GB2544319A - Snowboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A bindingless snowboard or so-called noboard comprises a bottom wall 10 which extends the full length of the board. The body further comprises outwardly-extendinglateral sidewalls which upstand from the respective side edges of the bottom wall 10 and form wings 13. Defined external edge portions 14 are formed along the board where the wings 13 meet respective opposite side edges of the bottom wall 10. These defined edge portions 14 are relatively sharp (i.e. not rounded) and run from the tail 12 of the board along the length thereof until they turn outwardly and join thecurved front edge of the nose 11 adjacent the widest part of the board where the wings 13 terminate. A metal strip may extend around the edge of the nose 11 and rearwardly along the defined edge portions 14 to the tail 12 of the board. A rider can apply pressure to the wings with their toes or heel to get effective tipping on the board. The wings 13 act like levers to tilt the board about its longitudinal axis. When turning or stopping the relevant defined edge portion 14 bites into the snow and prevents the snowboard from sliding laterally.

Description

SNOWBOARD

This invention relates to a snowboard.

Snowboarding is a popular alternative to skiing, whereby a rider stands transversely on an elongate snowboard having one or more upturned ends and then travels downhill over snow under the influence of gravity. In order to perform turns and stops, the rider must shift their weight and dig the side edge of the board into the snow. This requires that the rider’s feet must be fastened to the board in order for them to tilt the board about its longitudinal axis during turns and stops. Typically this is achieved by providing a special kind of boots which attach to bindings on the snowboard. A disadvantage of this is that the rider can injure themselves during falls because the board remains attached to the rider. Also, the bindings are inconvenient to use because they have to be released and secured each time the rider wants to get on or off the board, for example at chairlifts. The bindings also inhibit the rider’s ability to adopt different riding styles and techniques.

Hence, there has long been the desire to provide a bindingless snowboard. However, many such snowboards or so-called noboards are only suited for off-piste use on powdered or soft snow, where the deformability of the snow makes it is possible for riders to tilt the board to make turns by pressing their toe or heel on one side of the board. Such boards are unsuited to riding on a piste because the hard groomed slope is not deformable enough to allow the board to be tilted. I have now devised a bindingless snowboard which can be used on hard and soft snow surfaces.

In accordance with the present invention, as seen from a first aspect, there is provided a snowboard comprising an elongate body having front portion, a rear portion and a central portion intermediate said front and rear portions, the central portion comprising a bottom wall and outwardly-extending upstanding lateral sidewalls forming wings, wherein a defined edge portions are formed along the body where the lateral sidewalls meet respective opposite side edges of the bottom wall.

In use, no bindings are provided and a rider simply stands on the snowboard and uses their heel and toe to apply pressure to respective wings when making turns and stops. The wings act like levers to tilt the board about its longitudinal axis. When turning or stopping the relevant defined edge portion bites into the snow and prevents the snowboard from sliding laterally.

The bottom wall may comprise one or more longitudinally-extending ribs on its under surface. A said rib may extend centrally along the under surface of the bottom wall to helps direct soft powder snow, effectively creating more grip and turning response from weight on the tail. The amount by which the or each rib extends may increase towards the rear of the body. The defined edge portions may be provided at the tip of respective opposite side ribs.

The bottom wall may extend the length of the body and is narrower at the central portion than at the front and rear portions.

The bottom wall may be upturned at the front portion to provide a raised nose, said wings reducing in outward length towards the front portion where they terminate prior to the end of the nose.

The periphery of the nose defines an edge having ends which extend rearwardly and inwardly of the body to meet the forward end of the respective defined edges.

The defined edge portions may be sharp and may comprise a strip of metal which may also extend around the edge of the nose.

The bottom wall, wings and the defined edges may extend rearwardly from the central portion to the rear portion.

The bottom wall may be upturned at the front portion to provide a raised tail. The wings may terminate adjacent the end of the tail.

The snowboard may comprise a platform on which a rider can stand, the platform extending over the bottom wall and above the wings, so that a rider can apply pressure to wings the with their toes or heel to get effective tipping on the board, without having to move their feet around the board. The lateral side edges of the platform may extend adjacent the upper edges of the wings. The platform is sized so the top width of the snowboard is slightly wider than the length of the average large sized shoe, so that the rider’s shoes are fully supported.

The platform may be provided by the upper surface of a member disposed within the channel formed between the wings.

The member may be formed of a foamed plastics material.

As the board tilts to its maximum extent (e.g. 75 degrees) during hard turns, there is a risk that the rider might end up pushing the smooth wing down onto the snow, thereby losing all grip and causing the board to slide laterally.

In order to overcome this problem, a lip may extend outwardly from the upper edge of each wing, so as to provide additional grip when the wing contacts the snow.

