Snowboard
Venture Snowboards launches "Shape Shack" experimental division and boards
By Chris Weiss
02:51 February 8, 2012

With a growing focus on powder and backcountry riding, some of the snowboard designs that have come out over the past few seasons look more like original designs from the 60s and 70s than modern day equipment. They have swallowtails, pointy noses and odd profiles. Some - like the Rome Hammerhead - just look downright strange and otherworldly. With the launch of its new experimental division known as Shape Shack, Colorado-based Venture Snowboards plans to take this trend a step further in designing all kinds of Franken-boards. It may just come up with odd yet functional board designs that big companies just aren't developing. Read More
Buhel Speakgoggle lets you talk through your nose bones
By Chris Weiss
13:09 February 3, 2012

Traditionally just big, goofy optics designed to protect your eyes from cold, snow and bright light, ski goggles have taken all kinds of new roles over the past few winters. Some goggles track your speed and vertical and some capture video. The Buhel Speakgoggle provides a seamless, vibration-based communications mechanism to keep you in touch with your crew. Read More
Recon Instruments brings action camera viewing into your goggles
By Chris Weiss
15:18 January 27, 2012

Recon Instruments and Contour have announced a new app that will let skiers and snowboarders look through the lens of their action cam right inside their goggles. The Contour Camera Connectivity App establishes a Bluetooth connection between Recon's MOD Live goggle display and the camera. Read More
Indoor ski resort to feature 2,297 foot downhill slope with a drop of 525 feet
10:14 September 27, 2011

Sweden's CF Møller Architects has just signed off on the new and spectacular Skipark 360°- set to be the largest indoor ski resort in the world. The winter park will house the only indoor ski slope to meet the requirements for hosting the World Cup, measuring 700 meters (2,297 feet) long and with a drop of 160 meters (525 feet). With an impressive height close to 135 meters (443 feet), the sporting facility will create a striking landmark, positioned in a forest located in Balsta, 45 minutes outside Stockholm. Read More

If you like the idea of zipping across the landscape on a stand-up tracked vehicle, but find the likes of the DTV Shredder and Scarpar just a little too intimidating, then you might like the Mattracks Powerboard. Designed specifically for use on snow, the device features one continuous snowmobile-type rubber track on the bottom, that is powered by a mid-mounted 200CC 4-cycle gas engine. Delivering a top speed of 18mph (29kph), this thing probably isn’t going to be appearing in any sports drink ads anytime soon, but it still looks like it could be fun. Read More
DTV Shredder stands up for off-roading
By Ben Coxworth
17:22 October 15, 2010

Twenty-one year-old Canadian Ben Gulak heads up BPG Werks, a company that is developing this seriously fun looking vehicle called the DTV Shredder. Like the Scarpar Powerboard, the Shredder is an all-terrain tracked vehicle that the rider stands on, like a skateboard – or in this case, a mini-tank. What sets it apart is its larger size, handlebars, and an in-development 48hp rotary combustion engine that should allow for a top speed of over 97km/h (60mph). Read More
Freerider Skatecycle combines snowboard, skateboard and casterboard
By Darren Quick
08:29 July 15, 2010

As devices such as the Pulse Kick ‘n’ Go Xcelerator and T-Board show, designers are always looking for new and interesting (and hopefully profitable) ways to provide kids with the various cuts and scrapes that are an essential part of growing up. The latest pretender to the throne still occupied by bikes, skateboards and scooters is the Freerider Skatecycle – a two wheeled recreational vehicle that allegedly combines the “foot control of snowboarding, the balanced turning of skateboarding, and the nimble, undulating movements of casterboarding.” Read More

The trouble with seasonal sports is that you've literally got to follow the seasons around the globe if you want to live your passion year-round. That, or let technology find a way to bring you your outdoor thrills indoors - like the Snowtunnel does. We've seen Dubai's lavish indoor ski slopes in the middle of the desert - now, this Aussie invention gives snowboarders the chance to cut a neverending icy edge for a fraction of the cost it takes to operate other indoor ski facilities. Sure, it'd be nothing like the feeling of dropping in, carving and jumping your way down a mountain slope, but the Snowtunnel looks like its own kind of fun. Read More
Subaru WRX STI TRAX hits the backcountry
By Gizmag Team
22:57 November 3, 2009

We've seen this approach to Arctic off-roading at a concept level, but this snow-eating Subaru WRX STI is most definitely for real. The 400bhp TRAX was built by Subaru Rally Team USA's technical partner, Vermont SportsCar from a rally-prepared 2009 WRX ST. EXE-TC Group N competition rally dampers were added, the drivetrain lowered three inches and the wheels tossed in favor of a Mattracks rubber track system. Read More

The Loop-In concept board could be an extreme skater’s dream, an answer for out-of-season snowboarders, or perhaps surfers who find themselves a long way from the ocean and want to keep up their skills. The Loop-In’s huge wheels can rotate over almost any surface while the board will rotate 360° within its interior independently. Read More
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