The Reverse Camber Revolution might have taken center stage as the most amazing advancement in technology since, well since ever, but there’s been a quiet revolution lurking in the wings. One that most people haven’t paid too much attention too. Now as the new snow season is about to hit us it’s time to look at what’s going on with the bottom shape of our boards.Playing around with base shapes isn’t anything new, the most publicized model from back in the day was the Morrow Spoon with its scooped out nose and tail. But if you look even further back I’m sure you’ll probably find something from Winterstick or Barfoot that had some kind of shape tweak to it as well. So what’s the newest technology on the block as we move into the second decade of the 21st century?
Burtons Scoop Tech isn’t anything that hasn’t been done it just plays on what Morrow started with the Spoon in the 90’s. By making the tip and tail base bowl up (like a spoon) so the edges at the contact points are elevated it allows for you to roll in and out of turns easier without the edge bite. Playing on what they’ve done with their Scoop Tech they’ve created the Mid Spoon. This center spoon raises up the edges between the bindings giving you less edge catch when sliding on a jib and changes how you lock in on a carve.
Bataleon Snowboards got their start on their design a little bit differently as evidenced by this video.
The concept is sound, raise the edges up at the tip and tail so you change the arc of the carve but keep the center flat when charging. It does roll on edge a lot easier than a regular flat cambered board, but one thing to note is that depending on the amount of TBT you can get a drag factor when skidding a turn or on different snow conditions. When jibbing catching your edge on a rail or box becomes diminished because the contact points are off the snow, this also reduces drag when flat basing.
Utilizing their own concept to raise your edge is Omatic with their B.S. (Bowed Surface) Technology. Running the full contact length of the board and starting one inch in from the edge and beveling up. This gives the board a wider flat spot but with a shorter amount of side to side rocker that lets it get up on edge. Railing turns turns becomes effortless due to you can steer right from underfoot and roll it over. Edge catching also becomes a thing of the past.
Nitro’s concept is called the Drifter Base. It started I want to say with the T1 Youth Brigade or something in that time frame. What it does is raise the edge up minimally starting one inch in, but instead of using an abrupt straight angle like TBT or B.S. Tech it’s more subtle and slowly contours up. Riding you’re not really going to notice it when on edge, but jibbing it’s just enough to give you a little bonus when going through a kink.
Everyone should be familiar with Lib Techs Banana Technology. Pretty much the greatest marketing campaign to ever save snowboarding. What most people don’t know is that it’s actually not a plush rocker, the sides do bevel up slightly. Whether it’s a result of the mold or done on purpose I don’t know. But it does fit into the idea that the boards really are banana shaped in every essence.
Going with a different blend of technologies is Forum with their Combo Platter and Butter Cups. Combo Platter sits right under your foot by the inserts and raises the edges up like a TBT or B.S. Tech. This gives less edge catch when buttering or jibbing around but on edge still allows it to grip or so Forum says, honestly I don’t believe this. As for Butter Cups those are in the nose and tail and provide a lifted flat surface almost hull like effect that raise the contact points off the ground and give it a more buttery feel. But like combo platter I haven’t seen it work 100% as it says it does, although in pow it might be amazing.
Now one that doesn’t get much mention is the old boat hull design. Original Sin/Dynastar had this on the 4807 model and I’ve seen it pop up on various other swallow tails over the years. But much like the front end of your wakeboard boat that’s what this looks like. Cutting through deep pow it would plow a wake of snow like no other, other that I honestly didn’t notice any real benefits like other designs.
Tweaking the shapes of bases while nothing new is just going to get more interesting as this rocker/scoop trend continues because I fully believe they’re tied hand in hand. Everyone that I’ve mentioned has it’s pros and cons. They also change the way we’ve learned to believe a board rides. But I say fuck it throw some caution to the wind and check things out.
13 Comments
Nice write up. You are so good at covering all the technical aspects of boarding. I rode the Omatic last season, really enjoyed that board although lacking the energy I usually like in a board. Still it was hands down the funnest board for me last season.
