Four Snowboards from the Future
So what does the future of Snowboarding look like? Snowboard Review picked four boards with technology pushing the boundaries of current design and materials. Don’t panic if you’re name is Sarah Connor, Skynet didn’t send these boards, and the only thing these boards will be killing is the shred! From Head’s reactive Intellifibres to Contract’s 3D Snake Transition technology, snowboard design has evolved considerably since Sherman Poppen’s legendary Snurfer.
Contract Guerrilla
Polish brand Contract really hit the road running this season with their first range of boards. Under the bonnet of Contract’s flagship snowboard, you’ll find the usual high spec staples like Honeycomb inserts, Carbon and Kevlar reinforcement and triaxial glass. That’s not revolutionary I hear you cry! However the Contract Guerrilla also features Contract’s patent pending Snake Transition and T.R.I.P technologies. Snake Transition technology introduces a 3D wave under and between the bindings, this wave profile significantly increases torsional rigidity without impacting on longitudinal flex, creating a playful board that will pop and press like a freestyle board but hold an edge like a boarder-cross gun. T.R.I.P technology raises the start and end of the effective edge of the snowboard, reducing the risk of catching an edge, much like Bataleon’s Tripple Base Technology, but to a lesser extent. All of these features in a board that costs less than a Burton Custom… now that’s the future!
Lib Tech Cygnus X1
Bought back in time in the Delorean by the Doc and Michael J Fox, the Cygnus X1 has been sitting in head honcho Mike Olson’s loft since 1955. With technology stolen from 2015, Lib Tech’s flagship model is streets ahead of the competition. To list all of the technological advances in this board would take more time than I’m prepared to sacrifice on a Sunday morning, but to list a few:
Seamless Healing Biopolymer Sidewalls – Yes you read that right sidewalls that heal themselves.
Z Axis Air Polymer – A composite matrix material with directional properties!
Vectran Torsion Rods – Vectran is 26% lighter than Carbon and four times stronger than Titanium, in-fact it’s the same fibre they use to protect satellites from cosmic debris travelling at hundreds of thousands of miles an hour.
Magnetraction – Mervin manufacturing’s reinvention of the wheel. Improved edge grip in all conditions even when servicing is few and far between!
Oh and I forgot to mention that Mike builds every single board by hand, there is nobody on the planet with more lay-up experience than Mike! Future proofed? Perhaps not, but providing you can meet the hefty price tag, you’ll be riding a snowboard like no other.
Head I.CT
Head have been pedalling their wears for near on a decade now. Since the acquisition of Blax, Head Snowboards have slowly but surely been building a serious customer base. The I.CT is Head’s directional freeride beast in the Palmer Crown vein of snowboarding. On top of the usual gubbins the I.CT features Head’s Intellifibres and I.CT chip.
The faster you go, the more vibrations you get in your board. The idea is to make the board more comfortable to ride even at high speed. Intellifibres placed inside the board capture those vibrations and fire back that energy to the fibers in five-thousandths of a second so they stiffen up and increase torsional stability. This means that you can power into a turn and hold an edge like you’re on rails and get stability when you’re going flat out. The microchip which features exclusively in the IC.T snowboard amplifies the current fed into the fibres stiffening the board even more. Essentially what you’re getting with the I.CT is a snowboard which will respond to speed and vibrations.
Nidecker Ultralight
Swiss manufacturer Nidecker have been producing cutting edge snowboards since 1984.. that’s 25 years of design and manufacturing experience. It’s not surprising that the YES snowboards crew, Jeremy Jones and Antti Autti are having their board ranges manufactured by Nidecker.
The Ultralight packs all of Nidecker’s research and innovation into one all-mountain wonder board. Not satisfied with conventional wood cores Nidecker bond their multi-wood laminated core by welding the wood together with friction. The Welded Wood process developed in conjunction with Bern University’s Applied Sciences department claims to offer increased durability and truer flex. Ultimate Grip serrated edges improve the Ultralight’s grip in hard pack and icy conditions and the 8800 grade sintered base which incorporates 40% recycled material should keep you hurtling down the mountain on the slushiest of days. Not only is the Ultralight at the forefront of design, it’s also an absolute delight to ride, effortless, smooth and refined!
Posted by Rich Ewbank in Features.
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