Also in accordance with the present invention, as seen from a second aspect, there is provided a snowboard comprising an elongate body having a bottom wall and outwardly-extending upstanding lateral sidewalls forming wings, edge portions being formed along the body where the lateral sidewalls meet respective opposite side edges of the bottom wall, wherein each edge curves outwardly and upwardly from a point intermediate opposite ends of the board to points disposed at opposite ends of the board.

The curvature of the edges has been designed to create a sensitive response to tipping by having a substantial central portion of the edge in contact with the snow early in the tipping, with the contact points moving progressively further apart along the defined edge as the board tips further. When flat only the narrow centre of the bottom wall of the board is in contact with the snow to encourage tipping.

The wings may comprise a substantially planar region intermediate their opposite ends. The shape of the board will inevitably create a more stiff shape. Snowboards typically create a larger length of edge gripping the snow by having a convex sidecut edge rail, and the ability of the board to bend under gravity and centrifugal force of the rider to put most of the edge down on the snow.

The lever points provided by the wings are under the rider’s foot. If the contact points from which the board is tilted are beyond the foot, then a rider would be unable to tilt the board by applying leverage to the wings. As the board tilts, the contact points move apart, eventually the line drawn by the two points about which the board is pivoting would move outside of the foot. However, as the wing elevates the foot this problem is avoided, and the foot is always able to apply a lever force to lift continue tilting the board.

Preferably the bottom wall curves upwardly towards its opposite ends from a point intermediate its opposite ends.

Preferably longitudinal side edges of the bottom wall curve outwardly towards its opposite ends from a point intermediate its opposite ends.

The snowboard of the present invention will not flex anywhere near as much as a normal snowboard due to its inherent increased structural stiffness as a result of having wings on the side. In the present invention, when at turn is initiated, the contact points will be at the narrow central section of the board making it easier to tilt the board. If the board was flat, the wide front part of the board would be resting on the snow, making it very difficult to initiate any tilting.

Then with the curvature allowing the contact points to progressively move apart, it is only at greater angles (say more than 45 degrees) that the widest part of the board edges will be engaged with the snow, at which point the angle of the wings (and the upward curvature of the front) means the rider’s weight (on toes or heel) still has good leverage over the contact point.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front and above of the right side of a snowboard in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view from the front and below of the right side of the snowboard of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a left side view of the snowboard of Figure 1 when tilted at 15 degrees about its longitudinal axis;

Figure 4 is a front view of the snowboard of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is rear view of the snowboard of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line vi-vi of Figure 3, when the snowboard is performing a turn; and

Figures 7 A - 7B are left side views of the snowboard of Figure 1 at successive angles of tilting about its longitudinal axis from 15 to 75 degrees at 15 degree increments.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5 of the drawings, there is shown a snowboard comprising an elongate body having a bottom wall 10 which extends the full length of the board. The bottom wall 10 is turned upwardly at the front of the board to form a raised nose 11 having a curved front edge which forms the widest part of the board, the edge then curving inwardly towards the middle of the board before curving outwardly to a slightly raised tail 12 at the rear of the board.

The body further comprises outwardly-extending lateral sidewalls which upstand from the respective side edges of the bottom wall 10 and form wings 13. The wings 13 extend from the tail 12 towards the front of the board and gradually reduce in outward length until they terminate adjacent the widest part of the board at the raised nose 11. Defined external edge portions 14 are formed along the board where the wings 13 meet respective opposite side edges of the bottom wall 10. These defined edge portions 14 are relatively sharp (i.e. not rounded) and run from the tail 12 of the board along the length thereof until they turn outwardly and join the curved front edge of the nose 11 adjacent the widest part of the board where the wings 13 terminate. A metal strip (not shown) extends around the edge of the nose 11 and rearwardly along the defined edge portions 14 to the tail 12 of the board.

The angle a at which the wings 13 upstand increases from the front to the rear end of the wings 13. In the example shown, the angle a ranges from approximately 45 degrees at the front to 75 degrees at the rear of the board.

The bottom wall 10 comprises three longitudinally-extending ribs on its under surface. One rib 16 extends centrally along the under surface of the bottom wall 10. The defined edge portions 14 are provided at the tip of respective opposite side ribs 17. The amount by which the ribs 16, 17 extend increases towards the tail 12 of the board. A foamed plastics platform member 19 is disposed within the channel formed between the wings 13. The member 19 provides an upper surface on which a rider can stand, the surface extending over the bottom wall 10 and above the wings 13 to substantially the upper edges thereof. The width of the upper surface of the platform member 19 is slightly greater than the length of the average large sized shoe, so that the rider’s shoes are fully supported. The use of foamed plastics provides increased grip and shock absorbency.

