Zone Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 I would normally post this on the racing forum, but it's not often that hardboots gets front page, even less often front page of Canada's biggest paper: http://www.thestar.com/olympics/2010/article/748006--snowboard-wizards-aim-to-turn-carbon-into-gold?bn=1 Interesting article too about secret sauce. Check the video link also (does not work with Firefox unless you use IE tab plugin etc...). http://www.thestar.com/videozone/747896 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDB Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 My subscription ran out last week!! Missed at least two great articles by Randy Starkman. If you get a chance read some of the older articles by Randy. He has done a great job keeping snowboarding in the publics eye. Great video!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Cool article. Thanks for posting it. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Thanks for the article and video. A bit sad that a group of enthousiastic volunteers have to help the Olympic dream come through in their sparetime. On the other hand its nice you have such a bunch of guys that do this almost for free. Hope JJ wins his gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 very cool stuff!!! Me being a geek love the technology. Isn't the spirit of olympic suppose to equal the playing field? Push the limit of human potential. Hence they used to compete in the nude. Do we not want to win because we are better snowboarder and not because of better equipement? Like when audi first introduce AWD in racing; eventually it got banned. If it's a safety thing; I figure we all want to share the advancement. I would hate to see a fellow athelete get hurt because he/she push way beyond the limit of equipment. I guess that's part of the competition too "to know the limit of one's gears". -- David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 The secret appears to hinge upon the connection. ;) http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Uetgrb9wF1Lz9pTDXVHVPg?feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7-vC1c6QxN9lEo7ATi_82A?feat=directlink Maybe the links will work, at least. Does this type of plate make the SW moot as even simple flat bindings will be able to flex?! hmmmnnn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 saw some pictures of those plates under canucks and was wondering what they are. guess we now have the next big thing in my mind a composite plate does make a world more sense though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eajracing Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Awesome. Now if we can get them (back) on Canadian boards!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 It's great to see folks working on technology that will eventually trickle down to us. Our passion has been neglected by the big manufactuers for a number of years now. I'm also glad to see the sport get some press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crucible Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Awesome.Now if we can get them (back) on Canadian boards!! Amen.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Soze Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Awesome.Now if we can get them (back) on Canadian boards!! Oh, hi there Bruce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eajracing Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Oh, hi there Bruce. and Chris.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Don't forget our southern Canadian... Sean! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUD Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Does this type of plate make the SW moot as even simple flat bindings will be able to flex?! hmmmnnn. Carbon that thick doesn't move much. Other than that, I am not going to make any guesses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Soze Posted January 8, 2010 Report Share Posted January 8, 2010 Don't forget our southern Canadian... Sean! Sorry Dave, is Sean Martin a Canuck? I really don't know, this may just have been a joke I didn't get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WEBSIGHT360 Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 This looks like it could be considerably lighter than existing plate systems. I'm impressed. I would love to see if it could withstand the stresses that Bomber bindings and large riders would impose on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skategoat Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 I wouldn't get too excited about the Apex plate trickling down to average riders. First of all, do you really need 1/2 second more speed? And how much more are you willing to pay for it? Does that translate into a viable market? It takes a lot more than engineering to bring a product to market. The Sidewinder is a whole different deal. You need bindings to ride so you might as well buy one that gives you lateral flex. The incremental cost is small compared to conventional bindings. The Apex plate, OTOH, is an entirely discretionary expense. As for level playing field - Hah! The Olympics are about winning with any advantage you can muster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser Soze Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 I wouldn't get too excited about the Apex plate trickling down to average riders. First of all, do you really need 1/2 second more speed? And how much more are you willing to pay for it? Does that translate into a viable market? It takes a lot more than engineering to bring a product to market. True, but some rec riders are still shelling out for boards with HANGLs or a VIST plate. Why would that be any different for the Apex plate (assuming the f'n thing doesn't cost more than 600 USD)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 As for level playing field - Hah! The Olympics are about winning with any advantage you can muster. Olympics seem to be quite inconsistent about leveling the field... I remember the days when even semi-pros were not entitled to compete (example: Ingmar Stenmark, 1886)... Then, say sailing: Laser class is so restricted that you can change just few rope systems and entire kit is supplied by the organisers; Finn class used to be completelly supplied, then over a period the hull foils and fittings were supplied, while athletes brought their own masts and sails (which was strange as in that era the bigger technological braketrough was in the rigs, not the hulls). I'm not too sure what htey do now, probably all supplied by athlete... Those who remember Chariots of Fire, know that even having a private coach was considered cheating. Rewind back a bit more, brings us to the era when PRACTICING was considered cheating too, for a gentleman, in England... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 Sweet! Always nice to have a secret under the hood when pulling up to the drag line :) oh, and ps: I want one :) Good luck canooks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 The secret appears to hinge upon the connection. ;)http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Uetgrb9wF1Lz9pTDXVHVPg?feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7-vC1c6QxN9lEo7ATi_82A?feat=directlink Nice pictures! My engineering analysis: It looks like this will decouple the board's bending in a carve from the rider's legs while still maintaining a stiff connection from edge to edge. When you bend a board into an arc without this plate it would naturally force your knees together. Conversely the board's stifness would be higher near the bindings without this plate as your knees will resist this motion somewhat. I can only guess that the extra length out front is to add a supplemental spring if the board bends far enough, kind of like the supplemental 'towing' springs on a leaf-spring eqipped truck. Without that it might be possible that they were snapping boards from allowing a little too much bending. The rubber-looking bellows that are normally around it likely either: - pevent snow from accumulating under the plate, messing up this effect - is an air chamber that allows the rider to change the stiffness of the system by adjusting the pressure or - is simply there just to conceal its details The VIST and Hangle plates don't have this decoupling, they only spread the point load from the bindings over a bigger area. The aluminum home-made-looking system is likely similar but I haven't seen many pictures of it. Cool stuff, I'm interested to hear reviews from capable riders of all the systems once they're available for public use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyzcanuck Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 From the article posted HERE: Unsung Heroes Help Snowboarders Reach Apex The guys at Apex Composites in Burlington, featured on the front page of today's Toronto Star, really have gone above and beyond to help the Canadian alpine snowboard team in the chase for Olympic gold. They're not publicity seekers – we found them; they didn't come to us. How dedicated are these guys? Take the time Apex president Gerry Kavanaugh and manager Matt Clarke showed up for a training camp in Whistler and realized the plate system they designed – now on about Generation Seven – wasn't working like they'd planned. They didn't want the trip to be a waste so they drove to a Canadian Tire in Squamish, bought grinders, epoxy, fibreglass, polyester resin, wood and hacksaws and began to re-configure the plate system on the balcony of the hotel room they were sharing with coach Mark Fawcett – the fiercely driven coach let them bunk with him. They even used the bbq there to cure their handiwork. “We actually set up a little makeshift composite shop on the balcony, so we could hack and saw and do whatever we needed,” said Kavanaugh. The trip started on a rough note, too, as they noticed a mistake in the plate system when they finally assembled it in Burlington late the night before they left. Their flight was at 6:30 am. Kavanaugh went home, got his suitcase, kissed his wife and baby good-bye, and went back to the plant to keep working all night with Clarke to fix things up. The carbon fibre plates were still warm from the oven when they packed them up to rush for their flight. Some other little bits that didn't make today's story: * Snowboard Matt Morison's father, Paul, was kind of the guineau pig for the plate system at times. The entire Morison clan, from Burketon near Oshawa, are avid snowboarders. So when the team was over in Europe and the boys at Apex need somebody to try out a new version of the plate system, they enlisted Paul Morison to take it out on the slopes for a test run. “He's not as fast as Matt,” said Kavanaugh. “But he could tell us if it was going to fall apart or not.” * Peter Meszaros, a scientist and one of the foremost experts in North American in terms of composites technology, was a consultant on the project. At 65, Meszaros wasn't exactly into the snowboard lingo, but brought a direct and scientific approach to the project. * There is one potential bonus in this whole thing for Kavanaugh. “If anyone gets a medal at the Olympics, Mark Fawcett owes me snowboard lessons next winter,” he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvingScooby Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 From the article posted HERE:Unsung Heroes Help Snowboarders Reach Apex * There is one potential bonus in this whole thing for Kavanaugh. “If anyone gets a medal at the Olympics, Mark Fawcett owes me snowboard lessons next winter,” he said. Instead asking a big $$$, he ask for a snowboard lessons...hey Mark Fawcett as an instructor:eek:, not a bad idea... Cheers Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterGold Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 One question - this plate is made for the Canadian Alpine Team, right? If so, what plate is Tyler Jewell using? It looks pretty similar. And something else - watching JJ and Michael race at Kreischberg, it is interesting to see that Lambert´s plate ends behind the rear binding and Anderson´s plate seems to be mounted further back on the board - so it is not as long in front of the bindings, but stretches further out in the back ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 One question - this plate is made for the Canadian Alpine Team, right?If so, what plate is Tyler Jewell using? It looks pretty similar. Good question. He placed 4th right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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