While 2013 is definitely a year for binding innovation board companies have also stepped it up a bit while tweaking the way they do things. Camber seems to be slightly more on the comeback and of course the alternate camber story is still huge because people want it even if they don’t know why they need it. Here’s a look at some of the bigger things for 2013.
The biggest advance for any technology has been making boards catch free by raising the contact points. Not really anything crazy new just more companies doing it. Rome has the Nohang-ups Diamond and Endeavor has the DowTech and DT2. Add to this Burton using more scoop, Forum playing around with Super Buttercup, and Bataleon’s TBT you know it’s not going anywhere.
Rob Dow showing off DowTech
The last big thing is more splitboard options from more brands. Arbor steps up to the plate along with Burton adding a first women’s specific split on top of others in their Family Tree line. Venture brings us the Euphoria which has more of a pow surf shape.
New Arbor Abacus Split
Venture Euphoria
Camber stories are still running strong with everyone offering up some kind of variation of rocker/reverse to hybrid. Surprisingly traditional camber seems to be making a comeback in a lot of companies lines.
Asymmetrical sidecuts haven’t gone anywhere just yet. Yes offers up one of the craziest looking Asym’s with the Great Dudes board. They not only made the sidecut deeper but extended the tips to match the idea of it being different. Technine even offers one up and if you’ve followed the press releases you know Gnu is off shooting asym pickles out their ass.
Now in terms of craziness all one has to do is look at Contract Snowboards 3d Snake Transitions technology. What is it? Well the best way to sum it up is a spring between your feet that gives it the shape of a snake making its away across sand. This acts as a spring giving more snap out of carves and rigidity in the flex.
3D Snake Transition Technology
Flow dropped it’s new Augmented Base Technology. Think of it like boob implants for your board. It’s a silicone impact area on the base of the board that sticks out a bit. It helps with dampening for things like chatter but also for direct rail impact for the jibbers.
Boobies it says it all!
Other head turning piece of tech comes from Sims. You’ve probably seen the pics of the weird red board with the grooved top sheet and asked yourself what it is. That’s the E Board with X Wedge tech in it. Marc Vitelli from The Collective had this to say about it, “SIMS, now being made in Quebec again, has brought Louis ‘LoFo’ Fournier on board (no pun intended) to bring some much needed new technology to the industry. LoFo used to press SIMS decks for Tom in Quebec back in the mid 80’s through the mid 90’s. Can you say full circle? Anyone want to guess what that ribbed/wedged technology is? Hint, this North American Made patented technology took 16 years to perfect.” You’ve seen canted footbeds well this is the first canted topsheet that doesn’t inhibit flex.
E Board with X-Wedge
OMG the boards canted!
6 Comments
I’m really interested to see how well the silicone idea holds up.
all I’m thinking is if I jumped on fake tits as much as I do on a
snowboard they would probably look pretty fucked after one season.
also, the canting idea for a snowboard seems kinda silly.
seems a lot easier and probably more cost effective to just
buy bindings boots and insoles with canting than a snowboard.
snake tech looks interesting. I heard about it awhile ago. I would like to try it.
surely this silicone deal is no different to K2’s harshmellow??
Look where Harshmellow is placed and then look where this is. Also Harshmellow is a hard foam Silicone not so much.
i’m bow-legged, do i have to wear my bindings in reverse then? wtf i cant ride a canted board!!!
Sims has a good point to have canting on the deck not on bindings or insoles. Try walking with canted insoles. Would all boot manufacturers need to start making canted insoles? Sims used similar idea long time ago (90’s) by designing a canting plate between binding and deck. It worked pretty well but still added stiffness to the flex. I’ve read good reviews on the x-wedge. I can’t wait to get it!