Catching Up With: Stephane Radiguet and Robert Etienne

mike lewis

• February 19 2009
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Nidecker released its new board shape, CamRock, at SIA and TransWorld Business caught up with the company’s head shaper, Stephane Radiguet, and brands and marketing director, Robert Etienne, after their first on snow demo to find out what makes this technology stand out from the rocker revolution reshaping board specs and get retailers’ reactions.

TWB: What makes CamRock different than other reverse camber boards on the market?
Stephane Radiguet: CAMROCK (CAMberROCKer) is different for the mix between a real camber between feet and rocker in the nose and tail. This technology makes the perfect mix between freestyle  and performance in all terrain conditions:  Rocker in the nose and tail for park tricks, a slight camber between the feet to keep stability, and the perfect grip (this camber and rocker draw 2 “bumps” that give the perfect grip). Of course, the shape and flexes are “re”designed to match perfectly to the CAMROCK…

TWB: What were retailer responses like at the on-snow demo?

Robert Etienne: The main recurring comment from leading boardsport shop owners and managers, was “This is the year of change and not all of it is good. Therefore it is an essential time to get out of the shop and test the variety of inverted camber/rocker models available for the 2009/10 season” Another favorite “We’re not buying any rocker boards without thorough on-snow testing.” We had a good turnout for [our] first ever on-snow camber/rocker clinic, answering the many questions retailers have on the benefits and variety of rocker and inverted camber boards proposed for the 2009/10 season.

TWB: Does this represent a departure for the Nidecker brand’s traditional image/niche?
RE: Nidecker has been producing boards for the last 25 years and has participated in major innovations in snowboard construction and in producing some of the the most user friendly boards over the last decades. With all the noise that snowboarding is losing momentum, we wanted to make a statement and offer some shapes that will enhance riding a snowboard and make the experience more accessible. After testing our CamRock Technology extensively with our riders and engineers, we were so stoked by how they handled, that we decided to propose 6 models of CamRock boards for the 2010 season, as well as 23 models of “regular” camber board. We also have a patent for Ultimate Grip which is the originator of edge contouring We offer this high end grip technology for the MEGALIGHT one of our freeride CAMROCK models and we also propose it for the 156 Asymetrical YES Snowboard that we produce for this promising new brand.

TWB: How many models feature CamRock and what are the retail prices for these?
RE: For the 2010 season we have 6 CamRock models:
MEGALIGHT: Our Stellar handmade 3D Freeride board, so good we made a Camrock model. It’s also available in Ultimate Grip CR $749.00
LEGACY: Brand new shape, great powder floater, incredibly versatile: $449.00
BLADE: All Mountain board, gentle all access rocker, and slight 2mm camber between the bindings: $399.00
ADDICT: Freestyle oriented board, 7mm rocker, great for presses, NO edge catch, but also a great board for all types of riding: $479.00
W-NDK: Our women’s CamRock model, softer flex but still with good pop: $459.00
HELVET UNDERGROUND Limited Edition freestyle board designed by JMZ of PULP 68: $499.00
BLADE RENTAL: One of the first rental Inverted camber/rocker snowboards to hit the growing rental market, with special long lasting ToughTOP topsheet. This board has received approval from all parts of the white parts of Globe and is aimed at giving beginners more fun on the slopes, as this board makes riding loads of fun for all ages and levels.

Here are some photos from the demo: