Funky board technology

[mattj]

G'Day Y'All,

With all of the discussion about plates and technology, I thought I'd throw this in.

The August 2010 edition of Snowboarder Magazine has some articles on reverse camber and a two page spread on new sidecuts.

Page 1 has:

- Salamon board with three straight edges - no curve at all.

Page 2 has:

- Gnu board that is asymmetrical and has "Magne-Traction" (serrated edge)

- Forum board with "raised sidewalls"

Are these the future or just a marketing gimmick?

Matt

Page 1:

Page 2:

[BobD]

G'Day Y'All,

With all of the discussion about plates and technology, I thought I'd throw this in.

The August 2010 edition of Snowboarder Magazine has some articles on reverse camber and a two page spread on new sidecuts.

Are these the future or just a marketing gimmick?

Matt

I love it when conventional wisdom goes out the window.

[carvingbassist]

G'Day Y'All,

Page 2 has:

- Gnu board that is asymmetrical and has "Magne-Traction" (serrated edge)

- Forum board with "raised sidewalls"

Are these the future or just a marketing gimmick?

that asym gnu is awesome. i rode one last season the magne-whatever definitely helps it keep an edge (it is a rocker board) and the asym helps when carving up to features heelside. im not sure about the stuff on the other board.

[dingbat]

The salomon looks like a milder version of magnatraction. I would expect it to work really well.

[Cam]

I tried Magna Traction last November and was not impressed. You can get the same quality edge hold by sharpening your edges when needed.

The theory is to apply the same force (body weight etc) over a smaller area (the 5 points along the edge where it bows out). This is great in theory but there are some trade offs. When carving the increasing pressure (force over an area) results in digging deeper ruts; therefore, you displaces more snow (create more drag).

I also found that any location of dramatic change in side cut creates a stress concentration where the board will flex more than at other locations along the board’s length. The result is inconsistent flex along the board’s length while carving.

On a couple occasions one of bowed sections of the board lost contact with the snow. The board immediately became very unstable. When that section of the board regained grip with the snow the board would over-flex at that location. When it happened at the nose I ended going over the handle bars a few times. When it happened at the tail that board tended to overturn (fishhook carves). When it happened in the middle of the board the radius of the cave shortened dramatically (happened in moguls of drastically varied terrain).

I found that Magna Traction did not work as well as a regular side cut radius with sharp edges. However for park riders who need dull edges for boxes or rails the increased pressure at five locations allows them to still carve between park features. For my riding style, where I tune my board often and spend a lot of my time carving on groomed runs, there are better boards out there.

[leeho730]

Same. Didn't like magnetraction, returned the board (TRS MTX 157).

[NateW]

Back in 88 or 89, Burton's Cruzer had a sidecut composed of two straight lines.

And a turn fin. I'm guessing we'll see those coming back in 2015, if not sooner.

[carvingbassist]

I tried Magna Traction last November and was not impressed. You can get the same quality edge hold by sharpening your edges when needed.

The theory is to apply the same force (body weight etc) over a smaller area (the 5 points along the edge where it bows out). This is great in theory but there are some trade offs. When carving the increasing pressure (force over an area) results in digging deeper ruts; therefore, you displaces more snow (create more drag).

I also found that any location of dramatic change in side cut creates a stress concentration where the board will flex more than at other locations along the board’s length. The result is inconsistent flex along the board’s length while carving.

On a couple occasions one of bowed sections of the board lost contact with the snow. The board immediately became very unstable. When that section of the board regained grip with the snow the board would over-flex at that location. When it happened at the nose I ended going over the handle bars a few times. When it happened at the tail that board tended to overturn (fishhook carves). When it happened in the middle of the board the radius of the cave shortened dramatically (happened in moguls of drastically varied terrain).

I found that Magna Traction did not work as well as a regular side cut radius with sharp edges. However for park riders who need dull edges for boxes or rails the increased pressure at five locations allows them to still carve between park features. For my riding style, where I tune my board often and spend a lot of my time carving on groomed runs, there are better boards out there.

cam i definitely agree with what your saying but i have ridden other rockered park boards and this one was easiest to carve (again with the dull edges). obviously i am a hardbooter and know what real carved turns are . but i think for park boards its a nice innovation. they just wanna keep some speed for the next feature, not nice laid out extreme carving. i wouldnt think this technology would be good on freecarve or race boards. actually that gnu was very fun to ride tho. IMO.

[jacopodotti]

Burton Cruzer has curved sides,as you could see in my avatar and I still have it at my office.

Let's hope that the finn is not coming back , an astonishing experience using it on groomed runs.

[boarderboy]

Let's hope that the finn is not coming back , an astonishing experience using it on groomed runs.

:lol::lol:

the huge hematoma to match.

Not going back, no matter what Fin says ...

BB

[tex1230]

G'Day Y'All,

With all of the discussion about plates and technology, I thought I'd throw this in.

