Snowskate Design Ideas

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

Okay so I think snowskating has real potential to become a really amazing sport, but the problem that I have with it is the gear is pretty bad.

Here's the problems I have with the designs that are on the market right now:

Flat decks:

Pros:

-Feels more like a skateboard when you ollie (vs. a bi level)
-Normal sized surface area when sliding rails

Cons:

-Don't slide well on snow unless the snow is hardpack
-Can't turn very easily
-Minimal concave or none depending on the board
-Most resorts won't let you ride the lifts


Bi levels:

Pros:

-Allowed on chairlifts at ski resorts
-Easy to turn on
-Slides on almost any snow surface including deeper snow


Cons:

-Tiny surface area for sliding rails
-Hard to ollie very high



So here's my first design proposal:


Take a youth snowboard 90cm = 34 inches long roughly
and 8 inches wide

Mount that to a 9 inch wide skateboard deck that's 35 inches long

Bustin makes one that's called the Yoface 35




My second design proposal is somebody makes something like the Burton approach board, but with metal edges and a normal ptex base instead of plastic.


I'm writing this in a hurry because I have to leave but maybe I can clarify some things when I get back.

[miller]

Gnarly Dancer 42, have you used rocker trucks?

They allow the ski to flex and make everything better

Harfang is working on a variety of subs of all sizes

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

miller, what are rocker trucks?

my burton junkyard has trucks that let the ski flex, maybe its the same thing?

I don't really think having hinged trucks makes a difference though. I've put together a snowskate without hinged trucks and it works just fine. I think as long as the bottom deck has high enough kicktails then it works fine because all you need is for it to be able to rock back to get the nose high in the air to level it out.

[miller]

Gnarly Dancer 42, I have ridden the same deck with bent metal trucks (not hinged) and then switched to rocker trucks - here is the link to the rocker site - (hihttp://rockertrucks.com/nged) and it makes a huge difference performence wise.

I have ridden a few different bis and the junkyard didnt compare with the others

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

alright so here's what i've got so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUMC-_2fM3o&feature=youtu.be

the trucks need a lot of work, they're just on there janky. i think with some time i could figure out a good way to make them sturdy

[miller]

Gnarly Dancer 42, I have tried a wide ski like that before. For rails and boxes they work great but being so wide doesn't carve.

What kind of trucks did you make? They seem to really pop

[koozballs]

wacky

[Jake S]

Snowboard

[koozballs]

Jake S, thats what I tell him everyday

[miller]

Jake S, That's like saying, "wakeboard"

[Jake S]

[POPTART]

i say shred them all

snowskating is fun if:

you are not at a resort

you have any sort of obstacle /stair/box




if i go to a resort i not taking a snowskate to leash to my ankle and ride a small % of the mountian


im grabbing my binders, shamelessly, and taking as many laps as i can stand

im getting every dollar back i spent on every run they have open/or not open


that said backyard rail jams and whatnot are way more fun on a skate than a board

[koozballs]

snowskating is fun every once in a while

[johnnyk]

snowboarding does have its ups and downs, and I think that snowskating definitely has room to grow. i just don't see it ever becoming a prominent thing at a terrain park. It could definitely have some potential on a smaller, flatter slope and some smaller features, but you eventually have to start worrying about a leash and sh*t, if you're at a resort. I was out at breck last year and saw two guys absolutely killing it on a snowskate, doing judos and 3's off of the 30 footers. It made me think that the sport has potential, and all it needs is a thomas horrell to really set the trend.

Gnarly Dancer 42, if there's anyone that can make it happen, i would bet its you. i personally wouldn't focus on switching people from snowboarding to snowskating (sort of like the "strappers vs cool people" that the wake-world deals with), but target the sport as a recreational thing to experiment with on the bunny hill or get creative in the parking lot, a commodity for the winter quiver.

snowskate looks rad, best of luck!

[Jake S]

I have nothing against snowskating.

I used to snowskate a lot, 10 or so years ago, but I never felt like I could really achieve what I wanted to, and I would feel so limited - not like the the feeling that I get from wakeskating. When I would snowboard I was able to have more freedom, but also more control. I ended up choosing a snowboard over snowskate and it's never appealed to me since.

But have fun out there!

[koozballs]

snowboarding and wakeboarding are most definitely NOT the same thing