Skis are changing again. Many skiers are looking for a surf feel in snow. Rocker helps create that feel. Here is infomation on 09 K2 skis with Rocker.
Rocker Design
This design is influenced by the surf industry, but functionally the wake world opened our eyes to how to make something float bi-directionally. Rocker design in a ski facilitates the skis' ability to elevate and plane up to the surface while skiing deeper snow and makes landings in powder easier both forward and switch. We incorporate various amounts of rocker in our factory skis based on what conditions the skis are designed to handle. Skis with more rocker translate into better floatation and more of a surfy and forgiving feel. Skis with less rocker have a more traditional feel on firmer snow but get the added benefit of floatation in softer snow. We quantify Rocker with three specific characteristics.
1. The region where the rocker is located. Rocker in the tip is pretty intuitive as the additional elevation allows the tip to plane easier for additional floatation. Rocker in the tail works the same way while riding switch but functionally as the ski rides in a forward direction it also allows the tail of the ski to sit deeper in the snow allowing the tip to plane up easier than a traditionally cambered ski.
2. The height (mm) of the rocker off the snow. This measurement is taken at the location of the traditional contact points for a cambered ski. The increased height in the tip and tail enables the ski to plane better which translates into less dive on the overall ski. The height varies per model based on how specifically the ski is designed for soft snow. The more soft snow focused, the more elevation. But raising the tip and tail higher off the snow translates into the ski needing to be rolled further over on edge to get the entire effective running surface on firmer snow.
3. The length (cm) of the rockered region. This length is measured in centimeters from the traditional running surface contact points of a non-rockered ski. The longer the length of rocker the more nimble and agile the ski feels in softer snow. Conversely the longer the length of rocker on a ski the less traditional effective edge there is in contact with firmer snow, so these skis feel and ski like a ski shorter in length. We vary the length of rocker based on the how specific the ski is designed for softer snow. Longer length rocker is added for skis built primarily for softer snow while skis designed for soft, variable and firmer snow maximize the length of the effective edge.
The HellBent, obSETHed and MissBehaved all have rocker in varying amounts based on the intended snow conditions. The HellBent is built entirely with soft snow in mind so it has a Tip and Tail 20/40 Rocker. The tip and tail are off the snow 20 mm and 40 cm toward the center of the ski for maximum float in soft snow. The obSETHed has a Tip and Tail 10/20 Rocker which means the tip and tail sit 10 mm off the snow and the ski contacts the snow 20 cm toward the middle of the ski while sitting flat. This rocker is half the height and length of a HellBent giving the ski better versatility in different snow conditions. The added tip elevation gives the ski better float than a traditional cambered ski in soft snow but still maximizes the effective edge on hard and variable conditions. The MissBehaved has a Tip and Tail 5/30 Rocker that gives the ski tip and tail less elevation off the snow at 5 mm but a gentle rise that starts 30 cm further toward the middle of the ski giving the ski a slightly more nimble feel in both firm and soft snow with the benefit of additional floatation primarily for softer snow conditions.