The August 2010 edition of Snowboarder Magazine has some articles on reverse camber and a two page spread on new sidecuts.

Page 1 has:

- Salamon board with three straight edges - no curve at all.

Page 2 has:

- Gnu board that is asymmetrical and has "Magne-Traction" (serrated edge)

- Forum board with "raised sidewalls"

Are these the future or just a marketing gimmick?

None of this is the future...as all of these designs have been around more than a few times. Magnetraction has been on lib tech boards for almost a decade...It's crap IMHO... 3 straight edges is just f#%$ing lazy cheap board construction...and raised sidewalls was done by ride and Morrow.

[bobdea]

None of this is the future...as all of these designs have been around more than a few times. Magnetraction has been on lib tech boards for almost a decade...It's crap IMHO... 3 straight edges is just f#%$ing lazy cheap board construction...and raised sidewalls was done by ride and Morrow.

thank you for stating pretty much the opinion I have on the above.

I don't mind the magnetraction stuff but it's not ground breaking. straight sidecut? salomon seemed to be addicted to it so it figures, this was one of the last of the big ski companies to make modern shapes when the sidecut party first happened, because they did not want to retool, cheap.

[dingbat]

None of this is the future...as all of these designs have been around more than a few times. Magnetraction has been on lib tech boards for almost a decade...It's crap IMHO... 3 straight edges is just f#%$ing lazy cheap board construction..

If you look at the photo, it looks like 3 straight sections in the mid section of a traditional sidecut. I suspect it would actually be more difficult, time consuming, and costly to pull this off cleanly than a traditional sidecut due to the fact that edges would have to be pre-bent for the transitions at the ends of the straight sections rather than just flexed into place like on a gradually arcing sidecut. Olson was quoted in an interview when Magnetraction first introduced that he hoped other board manufacturers would play around with the technology, i.e. size, number, and placement of nodes.

[tex1230]

Olson was quoted in an interview when Magnetraction first introduced that he hoped other board manufacturers would play around with the technology, i.e. size, number, and placement of nodes.

GNU and LibTech are the same co. I'm not aware of anyone else using magnetraction...

[inkaholic]

GNU and LibTech are the same co. I'm not aware of anyone else using magnetraction...

Actually JJ is using magnatraction on his Jones snowboards. He is using MT on the Flagship and Solution split. I think he had a rossignol built with MT. Rossi had the 2009 Rossi One-Magna Traction board in...2009.

As far as the three straight edge Salomon, I did that crap in High school because I was too lazy to make a smooth radius. It sucked then and I can't imagine that it has gotten any better with a "big" company making it.

Ink

[Jack M]

:smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea :smashfrea

[dingbat]

GNU and LibTech are the same co. I'm not aware of anyone else using magnetraction...

I was talking about the Salomon. I had mentioned earier that it seemed like a milder version of magna-traction.

.....I did that crap in High school because I was too lazy to make a smooth radius. It sucked then and I can't imagine that it has gotten any better with a "big" company making it.

Ink

Well that just settles it then now doesn't it.:lol::lol::lol:

[110/220V]

>:^O I have a Brooklyn Bridge and snake oil for sale in case of interest!

[Puddy Tat]

Page 1 has:

- Salamon board with three straight edges - no curve at all.

Now with piecewise linear sidecuts to more closely approximate a chord SCR.

Dave

[kieran]

someone should make a snowboard where the base has lengthwise grooves machined into it ... maybe one straight running channel in the middle, and then curving progressively to match the sidecut as you get toward the edges.

in theory it would be difficult to skid. only way to keep momentum would be to use your edges.

[tex1230]

someone should make a snowboard where the base has lengthwise grooves machined into it ... maybe one straight running channel in the middle, and then curving progressively to match the sidecut as you get toward the edges.

in theory it would be difficult to skid. only way to keep momentum would be to use your edges.

that was done in the 90's by someone...I think Inca boards?

I rode one once and it was weird...very slow.

[Beckmann AG]

. ...maybe one straight running channel in the middle...

If memory serves, Fawcett and Hostetter had something like this underfoot around 92?

Had a Sims label. One channel, maybe three inches wide.

[kieran]

that was done in the 90's by someone...I think Inca boards?

I rode one once and it was weird...very slow.

i'm not surprised it's already been done. and failed. ;)

[Arclite]

GNU and LibTech are the same co. I'm not aware of anyone else using magnetraction...

The Nidecker Proto has a form of magnetraction in its edge. I believe it is only in the middle part of the board though.

The other part of magnetraction is the fact that after a few sharpenings, its going to wear away.

[Keenan]

I think Hobie had a board with 4 edges. It was a freeride board with a raised area down the middle of the base, shaped like a race board. It looked like they had taken the base and edges of a race board and epoxied it to the base of a freeride board. It was supposed to perform like 2 boards in 1. Apparently it sucked.