What's the consensus on rocker boards?
I have an old Burton Custom 160 camber that I have been using since the beginning of this season and I've picked up a used 2025 Arbor Element 157 rocker.
I would say I'm pretty deep into intermediate skill level at this point. I leave a fine line in the snow when I come through, I can hop/bounce into turns, I can more than deal with steep terrain, and I have started mixing in features and on-ground tricks during my runs. Everything feels pretty natural to me now and it is very rare for normal mountain that things feel strenuous or awkward.
I bought the Element because it's a bit softer and shorter than the old Custom I have. I'm really enjoying presses and butters and I have heard it's good for that while maintaining some level of edge control.
But people are still telling me that rockers are bad.
Is it going to be THAT different than my old camber?
I feel like 3 centimeters isn't that much and the Burton is really stiff compared to some of the other stuff I have used while traveling and renting. Like one thing that really stood out while using a rental 156 was the turn initiation was SUPER easy by comparison.
I don't know. I don't really understand the hardware that well. I just hop on and ride. Talking to people has made me rethink it though.
Posted Feb 11, 2026, 10:19 PM UTC