I hopped on that O’sin at demo when it came out. Choppy March slush= cracked nose after two runs. I have an Atomic Split board now that rides very similar.(noddley nose and tail)
I see this being amazing on boxes and rails…. but surface grinds I imagine may be a little more expensive and you would need to find someone that really knows what they are doing to handle the base contour… A few messed up bases and you could see some shops not offering grinds to these boards.
Also, increased surface area… is there a tendency for a slightly more narrow board to make up for it or does the contour counter the width and actually make it easier to turn? (Based on the idea that the more narrow a board is, the easier it is to move edge to edge causing less leg fatigue).
Is this base shape disregarded on powder oriented boards? I’m curious to know if the slight dip would give it less float. It doesn’t seem like it would be useful on a powder board since the edges become less important and the float-ability is most important.
I’d love to see some response to this in that I find this really interesting but not for the 1 board quiver kind of person.
Certain ones are good on boxes others are just horrid. Mid scoop from Burton not fun, combo platter dear god worst thing I’ve ever ridden, TBT is good, B.S. Tech absolutely amazing. In pow it actually helps with all of them due to creating a hull like effect .
As far as tuning them you just have to know how to run it over the belt and it’s fine. I’ve tuned my Bataleons fine, my omatics were a piece of cake, I’d like to try a Forum with combo platter though, hell I can run MTX on a belt and tune it even though Mervin claims you can’t. It’s just having the ability to realize how to do things.
I was thinking the burton an omatic with the bow running the whole length of the board could open up some grind possibilities. Like 50/50’s but dipped the nose or tail for the whole length of the grind like a smith or that other grind. It be like butcher grinds for bmx. Like it might be possible to lock smiths with that, might just keep the edge clear enough.
You have to wonder if anyone is experimenting with surfboard base shapes for powder boards?
Most surfboards have concave in the nose for lift. Powder snow must behave a litle like water?
It’s funny, after watching those videos, I read the rest of the article in that robot Bataleon voice.
This made me want to buy a board from Bataleon’s new 2011 line.
I’m thinking the Fun Kink?
Great article.
I actually think that TBT is one of the best advances in Snowboard design over the last decade, and one that will have a lasting influence once a lot of these alternative camber shapes have been consigned to the same bin as baseless bindings and killer loops interchangeable tips.
One of the big selling points, according to various brands, of reverse camber is that it makes your ride more catch free, however this is something TBT achieves without having to compromise the performance of the board in other areas, most notably snap and stability. You get all the benefits of a cambered board, and a true catch free ride.
Interestingly the TBT that Bataleon employs, was originally designed for downhill race skis – it didnt take off, but Bataleon successfully translated it to snowboarding. Many people think of TBT as being something designed to aid jibbing, as that is the design reasoning behind many similar base shapes, but TBT is a revelation on Bataleons all mountain sticks, as the edge grip and carving ability it gives the boards is something else.
The TBT shape allows you to put more pressure through the edges, negating the need for fancy shapes and designs, and resulting in edge hold as good if not better than MTX/PDE or similar IMO. The added freestyle ability of the boards is a great side effect of this.
Alternative camber has its place, most notably in Powder where there are some brilliant new shapes, and for jibbing though i can say that RC jib boards are a huge advance over softer jib boards of old.
I would say this, TBT is not something you can ride for a couple of hours and get a handle on – the first day on my Evil Twin i thought to myself that i had made a big mistake, but then it clicked and there was no looking back.
Over the last couple of years i have put serious time into riding many of the shapes out there, mostly on a Yes Asym, TRice C2 BTX, K2 Slayblade and Gyrator. This year i have gone for a Bataleon Jam, because it gives me the power and snap of camber, but the TBT allows me to be lazy when i want, carve like a T6, butter about when i want, but most importantly rail it over the whole hill, and hit big jumps with confidence.
