Ski and snowboard edges are often damaged from sliding or grinding on metal rails, trees, benches and other obstacles. This occurs on a daily basis, as grinding and sliding have become very popular tricks among younger skiers and snowboarders. Ski resorts are now regularly putting up obstacles like these for skiers and snowboarders to do tricks on. However, these types of tricks destroy the edges of the skis and snowboards, and then dull edges do not cut into hard-packed snow very well. This is potentially dangerous and reduces the amount of control and life of the skis and snowboards. Once an edge is damaged or loses its sharpness, a complete ski or snowboard can be placed on a grinder to have the edges re-sharpened. This technique can only be used a few times before the ski or snowboard is useless. If an edge is damaged due to impact with rocks or other hard surfaces, it may not only be dulled, but also bent or broken. This type of damage is costly to repair if it can be repaired at all. At the same time, sharp edges do not slide or grind well, as they tend to dig into or catch on the object being slid upon.
A gliding board of one embodiment includes a board body having top and bottom sides and defining a recessed area therebetween. A plurality of edge sections are removable from and replaceable to the board body, and each edge section has an engaging region complementary to the recessed area of the board body.
A method of modifying a gliding board according to an embodiment includes: 1) selecting a first set of grind plates for installation on the board; 2) installing the first set of grind plates on the board so that outer sides of the respective first grind plates are substantially flush with outer sides of the board and so that bottom sides of the respective first grind plates are substantially flush with a bottom side of the board; 3) removing the first set of grind plates from the board; 4) selecting a second set of grind plates for installation on the board; and 5) installing the second set of grind plates on the board so that outer sides of the respective second grind plates are substantially flush with the outer sides of the board and so that bottom sides of the respective first grind plates are substantially flush with the bottom side of the board.
a is an exemplary center edge section having a traditional edge.
b is an exemplary center edge section having a beveled edge.
c is an exemplary center edge section having a notched edge.
d is an exemplary center edge section having an intentionally dulled edge.
a is a front sectional view of a gliding board according to an embodiment; center edge sections are shown removed as in
b is a front sectional view of the gliding board of
Edge sections 4.1 may be manufactured to correspond to a new or existing gliding board 20, and edge sections 4.1 may provide manufacturers with new design options for their products. As noted above, edge sections 4.1 may include metal, plastic, or composite materials to provide the best edge or combination of edges for a given activity (e.g., traditional skiing or sliding on rails) or for a given snow condition (i.e., ice, powder, etc.).
Removable edge sections 4.1 are specifically designed to provide the optimal edges 4 for conventional skiing and snowboarding, and, with a change of an edge section 4.1, the best edge for sliding or grinding. Edge sections 4.1 may be easily removed and replaced for a given activity or due to edge damage, and they may be constructed of metal, plastic, composite materials, or mixtures thereof, for example. The flexibility of edge sections 4.1 may be optimized depending on whether the user is skiing/snowboarding traditionally or sliding. For example, a gliding board 20 being used primarily for skiing/snowboarding traditionally may use edge sections 4.1 having a flexibility very close to that of the main body 62, while a gliding board 20 being used primarily for sliding may use edge sections 4.1 that are more or less flexible than the main body 62. Flexible edges may be desirable when a user wants the board 20 to conform to the shape of the object being slid upon. Edges that are not flexible may be desirable when a user is sliding on rough, high friction surfaces such as concrete, because by conforming less, the edge would reduce friction and allow for a better slide.
A removable edge section 4.1 having a traditional (sharp and square) edge 4′ may work well for cutting into snow, but it may catch on obstacles that are being slid upon (
Recessed regions 64 and engaging regions 65 may unite to distribute forces between main body 62 and edge sections 4.1 and to secure edge sections 4.1 to main body 62. More particularly, bending forces that may be encountered due to grinding on edge sections 4.1—forces that could otherwise separate edge sections 4.1 from main body 62 or impart high forces on fasteners 63 and the top 1 of main body 62—may be distributed through main body 62 adjacent recessed regions 64 by the interaction with engaging regions 65
a is a front sectional view of a gliding board 20 showing center edge sections 4.1 removed as in
b is a front sectional view of the gliding board 20 of
Replaceable edge sections 4.1 and grind plates 7 may provide riders with a new level of equipment durability as well as customization, allowing for one pair of skis or a single snowboard to provide greater variety in performance and usability by being ideal for traditional skiing or snowboarding and ideal for sliding and grinding.
The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/712,115, filed 13 Nov. 2003 now abandoned and titled “REPLACEABLE, INTERCHANGEABLE EDGE AND GRIND PLATE SYSTEMS FOR SKIS AND SNOWBOARDS”, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10712115 | Nov 2003 | US |
Child | 11483837 | US |