Here's a mad experiment that seems to work.

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Huck Pitueee
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:51 pm

Here's a mad experiment that seems to work.

Post by Huck Pitueee »

For back country you need skins for climbing and they are slow to apply and remove. They have some issues like snow sticks to them and they get heavy when wet. The tough part is being on an exposed ridge changing these sticky strips in a 50 mph wind.
So here's an alternative.

This was a quick and dirty test on a crusty day that got me up a favorite hill and try a few turns. Now the burning stoke to build a real test board. This hobby is endless!! Why the bare wood base for a test? The epoxy I used never hardened even after baking it so I said F it and washed off what I could and waxed the bastid!
strangesnowboarding
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Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 2:26 pm

Post by strangesnowboarding »

holy shit....
that is awesome, how did it ride on the way down?. i have been thinking about cnc cutting scales under the middle 2/3 of the snowboard so we dont need skins (less expensive, less to carry). but to see this done in wood, total proof.

keep working on rad shit.

tom
Huck Pitueee
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:51 pm

Post by Huck Pitueee »

The wood was pretty sticky by the time I went down but it had insane edge grip on that crust. Even with the redwood getting all rounded over. I need to do more testing but in pow it should ride fine. It had sweet glide when touring. Way more than skins.
I'm thinking about having no scales within an inch of the edge and maybe having few or none under your feet when riding. But for climbing I'd have a few under the climbing bracket that have no glide flat. Those steps on the test all have 1.5 inch of flat for glide. They also have a radiused entry like the nose of your board.

Image
test004 by Huck Pitueee, on Flickr

Image
test002 by Huck Pitueee, on Flickr

I originally thought of this for those really sticky days to break the suction and have less wetted surface area. Hopefully I can scrape that test base and get a few layers of epoxy to stick for more testing.
nearls
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Post by nearls »

Cool design. How fast is the board on the downhill slide compared to a standard deck?
Huck Pitueee
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Post by Huck Pitueee »

Sorry I don't have an answere. All the wax rubbed off the test base on the climb so I was down to wet bare wood for the DH. On the short run on the crust it felt draggy for good reason. On the climb there was a short flat downhill section and it felt about twice as slick as skins. That was shown in the first few seconds of the vid. I think once you get flying in pow it'll be fine.
I took a run in pow with my skins on a while back and and when it got a cushion of air under the board it slid pretty well.
It's guaranteed a stepped base will never slide as well as smooth but I hope to get it close enough to be acceptable for me. I just wonder how shallow a step to cut in the base and still have it climb. I'm thinking almost as deep as the ptex. Thoughts anyone?
Richuk
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Post by Richuk »

Leaving the edges clear is a great idea.

Strange: G-man has posted on this subject - so may be worth a read.
Huck Pitueee
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:51 pm

Post by Huck Pitueee »

Thanks I found that supplier. And tried to find Gmans threads. Rockaucum had some insight.
Huck Pitueee
Posts: 192
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:51 pm

Post by Huck Pitueee »


Here's todays test. Low visibility so I couldn't cut loose. So in sticky fresh snow the skinless climbed well but felt about 15% more drag on the downhill. At 2 minutes in the vid I switch to the 135cm full rockered board made for these conditions. Very fun to ride. It is really similar to a true fish surfboard.
doughboyshredder
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Post by doughboyshredder »

Sorry, but I just can't take anything you say seriously when you are riding a 135cm board in powder.

You're barely moving on that thing. That's a kids board.

Get on a gun, and you'll understand.
Huck Pitueee
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Post by Huck Pitueee »

Yea I hear you. That was a lame test on a flat slope and riding blind. I posted that for a coulpe guys who were interested in how much drag there was. I have a 168cm that's pretty fun but the 133cm is still more fun. Have you seen the size of the boards guys are using for no boarding?
I take those people very seriously. I posted a link to a vid recently that's inspiring.
Huck Pitueee
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Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:51 pm

Post by Huck Pitueee »

This.
http://www.splitboard.com/index.php/fea ... -the-woods
I'll take my 176cm out if you try a mini board! I already know how that rides.
doughboyshredder
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Post by doughboyshredder »

I hear ya. I know short boards can be fun. It's just not my thing.

I did ride a 146 on a pow day once and I had a good time, but I have a lot more fun going fast.

no boarding is a bit different. I don't think I would want to be going 50mph without binders.

Anyway, your boards are beautiful, and it's great that you keep thinking outside the box. I wonder if a stepped P tex base would work? Obviously the concept is legit considering the wood works so well on the uphill.
Huck Pitueee
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Post by Huck Pitueee »

Hopefully someone one ups me on the idea. We can make them climb well but drag on the ride down is the tough one to crack. Going 50 is great for lift accessed stuff but for back country you tend to savor every inch of elevation you climb. It's kind of a dumb sport but it's what we do.
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Dr. Delam
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Post by Dr. Delam »

Huck Pitueee wrote:Hopefully someone one ups me on the idea. We can make them climb well but drag on the ride down is the tough one to crack. Going 50 is great for lift accessed stuff but for back country you tend to savor every inch of elevation you climb. It's kind of a dumb sport but it's what we do.
I have to agree with you there. Whenever I hike for my turns in the bc, I tend to make it last with lots of turns. The whole pace is much slower versus the crazy powder feeding frenzy at the resorts here.
nearls
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Post by nearls »

Been curious about cutting fish scales into the ptex of a split deck. Cross country skis still seem pretty fast going downhill. Could possibly use a router jig to cut a similar pattern to yours huck, just couldn't be as pronounced due to ptex thickness. Could still have the option to put skins on when the trail rears up and you really need them. Ditching the skins would be pretty sweet on the change overs. +1 for short and stout boards here too. Quick turns in tight places.
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