I have been buying 5150 "Stroke"s and Morrow "RV"s (they are the same board, or were in past years) on clearance at the end of the season for a while. I have a few set up for different uses, a beater, ski hill board, and a SwitchBlade board, each moving a notch down as they start to look tired. All of my boards are 164cm and I like the tight sidecut radius for low wind slashing. I will admit that when keeping up with my kiteskier friend, the tight sidecut takes a lot of attention at the edge to keep set and efficiently locked in. But I love these boards and they have kept me happy on everything from powdery terrain to rough ice at the end of the season when the snow is all gone, and I have not demolished one completely - yet. I had no intention of changing anything on the boards I ride.
But I just received my latest addition, a 2010? 5150 "Stroke" to my "all the same board" quiver and had a big surprise. When I looked to check out the camber, it wasn't there. Then I read the sticker and saw the logo for the RadRocker. This board specs out the exact same as previous years Morrow "RV" and 5150 "Stroke" boards, but they changed the camber to a rocker. Without serious straight edge examination, it looks like the center section is flat and the board curves up slightly before it gets to the normal tip curve. The bottom width, length, and thickness match my other boards exactly - except for the rocker.
I do not need to put this board into service immediately, but I set it up with some old ratchet bindings anyway. Can anyone give me an idea of what to use this board for? Will it be noticeably better in powder? Should I use it on the local ski hill park when there is no wind (there is no kite park anywhere near I live)? Any body else go from a traditional sidecut radius camber board to a traditional sidecut radius board with rocker?
Snowboard with rocker instead of camber
Moderator: MK
Re: Snowboard with rocker instead of camber
So here I am answering my own post again, but I do have a review of the above board in question.
Jan 31, 2011
I had a chance to test my 2011 (it is this years, or new for the fall 2010/winter 2011 season) 5150 “Stroke” 164cm board with “RadRocker” against my identical 2010 Morrow “RV” 164cm with regular camber. Again, the Morrow “RV” and the 5150 “Stroke” are the same board, just different paint and this years models of both now have camber instead of rocker. I had installed my old 2 pairs of Lamar MX25 identical bindings at identical settings on both the last years Morrow with camber and this years 5150 with rocker. I really missed the old Lamar ratchet bindings that I used to use, but I have followed the hype and moved onto Flow “Flight 2’s”. I may switch back after this test, but that is another topic. Both boards have also never been used. I did wax them according to Racewax.com’s instructions using their warm wax to clean then putting Dakine “Nitrous” all temp wax on them. I also set the edges to 1degree base and 1degree side (or 89degree side). So the only difference was the paint and the rocker/camber
I wound up having an 11-13mph day near Spirit Lake, IA on the softest powder that I have ever seen. The snow ranged from 6 inches of powder over a sometimes crusty base, to 14inches of powder over a soft base depending on where you were on the terrain. There was, as in most WMA’s, grass sticking out of the snow ranging from being able to completely ignore it, to having to pay some attention to it. It was snowing big light flakes when we went out. The terrain was great with good gentle hills and a big, steep 50footer on the farthest downwind section. I used my biggest kites, a 12.5 Montana 5 and a 12.5 Montana 6. The wind was jumpable in certain areas due to the terrain, but mostly I was underpowered for such deep powder and my weight being 215lbs.
To make it even, I took one board out for a reach then came back and switched boards for the next reach. I did this 4 times for each board before I started to explore the better terrain and stay on one board for a long period of time.
The preconceived notions -
1. The day was going to be too light to have fun on a rockered board
2. I would rather have the supposed better grip of the cambered board at slow speeds
3. Upwind could be a problem with rockered board
4. The rockered board should have less tendancy to “nose” into the snow so I could lean forward more
The findings –
1. The rockered board seemed to be faster in the lulls than the cambered board
2. The rockered board did have less grip, but I actually preferred the feeling since it seemed to help by letting me go faster while turning
3. There was no noticeable difference in upwind performance
4. The rockered board did have less tendency to nose in at the beginning but then I realized this, got cocky and stood more upright, and nosed the rockered board in for some major crashes
Over all, I preferred the rockered board over the cambered board in these conditions and I chose to finish the day on the rockered board. I have some concerns as to why I was nosing in on the rockered board but not the cambered board. But I think that is mostly me.
