More and more, snowriders want one pair of skis or one snowboard that can handle all conditions.

At Mt. Bachelor and other ski resorts in Oregon, skiers and boarders can encounter a dizzying variety of conditions on just a single day.

“At least 75 percent of people around here want an all-mountain ski,” says Jeremy Nelson, owner of Skjersaa’s ski and snowboard shop in Bend. “They want a ski where they don’t have to think about it. They want one that’s going to be good no matter where they go.”

While all-mountain skis and snowboards are not necessarily new ideas, some new trends are evident as skiers and riders get ready for the upcoming season on the slopes.

Many skis and boards are now significantly lighter, and camber is making a comeback, according to Nelson. Camber means the ski or snowboard is curved slightly up in the middle when lying on the ground. Rocker means the ski or board is curved slightly down.

Rocker has been popular in recent years as technology that helps skis and boards float through powder. But snowriders have come to realize the importance of being able to ride with greater ease on groomed runs, and camber provides that ability.

Ski and snowboard companies have been hard at work trying to strike that balance for all-mountain skis and boards, while trying to go more lightweight.

At Bachelor, snowriders could encounter powder, tracked-out snow and groomed snow all on the same day.

“You’re going to ride a groomer to get out to Northwest (lift) to go ski the powder, and you’ve got to ride a groomer to get back to your car,” Nelson says. “You’re going to get on groomed snow at some point. It’s good to have a ski that can handle all of those conditions, for sure. Camber is cool again. To really have a ski that is effective on groomed snow, you have to have some camber in there.”

The ski wall at Skjersaa’s is lined with dozens of models, most in the $650 to $800 range. Price is another reason skiers prefer one pair of skis that can do it all.

Nelson points to three pairs of skis that he considers some of the best all-mountain options: Blizzard Bonafide, Nordica Enforcer and Rossignol Sky 7.

All these skis offer rocker to help the skier float through powder, but also camber to rip along groomed snow. These skis range from 95 to 100 millimeters wide underfoot, which is about the right width for most ski areas in the West, according to Nelson.

Nelson lifts the green Bonafide skis and notes how light they are. Because they are constructed mostly of wood and carbon fiber, they are much lighter than the typical ski, which is made of titanium and aluminum alloy, he explains.

“You can spin these around a little bit more; they don’t wear you out as much,” Nelson says, noting that the lighter skis “maybe last a little longer in the day.”

Snowboards have followed the same trend as skis with a return to camber and a move toward lighter weight.

Skjersaa’s sales manager Gary Crosswhite talks with excitement about the T.Rice Pro snowboard from Lib Tech. The all-mountain board has camber at certain points and rocker at other points to allow the boarder the benefits of both on the slopes.

Crosswhite says that when the boarder’s weight is on the front foot, the T.Rice Pro becomes a camber board that can make quick turns on a groomer. When weight is on the back foot, it has rocker to help with flotation through powder or chunky snow.

“The problem with rocker is, you bring contact points up off the ground, so it makes it feel like a toboggan,” Crosswhite explains. “It feels sketchy on groomed runs — you’re smearing, not carving. Companies needed to come together to make a board that would work in all conditions. There’s definite benefits of rocker. It’s like suspension for your knees. In cruddy conditions, it will make it less bumpy, and you can float in powder. And it starts your turn farther back in heavier snow, which we have a lot of here.”

As terrain parks become increasingly popular among snowboarders, park riders have found that a board with more camber actually helps them by giving them more pop off of jumps and features. One such board is the rare Burton Brushie. Crosswhite says that only 450 Brushies were made in the Burton factory.

“For die-hard people who like really aggressive, hard-charging boards, this is a full-camber board, there’s no rocker in it,” Crosswhite says of the Brushie. “This is the old-school way of doing things. This board is for somebody who likes to charge and is going fast, but a board like this won’t turn very easily at slower speeds.”

Skiers and snowboarders have endless choices, but a back-to-basics return to camber and all-mountain gear seems to be the trend.

Now, if only the snow would start falling …

— Reporter: 541-383-0318,

mmorical@bendbulletin.com