Snowboarding technology keeps evolving, and it seems as though lately it has reached new levels. Matt Hauke, terrain park manager at Arapahoe Basin was recently spotlighted in a New York Times article for testing out what are known as hybrid boards, or “alternative camber” boards.

So what are they talking about?

Basically a ”traditional” camber is a mellow convex rise from the contact points of the tip and tail inward–curving at the midpoint. This downward pressure at the endpoints causes lively turns and provides continuous edge contact with the snow (which is good if you are just beginning).

This eventually gave way to the “reverse” camber (also known as a “rocker”) A reverse camber is where there the center of the board has a subtle concave plain and the two contact points curve upward, a side-view resembles the shape of a banana. Essentially it’s the opposite of  the traditional camber. The design is said to reduce pressure at the contact points by bringing the pressure inward and closer to your feet, helping with powder runs and nose/tail presses (good if you are more experienced).

There is also a “flat” camber board that is exactly how it sounds–flat. A board with flat camber will lay on top of a level surface and distribute pressure on snow in a neutral fashion. Some brands claim this creates a “loose” and “catch-free” ride similar to reverse camber while remaining relatively more stable and predictable.

So what exactly is a “hybrid board”? Well it is what happens when a number of companies combine camber, reverse camber and flat camber boards to create “[The] best of both worlds,” the New York Times quotes Liam Gallagher, author of a book about learning to snowboard, “You’ve got rocker [reverse-camber] to help you get through deeper snow and give you more float. The camber helps on groomers and high speed.”

So, what are you riding?

(You can find the entire NYT article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/fashion/28physical.html)