It was a stroke of luck that I brought both boards and had, almost by accident, set them up identically. I did not intend to test these boards against each other on this day or ever. But now I believe half of hype on rockered boards for powder. If they are still good on packed snow, I may have a few boards for sale.
Feb 02, 2011
I took both boards out in under powered conditions with soft powder in the valleys, windblown hard pack on the back sides and crusted snow on the exposed faces. Since the wind was gusting over 30 the day before (I chickened out and took a rest day), there were lots of soft drifts to jump off of and to climb up going the other way. The day was light all around but I did kite some places that I had never been before. The rockered 5150 board was awesome at poping up the drifts without nosing into them at the lip. The rockered board won hands down today too. Tomorrow I may not use the cambered board at all at a new place I scouted because nearly all of it is soft and deep. These are the best conditions of the whole year. Spirit Lake has the goods right now.
Jan 31, 2011
I had a chance to test my 2011 (it is this years, or new for the fall 2010/winter 2011 season) 5150 “Stroke” 164cm board with “RadRocker” against my identical 2010 Morrow “RV” 164cm with regular camber. Again, the Morrow “RV” and the 5150 “Stroke” are the same board, just different paint and this years models of both now have camber instead of rocker. I had installed my old 2 pairs of Lamar MX25 identical bindings at identical settings on both the last years Morrow with camber and this years 5150 with rocker. I really missed the old Lamar ratchet bindings that I used to use, but I have followed the hype and moved onto Flow “Flight 2’s”. I may switch back after this test, but that is another topic. Both boards have also never been used. I did wax them according to Racewax.com’s instructions using their warm wax to clean then putting Dakine “Nitrous” all temp wax on them. I also set the edges to 1degree base and 1degree side (or 89degree side). So the only difference was the paint and the rocker/camber
I wound up having an 11-13mph day near Spirit Lake, IA on the softest powder that I have ever seen. The snow ranged from 6 inches of powder over a sometimes crusty base, to 14inches of powder over a soft base depending on where you were on the terrain. There was, as in most WMA’s, grass sticking out of the snow ranging from being able to completely ignore it, to having to pay some attention to it. It was snowing big light flakes when we went out. The terrain was great with good gentle hills and a big, steep 50footer on the farthest downwind section. I used my biggest kites, a 12.5 Montana 5 and a 12.5 Montana 6. The wind was jumpable in certain areas due to the terrain, but mostly I was underpowered for such deep powder and my weight being 215lbs.
To make it even, I took one board out for a reach then came back and switched boards for the next reach. I did this 4 times for each board before I started to explore the better terrain and stay on one board for a long period of time.
The preconceived notions -
1. The day was going to be too light to have fun on a rockered board
2. I would rather have the supposed better grip of the cambered board at slow speeds
3. Upwind could be a problem with rockered board
4. The rockered board should have less tendancy to “nose” into the snow so I could lean forward more
The findings –
1. The rockered board seemed to be faster in the lulls than the cambered board
2. The rockered board did have less grip, but I actually preferred the feeling since it seemed to help by letting me go faster while turning
3. There was no noticeable difference in upwind performance
4. The rockered board did have less tendency to nose in at the beginning but then I realized this, got cocky and stood more upright, and nosed the rockered board in for some major crashes
Over all, I preferred the rockered board over the cambered board in these conditions and I chose to finish the day on the rockered board. I have some concerns as to why I was nosing in on the rockered board but not the cambered board. But I think that is mostly me.
It was a stroke of luck that I brought both boards and had, almost by accident, set them up identically. I did not intend to test these boards against each other on this day or ever. But now I believe half of hype on rockered boards for powder. If they are still good on packed snow, I may have a few boards for sale.
