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Archive for the ’news’ Category
Posted on September 7, 2010
Hang out with Spark R&D at Storm Shadow Productions premiere of Water to Wine. There will spark swag given away and a chance to win a pair of the new Blaze bindings as well.
A Montana-made ski & snowboard film! The first premiere is Wednesday, September 8th at MSU’s Procrastinator Theater – shows times at 8:30pm, 9:30, and 10:30PM. $10 admission, tickets available at the door.
September marks the long anticipated release of Storm Shadow’s new ski/snowboard film “Water To Wine.”
Filmed entirely in southwest Montana and featuring some of the area’s most innovative skiers and snowboarders, “Water To Wine” offers a rare glimpse of what these mountains have to offer. Highlights include: Collin Collins sun rise pillow line assault, Tizer DeMers’s and Luke Tanaka’s impressive single session segment shot entirely in one day at Great Divide, Shane Stalling’s all terrain destruction of everything shred, and steep and deep days at Big Sky & Moonlight like you have never seen it before!
Posted on August 18, 2010
The next generation is here.
Introducing the BLAZE splitboard binding for the 2010/2011 season.
Since the very beginning, Spark R&D has been a rider-owned and operated business, pushing innovation in the sport of splitboarding – because that’s what we LIVE for. We are all splitboarders. We have spent hundreds of days in the backcountry. We have vigorously tested our own products and know what would make them lighter, stronger, better. That’s why we’re stepping it up this season, even more than before; we’re seeking perfection based on your needs and feedback and our own riding experiences. Bringing together all of this knowledge, we’re proudly introducing the BLAZE – our most innovative binding yet – a splitboard specific binding with splitboard specific features:
Straps: We are now sourcing our own straps, chosen for their minimalism, durability, and functionality in the backcountry.
Highbacks: We have designed our own custom highback for splitboard specific needs: wider range of lean (more aggressively forward, 25° compared to 18° on the Fuse, all the way back to “layback” for striding on the flats, -5° compared to +8° on the Fuse), stiffer yet more comfortable construction, vertical built-in slots for a standard 1.5″ webbing booster strap for steeps and off-camber climbing, and an extra large grab hole for billy goating security.
Even Lighter: Based on the strong performance of the Fuse, we were able to shave weight off of the baseplate – carving away more aluminum allowing for an equally stiff construction, lighter weight, and more avenues for snow to escape.
Bushings: Custom made bushings provide for easier pin insertion and removal , increased durability, and inside flange eliminates wear from the touring bracket.
Final weight: 3.75 lb/pair [1730 g/pair]! This is a ½ lb [230g] per pair weight savings compared to the Fuse.
Now, we know you’re going to have some questions, so we tried to preemptively answer them here:
Q: What’s going to happen to the Fuse? Are you going to sell them as well?
A: The Blaze is the “new and improved” Fuse. The Fuse has been discontinued, and the Blaze is the only model of binding we are making. Don’t worry, we are still offering a complete line of spare parts for both the Ignition and Fuse series.
Q: The Fuse was compatible with Bent Metal binding straps and highbacks, what about the Blaze?
A: The straps and highbacks for the Blaze are custom, which means we chose and designed them especially for splitboarding. The baseplates were not modeled around any other brand or model of binding. Other straps and highbacks MAY be compatible, but that is up to you to experiment with if you want to switch out parts. We will NOT be offering a baseplates only option this year.
Q: Last year the Fuse were so hard to get my hands on, will this be the same with the Blaze?
A: We know that last year may have been frustrating for some of you trying to find a pair (any pair!) of the Fuse. Trust us, we were taken by surprise too. We make and assemble every binding here in our machine shop in Bozeman, MT (everything but the straps and highbacks). This ensures that you get a solid, quality set of bindings…but that also means that they take a lot of time to make. In years past our built-to-order system worked great, but last season, we just didn’t have enough hours in the day to keep up. For this season, we started production early and are well-prepared to handle the demand for the Blaze throughout the season. Rest assured, if you want to get a set this season – you will be able to!
