3-stage vs. Continuous

i keep hearing about how 3-stage rockers give the best pop yet some of the most explosive riders use continuous rockers like sharpe and rusty. ne input on preferance and what i should look for in my next board?

continuous rockers have much more predictable pop of the wake,

predictability isn't found in boards. it can be accomplished by applying proper fundamentals each time.

3-stage = more up than out, generally slower, harder landings

continuous = more out than up, softer landings

When I was first learning a salesmen sold me Parks (latest and greatest. Whatever!) I didn't know the difference between 3-stage and continuous. It took me forever to get used to that board. Then I bought a 3DS and progressed faster in several months than I did in two years on the Parks. IMO you can't take advantage of the pop you get with an abrupt 3-stage until you have good fundamentals. IMO you will get there faster on a continuous.

IMO you might wan't a mixture of both. A 3 stage but maybe not an aggressive 3 stage. I have been riding murrays board since 96 and just this last year I switched to the premier board and loved how much more it popped. I had bought the first hyperlite parks board but didn't like how it felt like I was plowing threw the water instead of being on top. Just my two cents.

Continuous = predictability only because there is a much larger area to pop off of that will allow you to land your trick instead of popping all off-axis and on your head. But in a technical sense, Joe is exactly right when he said "predictability isn't found in boards".

Joe breaks it down in the most simplest terms & is correct. That said, an aggressive 3 stage as in the 04 to 06 Parks board even for a fundamentaly sound rider does tend to at times have a mind of it's own.

continuous is great alround, i just switched from premier to 3ds. so i agree with the predictability being in the rider, but everyone has their off days, so the continuous absorbs this! having said this, a sweet day on a 3stage, is pretty d4mn sweet!

What's the difference between a progressive 3 stage and a normal 3 stage?

marketing.

That's what I guessed.

Dan, the flat spot is narrower on a abrupt 3 stage.

narrower??
do you mean shorter on a subtle/progressive/blended/etc rocker?
I understood it as the aggressive 3 stage had a longer flat spot, so rocker was crammed into a smaller area. I've been wrong before

Patrick, you are correct. I didn't pharse it right in my post. A lot of it depends on the board. A shorter abrupt 3 stage like the 133 Parks has a very narrow flat spot.