Snowboard Equipment

Snowboard Features and Designs:

Measurements: Length, contact length, effective edge, sidecut radius, camber, width (tip/waist/tail).

Rocker: The importance of "Rocker" is most noticible in back country powder. It allows one to "float" on powder (powder bouyancy) without having to lean back so much.

Camber: This is the opposite of rocker, where the mid section of the ski is raised off of the ground if unloaded. Rocker is sometimes refered to as reverse camber. A zero camber board is flat.

Side Cut: Symmetrical vs Asymmetrical sidecut: Asymmetrical sidecut has a deeper sidecut on the heel side for better foot-body balance on the board.

Bitch boards has a complete line of snowboards and clothing for women.

Manufacturers Links:

• Bon Hiver - quick lock/unlock
• Burton
• Buzrun (Korean site) - quick stance angle change
  SnowJam (US marketing of Buzrun bindings)
• Drake (Northwave)
• Elan
• Flow
• Flux
• GNU
• Head
• K2
• ManicSnow.com - spring cushioned bindings
• Morrow
• Nitro
• Now
• Ride
• Rome SDS
• Rossignol
• Union Binding Company - colorful
• Vist
• Volkl

ManicSnow: spring cushion magnesium binding

Bon Hiver "Freebase" quick release and mount snowboard binding

Buzrun snowboard binding: quick stance angle change

Manufacturers Links:

• DC Shoes
• Flow
• Head
• Nike
• Nitro
• Northwave
• Ride
• Rome SDS
• ThirtyTwo

The purpose of the "Split Board" is to transform a snowboard into a set of mountaineering skiis for back country travel. When coupled with skins attached to the bottom, one can cross country up the mountain. Once at the top, peel the skins off and transform the split board into a unified snowboard and the fresh powder is yours.

The bindings can mount facing forward on the individual board and pivot at the toe for cross country. It can easily be re-mounted in the regular snowboard position for the downhill segment. When mounted in the boarding position, the binding acts as a mechanism to both connect the two boards and keep it stiff.

• Prior Snowboards
• Venture Snowboards
• Voile

Venture splitboards:

• Top: ODIN - traditional splitboard and bindings.
• Bottom: Euphoria (powder surfer) - this is powder specific and not for the groomers. The lack of a sidecut will not allow one to carve on packed snow. The pads are for standing and there is no fixed attachment. Rider grips the blue bungee. The orange leash is for board recovery.

• Karakoram - bindings, mounts, latches, clips and crampons.
• Sparkrandd - splitboard binding
• Voile

• Splitboard.com - back country snowboarding website

See our article on backcountry mountaineering for more on splitboards