I was listening to a blister podcast with Paul Forward talking about different powder skis he rode in one season, and he mentioned that a few of the skis (I think it was the renegade, folsom rapture, maybe cb) all had rocker profiles that matched the sidecut of the ski. What exactly does this add to a ski, if anything? I wondered if it was intentional or perhaps just a side-effect of having a dramatic rocker profile paired with a long sidecut radius
Aug 23 2021 4:59PM
It is definitely on purpose. Like you said, the rocker profile matches the side cut.....which means that when the ski is running flat or pivoting, it skis like a full rocker ski. Increased float, pivotability, etc.
When turned on edge, the full length of the ski can engage. Meaning that you get far more grip than a traditionally rockered ski. (A regular rockered ski would still be unable to engage most of the rockered section).
Essentially, it is attempting to make a ski that floats and pivots like a full rockered ski, while simultaneously able to carve like a full camber ski.
Everyone may have their own opinion on this tech and how it rides. But IMO the devastator is one of (if not the) the best all mountain skis I've ever road due to this tech. Not everyone will agree, and the ski may not be talked about as much as say kartels, but it is a fairly common sentiment on NS.
I will continue to buy Devs until they stop making them.
Aug 23 2021 5:39PM
Interesting, just to clarify when you say get more grip do you mean more effective edge?
Profahoben_212It is definitely on purpose. Like you said, the rocker profile matches the side cut.....which means that when the ski is running flat or pivoting, it skis like a full rocker ski. Increased float, pivotability, etc.When turned on edge, the full length of the ski can engage. Meaning that you get far more grip than a traditionally rockered ski. (A regular rockered ski would still be unable to engage most of the rockered section).
Essentially, it is attempting to make a ski that floats and pivots like a full rockered ski, while simultaneously able to carve like a full camber ski.
Everyone may have their own opinion on this tech and how it rides. But IMO the devastator is one of (if not the) the best all mountain skis I've ever road due to this tech. Not everyone will agree, and the ski may not be talked about as much as say kartels, but it is a fairly common sentiment on NS.
I will continue to buy Devs until they stop making them.
Aug 23 2021 8:11PM
LazylightningInteresting, just to clarify when you say get more grip do you mean more effective edge?
It’s just their term for something that the industry has been doing for a while. When the side cut matches the rocker profile it means that the entire ski is engaged when on edge. Black Crows has been doing it for a long time (one example) and 4frnt just chose to name is reflect tech. It’s simple stuff but the added “technology” in a skis description makes it sound more “advanced” or whatever. Definitely does make a difference with heavily rockered skis though