 1st mechanical advantage of camber:

It allows the rider to apply greater pressure directly to their contact points through the camber shape alone.

With us so far? Good!

The next big thing happening here is energy.

With the board now in a perfectly flat position, the equal and opposite forces of gravity and the flat surface sandwiching the board are in balance. The net movement of this “system” is zero. However, the net energy of this system is sky-high. The board itself now has stored energy in the material as its elastic properties want to return the material to its original cambered profile. Meaning that the mass located at the center of the board can be removed with less force than its natural force of gravity as the stored energy in the board will assist in “pushing” the mass upwards until the board has returned to its original cambered shape. In short, the camber shape combined with the board’s elastic material properties allows us to “steal” energy provided by the force of gravity and “store” it inside the board itself, just by standing on it.

This brings us to the 2nd mechanical advantage of camber:

It stores energy that the rider can use to reduce the effort needed to jump and turn, which can also be used to jump higher and turn harder than could be done without camber.

This translates to stability and a smoother ride as well, as that stored energy helps lift the rider slightly up off of the snows surface, minimizing felt impacts, bumps, and chatter from hard, uneven terrain.

The ability to store energy even allows the board to absorb micro-vibrations, reducing foot and leg fatigue when riding.

This is one of the convienient times in life when you can get more out than you put in. Design engineers have known about the mechanical advantages of camber for years which is why you see it used in bridges, truck beds, skis, suspension systems, structural members in buildings, etc. Now that we have established what camber is and how it works, let’s run through a brief history of its application in snowboarding.

Camber History

Even back to the shapeless snurfers, camber was soon applied and used as the superior profile for early snowboard designs. This makes sense, as stated above; it was a tried and true design method. This original type of camber was referred to as Full Camber, meaning it spanned the board's full length. This was the standard for years, hence the affectionately coined term “Traditional Full Camber” or just “Traditional Camber.”

Traditional Camber was typically paired with a stiffer flexing board. This was likely due, in part, to the smaller range of materials that were readily available for board construction at the time. Additionally, a stiffer material will typically store more energy, deliver better response, and be more durable, which would have been a more attractive design option. Lastly, many resorts were still rudely refusing service to boarders, making the nicely groomed runs out of reach, or at least a bit of a “social hassle” to ride. Boarders were left to fend for themselves, often riding more chunky, deep, and/or icy snow. This would have also made a stiffer, more stable, all-mountain-friendly board the more optimal design choice.

As snowboarding gained popularity and more resorts realized they could make money off these knuckle-dragging heathens, boarders were soon allowed to ride at most resorts. Snowboarding thus became more mainstream, and more riders were exposed to the joys of riding camber.

The main disadvantage to traditional camber is the greater risk of a “hooky” feeling or the possibility of “catching an edge.” With those contact points forced down into the snow, the rider has to be mindful to only engage them when intended (sidecut plays a role in this as well, but that is a story for another time). If the contact points engage the snow unintentionally, on the downhill edge for example, then the edge can “catch”. Which can forcefully whip any rider straight into the ground with epic visual effects for onlookers.

Those learning to snowboard are often plagued by this risk of catching an edge, and even advanced riders must remain cautious. A classic toe edge catch can lead into a position known as “the scorpion”. Even looking at the examples of it below hurt my face.

Although boards continued to advance over the years with new tech like metal edges, improved sidecuts, shorter lengths, better materials, etc., the camber profile stayed mostly the same and was still the “hot thing” through the 90s. That is until 2006, when Lib Tech flipped the camber world upside down, literally, with their infamous surf and skate-inspired, rockered Skate Banana Snowboard.

The revolutionary introduction of a softer flexing, rockered snowboard changed everything as riders showcased their newfound abilities to butter, press, float in powder, perform flat-ground tricks without the slightest risk of catching an edge, and “surf” the whole mountain!

The rocker revolution shook the snowboarding community and then took it by storm as almost all brands began incorporating some form of rocker into their designs. One company in particular that ran with this design revolution was Arbor, as even today they provide a full line of rockered snowboards. Rockered designs became popular with beginners as the prospect of not “scorpion-ing” was quite alluring. It was popular with park rats who wanted that playful, skate-like feel when jibbing and pressing. And it was popular with powder hounds who wanted that smooth, effortless float while riding the white wave.

Click image for the full video from Lib Tech on the history and development of the Skate Banana!

I was in high school when this revolution hit, and I remember the stoke being off the charts as rockered boards were all the rage. K2 came out with their take, a powder board called the Gyrator. I was nuts to buy that deck and wanted to experience the powder “surf” feeling everyone was talking about.

