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Kid Risers |
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For the '07/'08 season Spruce Mountain will be offering a kid's binding system utilizing the standard Spruce composite riser and custom mounted Salomon C305 junior bindings. The photo shows this binding rig mounted on a paper mockup of the new Revel 8 Bantam "Samurai" 75cm boards. This setup will be offered as a package product by skiboardsonline.com and is an ideal way to get youngsters started on high performance skiboards with the added safety of release bindings. My seven year-old grandson has tested this binding mounted on prototype risers and Salomon 62cm Grom boards and it has worked well for two seasons. As the child's boot size grows, the C305 binding can be replaced with "senior norm" bindings such as the Salomon 607 and the riser and boards can continued to be used without any modifications. |
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Powder Plates |
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Over the last couple of seasons, we've had numerous requests for extra holes in the Spruce risers to provide setback positions of the bindings. Another approach that was suggested was to put extra inserts in the boards themselves. The problem with the "extra riser holes" approach is that there isn't really much room on the risers for extra mounting holes. Extra inserts on the boards adds cost and has other limitations. We've solved this problem by developing a "Powder Plate" which screws onto any 4x4 or 4x10 insert skiboard and allows a Spruce riser to be mounted in three different setback positions on the board: -15mm, -50mm and -85mm. The plate adds 6mm (1/4") of height.
Picture 1, shows the powder plate mounted on a Revel 8 ALP board with a Spruce composite riser and Salomon 609 binding. The setback is -85mm. Picture 2, is of the bare powder plate mounted on a Spruce 120 board. The plate weighs 9 ounces and has a thin neoprene pad between the plate and the board. Picture 3, is of a Spruce Pro Prime riser and binding mounted on a Spruce 120 board with a powder plate set at -85mm. Testing of the plate over the summer confirmed that it works well and that it gives riders a choice of setback positions that cover most all situations. Production of the plate is scheduled for late November '07 and can be purchased from skiboardsonline.com or directly from us. ***NOW AVALIBLE FOR PURCHASE! *** |
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130 "Sherpa" |
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We decided to push the envelope a bit further this season with a new board that is longer and wider than the Spruce 120 but still retains the 7.5 meter turn radius of a true skiboard. Testing of the board over the summer by Dave Stevens and Jack Jue of the Spruce Pro Staff, confirmed that it is a very powerful board that provides a new level of stability and speed without giving up the fast turn initiation of a true skiboard. The board is 130cm in length and has a width profile of 160/112/145. The flex is a bit stiffer than the Spruce 120's, but it is still a relatively soft flex board and is well suited to larger riders and to deep powder. The picture is of a prototype board with a paper topsheet and Pro Prime riser/binding. The Sherpa will be available in January '08 from skiboardsonline.com or directly from us. ***NOW AVALIBLE FOR PURCHASE! *** |
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Tray Risers |
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| Over the last couple of seasons, a number of riders have asked for the ability to mount alpine touring ("AT") bindings on Spruce 120's to allow for backcountry climbing and descent. The problem with mounting an alpine touring binding directly to the 120's was that the board is so thin that the mounting screws don't hold. Kevin Sharp at nzskis.com developed a new riser that mounted Fritschi Explore bindings on 120's and he tested it successfully in New Zealand. A prototype of this riser was also tested successfully by Curt Peterson in Washington on Mt. Rainier. One of the problems with using a riser with the AT bindings is that they have a high "stand height" even when mounted directly to a ski, so when a riser is added the stand height is more than 55mm. This is too high for most applications. Kevin Sharp reduced the height of his riser which helped considerably, but it was still quite high.
The solution that we have come up with for the height issue is the "Tray Riser" which is just a regular riser turned upside down and made wider. The picture is of a Spruce 120 with the tray riser and a Fritschi "Free Ride" binding set in the highest climbing position. The Tray Riser is designed to mount directly on a Spruce powder plate. This allows for a forward position for climbing and a setback position for descent in powder. Jack Jue tested this configuration over the summer in the Sierra high country and at Mt. Hood in Oregon and reported that it worked extremely well. Availability is scheduled for December '07 from skiboardsonline.com or directly from us. |
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