Q: So, when will the Blaze be available?
A: Mid-October 2010.
Q: Does this mean that I am guaranteed a set of bindings on October 15?
A: No. We will be manufacturing bindings through December, so they will of course not all be available at once. We anticipate people being antsy to get the new Blaze the moment they are available, which will inevitably create initial binding shortages. Please be a little patient, expect the traffic jam, and we promise, everyone will be able to get the bindings they need – just not all at once!
Q: But I am going on a trip October 15…I MUST have them!
A: Your best bet would be to contact a local dealer. They all know when their shipments are scheduled to arrive, and some are willing to take pre-payment in order to save a set for you.
Q: Ok, I will be patient 
But where can I buy the Blaze once they are available?
A: We have an updated list of dealers on our website here: http://www.sparkrandd.com/dealers and have many more than last season, so make sure you check to see if your local shop will be carrying Spark R&D products this season. They will also be available for purchase on our webstore sometime in October, and we will update you when we know the actual date.
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT! WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!
- THE SPARK R&D CREW
Posted on May 3, 2010
For some photos and stoked-ness, check out the splitboard.com thread
Though we couldn’t make it out to this one, we did send along a little something special as a raffle prize …
We thought you might enjoy some thoughts from the winner (schwalbster from splitboard.com):
Am I the most stoked Dude or what? I’m the stokedest Stoke-a-Diddiy there is!!
Posted on March 24, 2010
On March 11, 2010 Dani Deruyter became the first woman to snowboard off the peak of the Grand Teton in Wyoming! (If you look close enough in the photo, you’ll see that she’s rockin’ her trusty ‘ole Spark R&D bindings). Congratulations Dani on a huge accomplishment!
Read the trip report HERE, it’s a good one.
Check out Dani’s blog: http://breakingtrail.blogspot.com/
Posted on March 10, 2010
If you’re not up on your German, that’s the International Trade Fair for Sports Equipment and Fashion, otherwise known as ISPO. That’s where we were on February 7-10, showcasing the Fuse in the BrandNew Village with the other winners and finalists. We spent a fantastic four days talking to people from all over Europe, including our dealers: Mans from Uhrweder Sport in Norway and Sweden, Sandy from Biwakscharte in Germany, and Volker from 4Mountains in Switzerland. We had a great time finally getting to meet face to face!
Splitboarding is definitely in the early stages of popularity over there. We heard a LOT of interesting excuses on why splitboarding wouldn’t work, but our very favorite was “the skin tracks over here are too narrow.” Despite the misconceptions about the sport, it is definitely catching on fast. We were psyched to be there to spread the good word!
Left: Christoph Weber-Thoresen and Will
Right: We are going to let you come up with your own caption for this photo…
Becca, Will, Jeremy, and John next to the new Jones Splitty!
Posted on March 5, 2010
Select winners of the ISPO BrandNew Awards were invited to the on snow demo at Garmisch- Partenkirchen in Southern Germany on January 28-29. The Fuse bindings were selected, but the dates overlapped the week that we were in Denver for SIA. So we called up our German friend Markus Reichard from Wildschnee (www.wildschnee.de), who makes custom 2 and 3 piece splitboards, and asked him to represent Spark R&D. To our delight, he said he would! He made a custom board with our logo, put our logo on his jacket (we don’t even have logo jackets!), took some days off of work, brought his team rider Tobi, and drove the two hours to the demo. We are forever indebted to him and are so psyched that he was willing to help us out at this great event. If you ever meet him, buy this guy a beer for us.
Here are some photos and footage from the German news! (Click here for the clip, we are at :45) It’s in German, but we think they’re saying good things … 
And here’s a pic of Will and Markus at ISPO a week later:
Posted on March 3, 2010
On February 1st, we made our way to the on-snow demo at Winter Park in Colorado. When we heard about the uphill/downhill race, our very own Will Ritter couldn’t help himself and just HAD to sign up. The only splitboarder amongst a group of nearly 70 competitors, Will was welcomed into the fray with looks of surprise, disbelief and a whole lot of admiration and camaraderie. The course went 1,700 vertical feet up to the Sunspot Lodge, skins were removed, and then the downhill meandered through some moguls and gates until reaching the finish line. The winning time came at an unbelievable 27.22 minutes from Travis Scheefer from Team Dynafit, but the majority of the finishing times were between 35 and 60 minutes.
