The Rocker from Salomon

Pure Powder Master Skis

By Robert Gagnon

Reverse Camber skis are the new generation for dominating the powder. If you haven’t already tried a fat ski and gotten this great sensation of flotation and happiness to control your skis without too much effort, you will get that feeling when you will try the Rocker from Salomon. Like all the other reverse camber skis, they are easy to maneuver in deep snow and the tips are easy to keep out of the snow because they are already curved up.

But what does reverse camber mean? In a normal ski the pressure goes to the tip and the tail to get the middle of the ski higher. If you set a traditional ski on a flat surface without any pressure applied, you should see a gap between the ground and under the binding (see picture). This is called the camber of the ski. These shapes allow the ski to have more rebound and stiffness. When the ski doesn’t have this shape anymore and stays flat after a few years of use, the ski has outlived its usefulness.

Observe the curve from the ski above. Only the back tip and the front tip touch the ground. This is the normal ski camber. The rigidity of the ski will make the difference on how much rebound the ski will give you back. The harder the ski is to bend, the less forgiving it will be but will be quick to respond. Conversely a softer ski will be easier to manipulate put will give less energy back.

Many skiers have a bad habit of sitting back when they ski in the powder to keep their ski tips out of the snow. The Rocker will eliminate that flawed technique.  The reverse ski camber is opposite of the traditional camber shape. The weight is concentrated under the boot and both ski ends curve up to keep the skis tips out of the powder. It looks like a banana with both tips up. Like this it’s easier to keep your balance centered when skiing in fresh snow.

Expert and advance skiers will like The Rocker from Salomon in the powder and in the backcountry. If you’re tackling deep powder, Pow-Pow, freshies, big dump, backcountry and all others names to mean that you ski on fresh snow, you will not regret your choice. This is not a ski to cruise the groomed runs and take zip line in the bumps. If you have just one pair of skis to get, this clearly is not it This is a 99% off piste ski, the other 1% is to reach the chairlift once in a while.

Freestyle wise, landing and high speed are easier to accomplish in the powder with the Rocker because of its stability. The full woodcore allows the Rocker to optimize the stability and get a better sensation of control. The flexibility is equally distributed because of the material used. The woodcore from tail to tip gives nice feedback to the skier, at high speed the ski stays stable and inspires confidence.

This design is used to get the maximum of response and the minimum of energy spent. You blink and the signal is sent directly to the edge without any waste of energy.  You need to be alert because this pure powder machine is quick on the trigger.  One bad move and you are out of the game.

Easy to maneuver in the deep snow, The Rocker is light for its size and it has great floatation. Seemingly long at 192 cm the length is actually pretty short for a fat ski -perfect with this new technology. (tip 147 – underfoot 127 – tail 137.  R= 48.5m)

Another very noticeable feature of the is the flat swallow tail. The design allows the ski to sink a little bit more behind in the deep snow. It is easier to keep centered on the ski. At the same time the stability laterally is reinforced with this extra support. If you go at high speed in a narrow corridor you will be glad you have the extra stability.

Overall the Rocker is a great choice for advanced and expert skiers. This ski is made for powder and only powder but you won’t struggle  cruising the run to reach the lift.

Salomon uses great technology to optimize the stability of Rocker skis on powder. Pro skiers have embraced this technology enthusiastically.  Watch for them in this season’s ski movies!

Enjoy your ride and give me some feedback.

Submit a Product Review

Where You Can Buy This Product:
Vendor Carries the Line	Vendor Carries the Line	Vendor Carries the Line

Please Report Broken Links