Camber Vs Rocker.....what is the difference?

What is camber anyways you might be asking yourself? Camber is what gives your skis the bow shape throughout the middle of the ski. This shape gives you the best edge hold and carving ability on groomed hard pack surfaces. The camber also gives skis the rebound out of your turn, the kick back. 

Reverse Camber or Rocker is the exact opposite of that shape (think more like a banana). This provides the obvious benefit of floating in deep snow as the shape naturally will make the ski climb to the top while moving forward.  The trade off of course would be holding and edge and carving on a groomed run.  To counter that negative there have been many new types of reverse camber created which will blend the benefits of camber and rocker to create a whole new ski experience.

The profile above uses reverse camber in the tip (a.k.a. early rise rocker)  and traditional camber under the middle of the ski.  The early rise shovel will allow the ski to climb and float in powder and make the ski more maneuverable in bumps and woods.  Roll the ski on edge however and you will end up with traditional edge contact and carving ability. This shape is a great choice for a one ski quiver.

This shape uses reverse camber in the shovel and tail while once again using traditional camber underfoot. This will make the ski very quick in the bumps and woods as very little ski will be touching the snow. There is some carving ability as there is camber underfoot but definitely is starting to be a little more shaky at high speeds on groomed trails.

This shape above is full reverse camber. This will perform the best in deep soft snow as it will act like a water ski and surf along the snow. Try to carve this on a hard pack groomed run however and you will be wishing the thought had never crossed your mind. 

The choices may seem confusing at first but simply determine what terrain you like and there will be a reverse camber ski to suite your needs!

Winter Will Come!

I will be the first to admit that this has been an unusually slow start to our ski season in Northern Vermont, however, do not get discouraged. The fact of the matter is last season started out very similar. We got one storm in early December then it all melted off by New Years Day.  We hold our annual staff ski and ride day each year on New Years and last year we were stuck to just the man made snow while we looked at grass on all of our favorite natural snow runs! We were all thinking the worst of the season at hand. Come the second week of Januray the snow started and it did not seem to stop until late April! We skied lines at Mad River Glen that only become skiable with a great snow depth well into early April. Sugarbush and Jay Peak had snow packs into early May!  So fear not, take some laps on the mand made mayhem to warm up the legs and keep the faith, the snow will come!

Check Out This Video From Last Winter!

Cold Feet? Warm them up!

It's the question everyone asks.....are these boots warm? Of course you need to have the correct ski socks which wick the moisture away from your skin, and you need to keep your boots warm. This means not sticking them in the trunk overnight, or even in the trunk on the way to the mountain. Once a cold boot, always a cold boot.  If you follow those proper procedures and still are snapping icicle off your toes at the end of the day, well then there is only one solution....get some heaters! Hotronic's are the answer to everyone comfort. They can be installed in any footwear but of course we love to put them in ski and snowboard boots. These puppies can turn your cold and miserable day on the slopes into a dream come true. The saying goes, make the feet happy and everyone else will be happy!

Buy Hotronics Here!