The Burton Corporation

Brian D West

Stefan Reuss

Ryan Coulter

David J Dodge

Christopher M Doyle

James D Laughlin

Markus Koller

A highback for controlling a gliding board, such as a snowboard, through leg movement of a rider. The highback is comprised of at least two distinct materials with different stiffnesses to achieve a desired blend of stiffness and flexibility. The highback may employ a material of greater stiffness in one or more regions to provide high force transmission between the rider and the board. The highback may employ a material of lesser stiffness in one or more regions where flexibility is desired for more gradual power transmission, comfort and/or to facilitate highback adjustability. The arrangement of the different materials provides a lightweight highback with a relatively sleek profile having selected regions of stiffness and/or flexibility.

Highback formed of multiple materials

A highback includes a wing-shaped leg support adjustably extending therefrom that cooperates with a rider's leg to transmit forces from the rider's leg to the highback. The support is movable between a plurality of positions relative to the highback so that the position of the support may be selectively adjustable by the rider to accommodate the rider's particular riding preferences. The adjustable support facilitates the selection of desired force transmission to the board and may enhance board control.

Wing-shaped leg support for a highback

A highback for controlling a gliding board, such as a snowboard, through leg movement of a rider. The highback is provided with stiffness adjustability for accommodating the rider's particular riding preferences. Adjusting the highback stiffness allows the rider to selectively increase or decrease force transmission and board response based on individual riding preferences and/or riding conditions. Adjusting highback stiffness may also allow a rider to reduce pressure points between the highback and the leg, particularly the rider's calf muscle, for increased comfort while maintaining heelside support for board control. The highback includes a back member that may employ one or more sections that can be selectively adjusted to achieve a desired highback stiffness for board response and comfort. The degree of stiffness may be established by adjusting the flexibility of the highback at preselected locations of the back member. One or more interchangeable control elements may be mounted to the back member to adjust the highback stiffness.

Highback with adjustable stiffness

A highback for controlling a gliding board, such as a snowboard, through leg movement of a rider. The highback is comprised of at least two distinct materials with different stiffnesses to achieve desired blend of stiffness and flexibility. The highback may employ a material of greater stiffness in one or more regions to provide high force transmission between the rider and the board. The highback may employ a material of lesser stiffness in one or more regions where flexibility is desired for more gradual power transmission, comfort and/or to facilitate highback adjustability. The arrangement of the different materials provides a lightweight highback with a relatively sleek profile having selected regions of stiffness and/or flexibility.

An adjustable strap that limits separation of the strap portions from each other. The strap provides for quick and easy one hand operation by allowing a user to fully loosen and tighten the strap without the need for rejoining the strap portions to each other. The strap may also maintain the overlapping sections of the strap portions in close proximity and generally parallel to each other, such as when bending and/or adjusting the strap across a curved surface, to substantially reduce the likelihood of a loose strap end. The adjustable strap may include an engagement strap with a fastening device, such as a ratchet buckle, mounted to one end thereof, and a ratchet strap that passes through the ratchet buckle to be adjusted relative to the engagement strap for a desired tightness. The engagement strap may include a stop that coacts with the ratchet strap to limit relative movement between the engagement and ratchet straps. An elongated slot may be disposed along the engagement strap to guide and limit travel of an anchor to which is fastened the tip of the ratchet strap.

Adjustable strap

A highback for controlling a gliding board, such as a snowboard, through leg movement of a rider. The highback is provided with shape adjustability for accommodating a rider's particular riding preferences. Shape adjustability may allow the rider to reduce pressure points between the highback and the leg, particularly the calf muscle, for increased comfort while maintaining proper heelside support for board control. Shape adjustability may also allow the rider to selectively increase or decrease force transmission and board response based on individual riding preferences and/or riding conditions. The highback may employ one or more sections that may be selectively arranged to achieve a desirable highback shape for board response and rider comfort. The highback may be rigidly fixed in the selected shape to maintain comfort while delivering desired power transmission to the board.

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, VT, United States of America

Brian D West