We were all psyched to see Will steam through the finish line at 47 minutes – even after switching over to ride mode and taking time to crack open a beer at the top! I hope that inspires everyone that Splitboarding is the Answer and dispels the myth that pegs splitboarding as heavy and slow. During the award ceremony, Will got called up to the stage for a special award for being the only splitboarder. Woot, Woot!
(that’s Will on the uphill, second from right)
Posted on February 26, 2010
We’ve been at SIA (Snowsports Industries America) for the last two years just to walk around and check it out. This year we decided it was time to have a booth and show off the product line for 2010/2011. The response was overwhelming. Really, we were blown away by the love! Our little 10×10 booth was packed from 9-6 everyday. It was fantastic to meet with our retailers, customers and pros. We were just flattered with positive feedback and support for our small but growing business.
Some highlights of the show:
->We heard some inte
resting rumors that we were bought by a larger company! We had no idea! Wow, looks like we can go shred more and stop working 14 hours a day! Seriously though, if you’ve heard this rumor, it’s not true. We are very much a local family owned and operated business.
->We were honored to meet DCP, Dave Downing, and Steve Klassen, as well as spend time with some of our favorite pros Jeremy Jones, Mike Basich, and others
-> We won a snowpress innovation award for our dynafit adapters! All you hardbooters out there would be impressed by the interest for this lightweight setup. Even the skiers came by to check it out. You should too. (Although this picture they used is of the Fuse, not the Dynafits)
->Unfortunately, Jeremy’s one and only Jones Snowboards splitboard was stolen attached to a pair of mis-matched green small and bronze medium Fuse binders. Bad karma for the person who took it. If you see it out there in the world, let us know …
->We handed over a $200 donation check to Protect Our Winters from the sale of some specialty Fuse bindings with POWgraphics that were bought by an anonymous stoker in Maine.
-> We got to show off our new product line for 2010/2011. We’ll spare you the details for now …
Posted on February 24, 2010
After visiting the OR tradeshow in SLC and before driving the 8 hours to SIA in Denver, I got an unexpected treat: riding Snowbird with Mikey Basich and Dalton Paley! Having watched Mikey in all sorts of videos during my grom days, it fulfilled a childhood dream to get out and ride with him for a day. This was after the ‘bird’ had gotten a crazy dump of snow and had been ridden pretty hard, so mobbing with Mikey and Dalton through pow moguls all day was a serious workout. Mikey and Dalton put together “Open Space: The untold stories of Mike Basich” this year, which you can watch for free at Mike’s website: http://www.241-usa.com/index.html. This amazing film chronicles Mike’s life through 25 years of snowboarding, and his struggles and triumph over epilepsy as a child.
I left for Denver and Mike and Dalton headed up to Bozeman for the Cold Smoke Awards http://coldsmokeawards.com/, a festival celebrating winter photography, film and culture. Open Space won the “most innovative” award, and ironically, a pair of our Fuse bindings. Congrats to Mikey and Dalton!
(they were also at the X-Dance Festival)
Posted on February 23, 2010
We’ve been busy here at Spark R&D – busting out bindings and traveling the world to trade shows and demos – spreading the good word about splitboarding. So much has happened in the last two months we barely had time to catch our breath and reflect, let alone share all the goodness with you!
So here we go… we are going to post something everyday for as long as it takes to catch you all up on the fun.
Starting with our sweet end-of-the-year Jib party in an undisclosed residential area in Bozeman!
Deep fried turkey and snickers bars? Check.
Ramp built off of shed? Check.
Fun box lit up with Christmas lights? Check.
Take a look: (all photos courtesy of our very own Chris McIntosh)