However, the limits of rockered boards were soon discovered. They tended to have less pop, edge hold, and stability than cambered boards. So, with the industry’s influx of energy and creativity, designers started experimenting more with rockered profiles as well as developing hybrids of camber and rocker. In efforts to improve the design and see what else was possible.

This led to years of boards designed with all kinds of creative new profiles, such as camrock, directional camber, flat-to-rocker, system rocker, double-camber, back-seat camber, Lib Tech’s C2x profile(showcased on their popular Orca snowboard), rocker hybrid, and more. All with their own pros and cons that can be customized and geared towards various riding style and needs.

Check out some visual profile examples below. FYI, a “hybrid profile” can typically mean any combination of rocker and camber; snowboarders have never been great at naming things consistently.

Even more extreme profiles, such as Never Summer’s rocker dominant triple camber, have hit the market today. Showcased on their popular freeride snowboard, the Valhalla. Their triple camber works and does rail a turn, but we might be venturing into “lasagna noodle” terrain with this one. This explosion of creativity even helped lead to the addition of 3D shaping into snowboard design. Made popular on Jones boards with spoon tech (like on the Jones Flagship) and Bataleon boards with 3BT (like on the Bataleon Evil Twin). Mitigating the risk of catching an edge even more while simultaneously improving playfulness, powder float, and carving fluidity.

With all this new development, the camber community started to feel a little neglected and unappreciated. Yet, camber never fully disappeared. The profile remained popular on park boards, freeride boards, and everything in between.

Designers attempted to replicate the pop from camber by integrating new materials like carbon or bamboo rods, strategically embedded into board cores. They also tried to replicate the edge hold from camber with new tech such as magne traction or grip tech (extra contact points along the edges). They even took a swing at replicating the stability of camber with hybrid profiles and new space-age core materials. But nothing ever rode quite the same as a cambered deck. Thus, it persists to this day as a reliable design choice with guaranteed performance results.

Camber Today

Today, camber seems to be making a bit of a comeback. The rocker revolution was, without a doubt, a huge benefit for snowboard technology, pushing the design and performance limits. However, many riders who have been riding rockered or flat boards for years are trying full camber and/or camber dominant profiles for the first time and are blown away by the performance. Resulting in riders making the switch to these full camber or camber dominant profiles with a vow to never go back. Adding to the overall 90s style comeback that the industry has been seeing over the past few seasons.

One truly popular profile in this comeback revolution, other than full camber, is the camrock profile. Which delivers the benefits of camber in a slightly more forgiving package. Ideal for those rides who are not quite ready to fully send it back into the 90s world of traditional camber.

I’ve talked to a few riders who feel companies like Arbor are actually falling behind, as they still only offer full camber or full rocker profile options, with no hybrids in sight.

Lib Tech has sold primarily hybrid and rocker-profiled boards for years. Yet, even they, the ones who brought rocker to the market, are noticing the shift in demand. And for the 2024/2025 season, they are now offering full camber options, with rumors of 6 new camber options in total. One board for sure that will have a new camber profile option is the Lib Tech Skunk Ape, their “Big Guy’s Dreamboard.” Now even your sasquatch friends can haul ass, lay a trench, and ollie over a VW Bug at your local resort next season.

Camber profile on the 2025 Lib Tech Skunk Ape

I personally learned to ride on camber but later switched to a LowRize rockered Ride DH2.2 during the rocker era, which I loved and still own! But once I got back on cambered/camber dominant boards like the DC Media Blitz, Capita Super DOA, and Telos Backslash, I was reconverted to the world of camber. I love the pop, stability, and edge hold this profile offers. It fits my style better and enables me to send it harder in the park, piste, and pow. With that said, I am not anti-rocker. I believe rocker-dominant boards are still fantastic options for beginners, pow hunters, jibbers, and, honestly, anyone who has a more free and playful riding style.

Conclusion

Overall, I am stoked to see camber making a comeback. The rocker-heavy detour that the industry took was needed and for the best. It helped lead us to the golden age of snowboarding tech that we are in today. An age where we can customize designs for exactly the ride we want. And with camber back at the forefront of the industry, we can keep tweaking camber designs to elevate further what snowboards and riders can do.

One small example is the combination of camber between the feet, with a big rockered nose, 3D shaping, grip tech, and a little taper, creating a freeride board that floats like a dream yet carves up icy hardpack. A phenomenal camber-dominant design achievement for snowboarding! (and we haven’t even gotten into volume-shifting or core designs yet!).

So whether you’re on team camber or team rocker, combining these two design ideas, in tandem with modern materials, tech, and manufacturing, is a technological gift for the snowboard community. One that keeps giving, and getting better season after season. Like it or not, camber is back and better than ever!

On behalf of Slash Board Shop, I’d like to say, “Thank you camber, and welcome back! Not that you went anywhere”. 😉