- HangBoard
A HangBoard is a device used in the snow sport of
hangboarding .It bolts to a standard
snowboard in place of bindings, and the pilot — wearing a harness — hangs from a T-shaped bar. Arms push against handlebars in the front, and feet clamp into rudders at the back. Most control occurs by weight shifting, but pilots can also achieve directional control by using the foot rudders. Applied simultaneously, the rudders function as brakes. The HangBoard frame is made of aircraft aluminum, weighs less than 11 kg without the snowboard, and measures 160 cm long, 32 cm high when folded up, and 47 cm wide.HangBoard pilots ride the
ski lift s and descend the mountains like skiers and snowboarders. When loading onto a ski lift, the chair catches the upper part of the HangBoard, which then rests on the seat beside the pilot. A tether ensures the board cannot escape the lift.When departing the lift, the pilot holds onto the HangBoard's upper frame.HangBoard development began in 2001, invented by Canadian Don Arney. Others involved in the development process were Canadian designer Peter Brooke and American designer Charles Buchwald, and Canadian snowboard and mountain biking champion Everest MacDonald.
References
* 1. Interviews with Don Arney, November 2006
* 2. Interviews with Charles Buchwald, November 2006
* 3. [http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/life/story.html?id=42510bb0-009c-4554-9330-c09b99445ffc Article in "Victoria Times Colonist: New Board on the Block", 18 November 2006]External links
* [http://www.hangboard.ca Hangboard site]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
