Latest Radical Concepts in Snowboard Technology

A winter getaway in a catered chalet is every snowboarder’s dream – no matter where it may be. For the keen experts looking for the best boards, gear and accessories to give them an edge, the latest concepts in snowboarding technology have vastly changed what's available. Here are just some examples.

Task-Optimized Snowboards – Variations of hybrid snowboards incorporating rocker and camber elements are nothing new, but the breadth of hybrids out on the market today allows the serious snowboarder to collect more than one and make the most of a board’s properties for a specific task - giving snowboarders the freedom to choose a combination of flat, rocker and camber sections to optimise their performance on a particular slope, track or park. Need more snap and power? Get a hybrid with extended transition areas from the camber edges to the tip/tail. Need more edge control? Get a hybrid with cambered edges. The choices are virtually unlimited.User-Friendly Follow Drones – Follow drones are not exclusive to snowboarders, but their presence and the ease with which one can set up a modern follow drone is a drastic game-changer in the world of snowboarding. From the confines of your catered chalet to the pristine slopes of an off piste trail, follow drones add a significantly more engaging point of view to a snowboarder’s life. The stable, birds-eye aerial footage captured by these follow drones allow the individual snowboarder their own cameraman to film their progress wherever they go.

Magnetic Attachments – Another major development in snowboarding technology is the rising popularity of magnetic clamps. Traditional measures of securing equipment in place can be either too inflexible or too easily dislodged, but the lowering costs of high-strength magnets are making them a popular replacement for straps and Velcro-based attachment points. This makes it a lot easier for snowboarders not just to secure their boots, facemasks or lenses in place, but to replace and adjust them as needed.

Data-Driven HUDs – Heads-up displays have been around for a while, but combining these HUDs with the processing power of smartphones gives them significantly more use for dedicated snowboarders. The most game-changing advances involve the capture of quantifiable data to better determine a snowboarder’s performance, and to present the results in real-time while on the slopes. Speeds, jump analytics, altitude tracking, distance tracking – the data you capture with modern smartphone-assisted HUDs allows you to assess the performance of your snowboarding skills as well as the influence of your new gear on your performance. The best part is you can do this in real-time on the slopes or back home in your catered chalet.

If you keep an eye on the host of innovations in snowboarding tech, you will have a much easier time 'upping your game' – no matter whether you’re reviewing your day's performance in the comfort of your catered chalet or ripping it up on the piste testing out the latest snowboard design.

Belinda Smythson works for Ski Amis, a specialist ski travel agency and booking service offering bonded holidays staying in a catered or self catered chalet in La Tania and other fantastic destinations. For a luxury or good-value skiing holiday and the best catered chalets call Ski Amis.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.