[…] Bataleon is actually Norwegian, the boards are made in Austria. I also have the Bataleon Goliath '11 model and I love it. If you have a friend's board you could borrow, or locate a shop where you could demo a board, go for it! But bear in mind, it is quite different than your normal board, so it will feel weird at first. Give it 3-4 runs and see if you like it. There is a small writeup on the TBT technology here: The Angry Snowboarder Blog Archive Base Technologies Explained […]
i actually had the pleasure of riding last years bataleon fun kink 161 on pow. i had a great time. The tbt is amazing really a fun board . needs a little getting used to but hey most new boards do .
I think the triple base is overkill, the concept works, but its too much. Like “rocker” it will make you slide around more than use your edges, and yeah its true you wont catch your edges but you wont be able to use them nearly as well. I guess it all depends on your riding style too, this and rocker would be fun and work really well in pow, and probably be fun playing around at slow speeds, but when you just wanna book it, or go huge on a jump you wont have the control and stability you need!
But like i said the concept is good, and other brands are getting into this stuff too, like Contract Snowboards which uses T.R.I.P tech which lifts the edges just a tad between the contact points and the tip, so its catch free and easier turning, but its not overkill like TBT. Contract also has the sickest new tech out there, called 3D Snake Transition, Its by far the best board tech i have come across yet! Because unlike rocker and combo cambers, its a totally new technology, the other techs are just fads that come and go. Snake tech is waves in the board, that is added to whatever camber the board has (rocker, flat, or camber) and what it does is make the board more flexible and at the same time giving it more torsional rigidity, translation: its fun and flexy like a park board, but stable and powerful like a free-ride board. it pretty much eliminates the need for a quiver of boards!
My brother bought a Contract Cobra when Contract first released their USA lineup at the beginning of this season, and i was hooked the first time i tried it! it is the funnest board i have ever ridden in my life! it handles everything amazing, has great pop, no chatter at high speeds, locks into landings crazy good, and turns easy, but what i was really impressed with is how insanely light it is! no other board comes close. Its really the only board that’s impressed in every aspect of riding! and will definitely be my next board!
Oh if anyone is interested in Contracts board tech that i mentioned in the previous post, here is a link:
http://www.contractsnowboards.com/?p=Technology
and if you just wanna check out the boards go to the USA website:
http://www.contractsnowboardsusa.com/
or facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Contract-Snowboards-USA/209980945748648
TBT is the truth! I feel like it is better in pretty much every way. It is not overkill, in fact its pretty subtle. Some of the softer bataleons might not carve well (doubt it) but my jam snowboard is the fastest, hardest carving board i have ever ridden short of a race board. The flat section between the feet is crucial, u might not need alot of edge in contact going straight, but u need some, and u just have the straightest part of the edge in contact it making it really stable. The design gives it the easy turn initiation of rocker with the carving power of full camber. It makes really tight radius turns without scrubbing. It also makes the board incredibly quick edge to edge. The boat hull like design also makes it bust through chop without getting kicked around. But its only a 3 degree bevel so as soon as u lean it the full edge is in contact, as soon as u are trying to turn significantly u have enough edge to do so. Butters and spins are way easier. Some people complain that they are hard to get used to but i was killin it like never before from the first run! Its so confidence inspiring. it has all the forgiveness of rocker with the power of camber. As far as I’m concerned all other boards are obsolete now.
why am I guessing Micah works for Contact? Anyway, I’m also a TBT rider. I first tried it back in 2008, after reading a good review by no other than Angry, himself. The fact that it’s 3 separate flat bases on one board and not just a constant transition (scoop/spoon) is the key. TBT doesn’t force one to skid turns – you can do perfect shorter turns with TBT and haul ass like no other. When I skid a turn, it’s because I want to slow down/drag, just like I would on any base shape. TBT isn’t perfect as I, personally, don’t think it’s as good as good on ice as standard flat boards or MTX, but I do think, for the majority of riders and conditions, it’s the overall best base shape currently available. TBT is a lot of fun without a lot of fall.