When shopping for a new pair of skis or snowboards you will come across a lot of parameters in technical specifications. For example, people talk about the width, the camber profile but also the “effective length” of the steel edge. What is the “Effective Edge” of your ski or snowboard?
That “Effective Edge”, also sometimes called the “running length”, has nothing to do with the total length of your new Snowboard or Ski. Okay, indirectly of course, the “Effective Edge” will always be shorter than the total length of a Ski or Snowboard. This term specifically stands for the length -of your new Ski or Snowboard- that touches the snow. So when you are riding on your side when turning and carving for example.
There are 2 options, namely:
- long “Effective Edge”, or
- short “Effective Edge”
How longer the point of contact of your steel edge that touches the snow the more stable you will ride. There is then more contact with the ground. On the other hand, a shorter length can create a loose or floaty feeling which can help you get through corners more easily.
Every type of Ski or Snowboard has an “Effective Edge”, although it is easier to explain how this works with Camber profiles. Your Tip and Tail will push more into the ground when carving than with e.g. the Rocker where the Tip and Tail have the natural property to point into the air.
Tip from Wax & Board! Read it article about Camber profiles to better understand why Rocker Camber profiles have a shorter “Effective Edge”.
It is important to note that the type of terrain has an impact on that Edge length. For example, the Rocker will increase its total contact length sooner in deep powder snow than on a hard frozen piste; because this board can sink deeper.
If you consider buying new Skis or Snowboard with Rocker, and you would also test the exact same model with Camber (e.g. Rocker 154 or Camber 154) you will notice that this Rocker, with the same total length, has more properties of this same Camber model, but then the short variant. E.g. a Rocker 154 will feel more like a Camber 148. This phenomenon applies to both Snowboards and Skis.
This is important to know of course if you want to buy your new Ski or Snowboard. You could consider buying that new Snowboard in a longer Rocker size because you will of course glide more stable. But you have to ask yourself if the advantages of a Rocker at that moment outweigh the normal Camber size. Yes, Camber will for example be more difficult to turn compared to Rocker, but know that the length of your new Ski or Snowboard today is more related to your body weight. The time that a new Snowboard had to come to your chin for example is a thing of the past ten years!
Think carefully about what you are looking for when purchasing your new ski or snowboard, and be sure to check the technical features to make the right choice.
