We get a couple of weeks of good ice on the lakes around here before they get covered up with snow and my snow board will hold an edge. I usualy use iceskates and kites which is fun but I am not the best skater and cant hold much power, get going to fast and have to sit down. I have seen atbs with blades instead of wheels but it seemed complacated and expensive for the short window of rideable ice. Has anyone tryed to stud the tires, It would be easy and cheap, I just dont know if it would work. There are times when the ice has just a little snow, enuff to mess up skates but not good for snowboarding yet, this might be the ticket for those days. If anyone has tried this I would love to here what you think?

Sideways deja-vu...... :o

Switchblade ......... anyone use that device ????

ATB Ice Blades thread

ATB,
Sam

I looked at making one piece board last year, that would have a bottom shaped like this: \____/ Not so much square, but you get the idea. (Kinda reversed concave). I was gonna dremel lines in the base to act as edges, towards the far outside they were gonna curve, so the more you lean the more you would turn, there would be a spot where you would just hold a straight line. Pretty hard to describe what was in my head. It would be like a snowskate deck with foot straps, meant to ride ice. In the end I couldn't find a metal that was hard enough, and to have one cnc machined was gonna cost a fortune especially if it didn't work. I dropped the idea. If I wanted to cruise ice bad enough I would just try the switchblade thingy before anything else.

Tim Anderson is one of my favorite D.I.Y. nuts from the sailing world...he has plans for his 'traditional polynesion ice proa' here..it looks like fun...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Traditional-Polynesian-Ice-C...

Some video of it here, along with the ice 'butt board' and a guy who looks like he has blades bolted onto ski boots...they aren't taking themselves too seriously..

I guess I am not the only one thinking about winter
Thanks for the links

That butt board might be just the ticket for some of the little rascals I take flying.

Apologies for digging up an old thread, but with winter coming, I want to get a jump on my plans for kiting the snow. Looking at snowskates, but what about these: http://www.fusesnow.com/web/catalog/products/4x4kit.html ?

Would it be possible to put these on my Trampa ATB, or are the truck or axle diameters to different? I am so used to foot straps now, and it seems like a decent mid-point between a snowboard and a snowskate.

Get 4 machetes form Harbor Freight http://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-machete-with-serrated-blade-69910.html

Back them up with hard wood slats to stiffen them and to act as skies in light snow. Drill holes for the axles and bolt them on to you mountain board.

Quote: Originally posted by Psychotronic

Would it be possible to put these on my Trampa ATB, or are the truck or axle diameters to different?

More than likely you would be swapping out the bearings that come with 4x4 kit to accomodate the axle diameter difference. Believe standard skateboard axle diameter is 8mm.

Will also have to accomodate that the bearing seating on the 4x4 kit won't be the same as the bearings that came with the Trampa.

ATB,
Sam