Skip to main content

This has to be the coolest snowboard you’ll ever see

Every Third Thursday Times Square Programable LED Snowboard base
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.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Ex-NASA engineer creates the friendliest car horn you’ll ever hear
polite car horn

A honk of your car horn, no matter how well-meaning, has the potential to elicit one of a variety of interesting responses from other drivers.

On a good day they'll immediately understand the reason for your toot — perhaps they didn't notice the traffic signal switch to green — perhaps even raising their hand to apologize or as a show of thanks. But on another occasion, perhaps dependent on the kind of day they've had, a helpful honk may prompt them to leave the comfort of their driving seat to grab a heavy bat-like object from their trunk before setting about altering the shape of your car with a carefully administered beating.

Read more
Bagpipe-playing 3D-printed robotic hands are the most ridiculous thing you’ll see all week
3d printed arduino robot hands screen shot 2017 01 18 at 22 17 09 1

Okay, so it’s kind of a gloomy thought so early in 2017, but would there be a more badass way to close out your eventual funeral -- years in the future, mind you! -- than by having a 3D-printed robot play the bagpipes?

Thanks to Instructables user XenonJohn, such a slightly morbid wish is no longer out of the realm of possibility -- and all you’ll need is a 3D printer, Arduino, and “bagpipe chanter” to make it a reality.

Read more
Eager to see TCL’s version of the BlackBerry? You’ll only have to wait until CES
BlackBerry Priv

Just a few days after buying the global rights to the BlackBerry phone brand, Chinese company TCL has some more big news -- it's debuting its version of the BlackBerry of the future at CES 2017, which takes place in just a few short weeks. It's a bittersweet beginning and end for BlackBerry, which on Monday, solidified its position outside the smartphone arena by announcing the opening of a new autonomous vehicle research hub in Canada. But just because BlackBerry isn't making its signature phones anymore doesn't mean that the smartphone itself is going anywhere.

https://twitter.com/SteveCistulli/status/809482929646682112

Read more