MICHELLE KOWALSK
Carving. Air. Indy. Poke. Switchstance. Ollie. Kicker. Grab. Fakey. Mute. Stale. 360. 720.
If you are wondering what these terms are, you probably don't do much snowboarding.
One BYU student looking to enhance the quality of snowboarding has created a type of snowboard binding that gives the rider more agility and freedom to perform more tricks.
Brian Mansure, a graduate student from Albuquerque, N.M., studying manufacturing engineering, has designed SkateStyle Bindings. 'They work using a double-hinge mechanism. The double-hinge allows you to rotate your foot side to side,' he said.
Mansure grew up riding skateboards, and he started snowboarding about 10 years ago. He wanted snowboarders to enjoy the same freedom of movement as skateboarders.
Looking for a way to allow more flexibility to the rider, Mansure developed a binding allowing feet to move side-to-side, but not lift off the board.
Mansure turned over his idea over to BYU Technology Transfer to help him with many of the legal aspects of the production. The office helps staff, faculty and students obtain patents for their technologies, and then helps them commercialize the product.
SkateStyle Bindings have the potential to reduce knee and ankle injuries that occur when crashing on a snowboard. With this safety feature, Mansure said beginners would probably do well with his bindings.
A web page has been designed to help people learn more about these new bindings. The address is http://www.et.byu.edu/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ mansure/skatestyle/. The site includes many photos demonstrating the freedom riders have using these bindings.
John Scholfield, a shop technician and snowboard salesman at REI in Orem, said, 'I wouldn't have believed it until I tried them.' He had a chance to experiment on the bindings last spring.
Freestylers just need to try them to see how great they are, he said. 'If they get the opportunity, people should try them.'
Mansure's bindings are not on the market yet, but a patent is pending. Scholfield said, 'I think local board shops would grasp onto the idea.'
Photo Courtesy of Brian Mansure
Flyin' High: Brian Mansure, a graduate student from Albuquerque, N.M., demonstrated the increased freedom the snowboard bindings he designed gives snowboarders. Mansure tried out his bindings on a trampoline in Spanish Fork last summer