A ski for use on ice or snow is disclosed. The ski includes a ski body having a tip portion, a tail portion, and a longitudinal running length extending between the tip portion and the tail portion and a substantially flat bottom surface for sliding on snow or ice. The ski also includes a suspension system comprised of a substantially rigid support structure secured to the longitudinally central region of the said ski body at two attachment locations separated by a distance of at least 5 inches along the longitudinal axis of the ski body, and at least one resilient element configured to exert an opposing force between the support structure and the ski body in the area between the two attachment locations.

Snowboards and splitboards having a contact length less than or equal to 65% of the length of the snowboard or a contact length equal to or less than half the length of the snowboard are disclosed. In some embodiments, a peak of a cambered section is aligned with a horizontal midline of the snowboard. In other embodiments, a peak of a cambered section is aft of a horizontal midline of the snowboard. Optional features of the snowboards and splitboards include bi-lobed tips, bi-lobed tails, touring tails and/or dual recurved tails.

Systems and methods are provided for generating a design for a gliding board. The methods involve operating a processor to: define a desired carved turn of the gliding board; define a desired global curvature profile; generate a desired deformed shape of the gliding board during the desired carved turn; generate a sidecut profile of the gliding board; generate a width profile of the gliding board; generate a camber profile of the gliding board; generate at least one stiffness design variable profile; generate a total load profile; modify at least the width profile, the sidecut profile and at least one of the at least one stiffness design variable profile at least once; and define the design for the gliding board based at least on the width profile, the camber profile, and the at least one stiffness design variable profile.

Articles of sports equipment, such as striking implements (e.g., sticks) and wearable articles (e.g., skates, helmets) for playing hockey or other activities, in which at least one of the characteristics (e.g., stiffness) of the articles of sports equipment is adaptable and can be altered during use of the sports equipment, such as by comprising an alterable component coupled to a controller, by comprising an alterable component that is autonomously alterable, and/or by an alterable component that can be altered in response to a command of a remote device.

A ski, wherein the ski includes: a ski core; a ski coating which forms an underside of the ski; a lower flange which is arranged between the ski core and the ski coating; steel edges; and side walls; wherein the lower flange includes at least a front region and/or a rear region which is broader, in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the ski, than a distance between the steel edges in the direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the ski in the region.

Systems and methods are provided for generating a design for a gliding board. The method involves operating a processor to: define a desired carved turn of the gliding board; define a desired global curvature profile; generate a desired deformed shape of the gliding board during the desired carved turn; generate a sidecut profile of the gliding board; generate a width profile of the gliding board; generate a camber profile of the gliding board; generate at least one stiffness design variable profile; generate a total load profile; modify at least the width profile, the sidecut profile and at least one of the at least one stiffness design variable profile at least once; and define the design for the gliding board based at least on the width profile, the camber profile, and the at least one stiffness design variable profile.

A system and method for providing a ski-snowboard device capable of skinning in an uphill ski mode and skiing in a downhill snowboard mode. The system may include two skis with inner and outer edges having substantially concave side cuts, and an insert that fits into the space between the inner edge side cuts of each of the two skis. The concave side cuts of the inner edges of the skis may have a groove formed in each, and a mating tongue on each side of the insert can fit into the grooves in a downhill snowboard mode. The tongue-and-groove connection may improve the torsional stiffness of the board, and the concave side cuts may allow a user to better grip when skiing and eliminate the step of switching the skis when used as sides of the snowboard.

There is provided a snowboard attachment to a standard snowboard for riding under powder snow conditions. The snowboard attachment comprises a nose part, an elongate passage and a body part. The nose part is operable to attach to the standard snowboard for providing lift and float while riding on powder snow. The elongate passage has walls extending between an opening in a top surface of the snowboard attachment and an opening in a bottom surface of the snowboard attachment, and is orientated transverse to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard attachment. The walls of the elongate passage are configured to surround the standard snowboard. The body part is attached in operation to the nose part, and has clamp through openings. The clamp through openings are arranged to receive bolts of a binding clamp of the standard snowboard, such that the clamp through openings lie in operation between the binding clamp and the standard snowboard.

Alpine ski comprising a tip zone located at the front of the ski, a waist zone, and a tail zone located at the rear of the ski, a median longitudinal plane extending from the front end to the rear end of the ski, an underside formed by a gliding sole bordered by edges, a zone for mounting a boot, the middle of which, in the longitudinal direction, is located at a mid-shoe line (M.sub.C), and having a sidecut with: a front contact line (PA) defined as the line of contact between the gliding sole and a horizontal surface against which the sole is pressed when the waist is loaded, which is located furthest forward; a rear contact line (PB) defined as the line of contact between the gliding sole and said horizontal surface, which is located furthest back; a line of greater front width (PI) located at or further forward than the front contact line (PA); a line of greater rear width (PII), located at or more rear than the rear contact line (PB); a zone of minimum width (PIII) located in the waist zone, said sidecut having a variable radius of curvature between the front contact line (PA) and the rear contact line (PB), characterized in that the width of the ski, measured perpendicular to the median longitudinal plane, at the front contact line (P.sub.A) is strictly less than the width of the ski measured at the rear contact line (P.sub.B) and in that the zone of minimum width (P.sub.III) is further forward than the mid-shoe line (MC).