Whether you’re an experienced snow boarder or just beginning to dip your toes into the powder, chances are that you’ve come across Signal Snowboards. The brand first got its start over a decade ago, and has now made a name for itself as the world’s only snowboard subscription service, offering expert advice on the best board for your unique position and then delivering those board within two to four days. With the start of each new season, subscribers have the ability to upgrade to a new board.
In order to keep customers on their toes with this unique subscription model, Signal is always looking for new ways to innovate. Most of the firm’s wacky creations can be found on its web series known as Every Third Thursday, and the latest board to make its debut features a seriously cool programmable LED base.
Every Third Thursday has seen some pretty neat concepts before — after all, the show has worked alongside brands including Toyota, Leatherman Tool Group, and Jack Daniels to bring creative snowboard iterations to life. But this latest DIY board may be the most interesting yet. Signal Snowboards founder Dave Lee was inspired by the bright lights and enormous screens of Times Square in New York City, and took it upon himself to create a snowboard that would rival one of the biggest LED shows in the world.
Around 1,700 LED lights were used for the base of the snowboard, which meant a whole lot of tricky and detail-oriented work. But by the time the team had finished, it successfully created a snowboard whose base can change on command to reflect a logo, a catchphrase, or just about anything else.
To take the snowboard on its maiden voyage, Signal Snowboards enlisted the help of rider Kyle Roles at Mammoth Mountain. In the video, you can see that the effect is particularly impressive during evening rides, when Roles quite literally lights up the mountain as he makes his way up and down slopes. Of course, Signal admits, “This is first generation trial and error with basic materials,” but even so, the end result was pretty memorable. GrindTV noted that some of the LED lights behaved like velcro when they came in contact with the snow, causing the board to stick rather than glide. However, the addition of a clear base overtop could address that particular problem.
While we probably won’t be able to buy such a snowboard for a while, it’s definitely an interesting concept for you to try to DIY at home.
