A ski has an upwardly rising front tip, a rear tail, and a midsection extending along a longitudinal axis of the ski between the front tip and the rear tail, the midsection including a waist section adapted for mounting a binding thereon. At least one stabilizing section is located between the front tip and the waist section or between the waist section and the rear tail. The at least one stabilizing section is offset from the longitudinal axis of the ski toward a first side of the ski. The stabilizing section may offset, toward and inside or an outside of the ski, a center of mass, a level of stiffness, or a damping effect of the stabilizing section. A pair of skis comprises such left and right skis. A stabilization device may be mounted on an ordinary ski.

A foam product includes a foam core and a soft shell. The foam core includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads. Each of the expanded beads is made of a pre-expanded bead. The foam core defines in its top surface a recess. The recess has an inner wall on which some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and protruded. The soft shell is disposed within the recess of the foam core and has an outer wall attached to the inner wall of the recess. In particular, the soft shell has at its outer wall a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beads in the recess of the foam core.

Traction systems for snowmobile skis producing traction on snow and ice covered surfaces; consisting a pair of snowmobile skis each having an assembly of parts; driven by an hydraulic rotor that pivots the skis, adjusting their position when cornering, providing traction, according to a snowmobile steering system . And is powered and controlled by at least one of: hydraulic steering system, an electro-hydraulic steering system; an electric power steering system using an electric motor instead of hydraulic rotor.

A sports board comprises, at a minimum, a top layer, a bottom layer, and a core in between them. A structural element with puzzle piece shape fits into a correspondingly shaped seat formed by the core, in between the top and bottom layers. The shape of the structural element prevents the structural element from being dislodged by shock forces frequently associated with use of the board. Machined or molded features are provided that penetrate or partially penetrate the structural element. These features, which are filled or included with resin, adhesive or another chemical bonding agent, resist horizontal shearing between the structural element, the core, and the top and bottom layers. A leading portion of the structural element protrudes out from in between the top and bottom layers, forming a bumper that acts as the first point of contact between the board and the ground or an obstacle.

A snowboard having a unibody base layer constructed from a seamless and single continuous piece of material and methods for fabricating the snowboard with a unibody base layer having a central recess for nestling layers of the snowboard therein, a tip, tail and sidewalls as well as exterior grooves for attaching edges on the exterior of the unibody base layer. The resulting snowboard having increased resistance to water penetration, increased structural integrity and overall material strength, resistance to rotting of materials, decreased overall weight and improved flexibility.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention would provide a rotatable footplate integrated with a corresponding bearing and well assembly that is imbedded into, screwed into, or otherwise, integrally a part of, a single-board sports board, such as a snowboard.

Described herein is a sports board for gliding over a surface. The board includes an upper structural layer having an outer surface, a lower structural layer, a core having an upper surface substantially covered by the upper structural layer and a lower surface substantially covered by the lower structural layer. The board also includes a deformable element covered by the core on an upper surface. A first portion of the deformable element protrudes a distance beneath the lower structural layer towards a horizontal plane of the surface underlying the sports board. The board also includes a base element substantially covering the lower structural layer and the deformable element and an edge component positioned at least in part around a perimeter of the base element. At least a portion of the deformable element can deform upon application of an amount of pressure against the base element.

Traction systems for skis producing traction on snow and ice covered surfaces; the skis selected from a group consisting a pair of Back Country skis each are mounted with an apparatus; having DC powered controls, tilt switch, pressurized carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) gas powered pneumatic actuators operating gripping parts; controlled by a servo unit. And further consisting a pair of snowmobile skis each having an assembly of parts; driven by an hydraulic rotor that pivots the skis, adjusting their position when cornering, providing traction, according to a snowmobile steering system. And is powered and controlled by at least one of: hydraulic steering system, an electro-hydraulic steering system; an electric power steering system using an electric motor instead of hydraulic rotor.

Traction systems for skis producing traction on snow and ice covered surfaces; the skis selected from a group consisting a pair of Back Country skis each are mounted with an apparatus; having DC powered controls, tilt switch, pressurized carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) gas powered pneumatic actuators operating gripping parts; controlled by a servo unit. And further consisting a pair of snowmobile skis each having an assembly of parts; driven by an hydraulic rotor that pivots the skis, adjusting their position when cornering, providing traction, according to a snowmobile steering system. And is powered and controlled by at least one of: hydraulic steering system, an electro-hydraulic steering system; an electric power steering system using an electric motor instead of hydraulic rotor.

A snowboard having a unibody base layer constructed from a seamless and single continuous piece of material and methods for fabricating the snowboard with a unibody base layer having a central recess for nestling layers of the snowboard therein, a tip, tail and sidewalls as well as exterior grooves for attaching edges on the exterior of the unibody base layer. The resulting snowboard having increased resistance to water penetration, increased structural integrity and overall material strength, resistance to rotting of materials, decreased overall weight and improved flexibility.