Feb 02, 2011
I took both boards out in under powered conditions with soft powder in the valleys, windblown hard pack on the back sides and crusted snow on the exposed faces. Since the wind was gusting over 30 the day before (I chickened out and took a rest day), there were lots of soft drifts to jump off of and to climb up going the other way. The day was light all around but I did kite some places that I had never been before. The rockered 5150 board was awesome at poping up the drifts without nosing into them at the lip. The rockered board won hands down today too. Tomorrow I may not use the cambered board at all at a new place I scouted because nearly all of it is soft and deep. These are the best conditions of the whole year. Spirit Lake has the goods right now.
Last edited by Matt V on Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Snowboard with rocker instead of camber
Hey Matt
i have a lib tech skate banana, really like the reverse camber, the lib tech board i have has whats called magna traction, seems to me that i can really hold a good edge with it yet its loose if you want it, nice review. good to hear about differnt gear. I wonder how the combo camber an rocker boards feel.
rick
i have a lib tech skate banana, really like the reverse camber, the lib tech board i have has whats called magna traction, seems to me that i can really hold a good edge with it yet its loose if you want it, nice review. good to hear about differnt gear. I wonder how the combo camber an rocker boards feel.
rick
Re: Snowboard with rocker instead of camber
I am sold on reverse camber boards. I just ordered another 5150 "Stroke" and I am going to shelve one of the old cambered boards to pirate the bindings off of. This board helped me do some stuff that I have not been able to on my cambered boards. I was able to pop up and grind muskrat dens and kite the face of some steep & soft windlips on the first try. Maybe this board will become too easy in the future, but for now I am in love with it.
Update Feb 7, 2011
Yesterday I used the rockered board exclusively at a WMA north of Superior, IA. This is one of the best terrain spots that I have ever come across. Lots of steep hills, windlips hard and soft, ponds to jump off of dams, deep powder in some valleys great for trying the stuff you know you cannot land, and a great local kiteskier who kind of pushes me to stay out past when I am ready to chicken out.
I am not interested in even trying to use the cambered boards anymore. The rockered board does everything I want and need it to on the hard or soft stuff. And the second rockered board is soon to arrive.
Update Feb 11 2011
Tried the cambered board with the SwitchBlade on it because I wanted to get some riding on the beaver ponds where there was a decent amount of glare ice. The wind was forecast to be really light, but Buffalo Ridge rarely disappoints. The SwitchBlade made the board feel even weirder but the wind came up and the jumping session was on. I focused all of my jumps on the deep snow (24"+) and did notice that I was nosing in a lot with the cambered board. I kind of feel that this is due to me getting used to the rockered board and riding it most of the time. I am planning on keeping the SwitchBlade on the old rockered boards unless I hear different from the SwitchBlades maker.
The End
Update Feb 7, 2011
Yesterday I used the rockered board exclusively at a WMA north of Superior, IA. This is one of the best terrain spots that I have ever come across. Lots of steep hills, windlips hard and soft, ponds to jump off of dams, deep powder in some valleys great for trying the stuff you know you cannot land, and a great local kiteskier who kind of pushes me to stay out past when I am ready to chicken out.
I am not interested in even trying to use the cambered boards anymore. The rockered board does everything I want and need it to on the hard or soft stuff. And the second rockered board is soon to arrive.
Update Feb 11 2011
Tried the cambered board with the SwitchBlade on it because I wanted to get some riding on the beaver ponds where there was a decent amount of glare ice. The wind was forecast to be really light, but Buffalo Ridge rarely disappoints. The SwitchBlade made the board feel even weirder but the wind came up and the jumping session was on. I focused all of my jumps on the deep snow (24"+) and did notice that I was nosing in a lot with the cambered board. I kind of feel that this is due to me getting used to the rockered board and riding it most of the time. I am planning on keeping the SwitchBlade on the old rockered boards unless I hear different from the SwitchBlades maker.
The End