Referring to Figure 6 of the drawings, in use, a rider stands on the platform member 10 and uses their heel and toe to apply downwards pressure to the underlying respective wings 13 when making turns and stops. The wings 13 act like levers to tilt the board about its longitudinal axis. When turning or stopping the relevant defined edge portion 14 bites into the snow and prevents the snowboard from sliding laterally. The metal strip allows the board to carve (grip) the hard packed snow on pistes. The variably shaped and angled wings 12 enable the board to be tipped up to 75 degrees from the snow surface before the outside wing surfaces contact the snow.

The wide nose 11 is slightly convex and promotes early planing, yet gives the board greater stability as the board contacts deep snow, encouraging it to track straight and level. The roundedness of the nose 11 also allows the wider part of the board to be tipped without bindings. As the bottom wall starts to flatten off behind the nose 11, the ribs 16, 17 define two concave sections running rearwardly, which help to maintain snow pressure and planing. The upwardly turned tail 12 allows the board to turn when heavily tipped and pressured in the tail to do tight turns in powdered snow. The central rib 16 helps direct soft powdered snow, effectively creating more grip and turning response from weight on the tail 12.

Referring to Figures 7A to 7E of the drawings, when the board is flat on the snow surface, the centre of the board rests on the snow and its two ends are raised. In order to perform a right hand turn for example, the rider applies downwards pressure to the right hand wing 13: this causes the right hand edge 14 of the board to dig into the snow. As this happens, the point of contact of the board with the snow moves from the centre to two contact points P1, P2 disposed on the right hand edge 14 of the board, with the contact points P1, P2 moving progressively further apart along the edge 14 as the board tilts further towards a 75 degree inclination, at which point the contact points P1, P2 are at opposite ends of the edge 14.

The present invention provides a bindingless snowboard which is able to float and steer well on soft powdered snow as well as to carve and grip on pistes and hard snow surfaces.

Claims (25)

1. A snowboard comprising an elongate body having front portion, a rear portion and a central portions intermediate said front and rear portions, the central portion comprising a bottom wall and outwardly-extending upstanding lateral sidewalls forming wings, wherein a defined edge portions are formed along the body where the lateral sidewalls meet respective opposite side edges of the bottom wall.

2. A snowboard as claimed in claim 1, in which the bottom wall comprises one or more longitudinally-extending ribs on its under surface.

3. A snowboard as claimed in claim 2, in which a said rib extends centrally along the under surface of the bottom wall.

4. A snowboard as claimed in claim 2 or 3, in which the defined edge portions are provided at the tip of respective opposite side ribs.

5. A snowboard as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, in which the amount by which the or each rib extends increases towards the rear of the body.

6. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the bottom wall extends the length of the body and is narrower at the central portion than at the front and rear portions.

7. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the bottom wall is upturned at the front portion to provide a raised nose, said wings reducing in outward length towards the front portion where they terminate prior to the end of the nose.

8. A snowboard as claimed in claim 7, in which the periphery of the nose defines an edge having ends which extend rearwardly and inwardly of the body to meet the forward end of the respective defined edges.

9. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the defined edge portions are sharp.

10. A snowboard as claimed in claim 9, in which the defined edge portions comprise a strip of metal.

11. A snowboard as claimed in claim 10 as appended to claims 7 or 8, in which the defined edge portions also extend around the edge of the nose.

12. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the bottom wall is upturned at the front portion to provide a raised tail.

13. A snowboard as claimed in claim 12, in which the wings terminate adjacent the end of the tail.

14. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising a platform on which a rider can stand, the platform extending over the bottom wall and above the wings.

15. A snowboard as claimed in claim 14, in which the platform is provided by the upper surface of a member disposed within a channel formed between the wings.

16. A snowboard as claimed in claim 14 or 15, in which the member is formed of a foamed plastics material.

17. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the wings comprise a substantially planar region intermediate their opposite ends.

18. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each defined edge portion curves outwardly and upwardly from a point intermediate opposite ends of the board to respective points disposed at opposite ends of the board.

19. A snowboard as claimed in any preceding claim, in which a lip extends outwardly from the upper edge of each wing.

20. A snowboard comprising an elongate body having a bottom wall and outwardly-extending upstanding lateral sidewalls forming wings, edge portions being formed along the body where the lateral sidewalls meet respective opposite side edges of the bottom wall, wherein each edge curves outwardly and upwardly from a point intermediate opposite ends of the board to respective points disposed at opposite ends of the board.

21. A snowboard as claimed in claim 20, in which the wings comprise a substantially planar region intermediate their opposite ends.

22. A snowboard as claimed in claims 20 or 21, in which the bottom wall curves upwardly towards its opposite ends from a point intermediate its opposite ends.

23. A snowboard as claimed in any of claims 20 to 22, in which longitudinal side edges of the bottom wall curves outwardly towards its opposite ends from a point intermediate its opposite ends.

24. A snowboard as claimed in any of claims 20 to 23, in which a lip extends outwardly from the upper edge of each wing.

25. A snowboard substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.