Get your goods before we’re gone for good … well, not for good, but for a couple weeks anyway.

As most of you know, Spark is a small family owned and operated business. So when it’s tradeshow season, the whole Spark family hits the road. Literally – the WHOLE Spark family. Which means, there won’t be anyone back at the homefront to answer the phone, respond quickly to emails, or take your web orders. In fact, we will be shutting off our webstore on Jan 26th at 12am. We pride ourselves on customer service, being the resident experts on all things split, and getting stuff out the door quickly. But from Jan 28-Feb 8 2013, we will be out of the office and spreading the Spark good cheer (oh, and showcasing our 13/14 lineup, which is epic by the way).

Soooooooo …. what does that mean for you? This is your one week warning to get those tailclips you wanted, replace your toe adjusters, buy a second set of LT Brackets, or get that Spark hoody you asked Santa for but never got. And if you need anything between Jan 28th and Feb 8th, feel free to email or call (though our voice mailbox might be full at that point) and just know that it will take longer than usual to get back with you.

Or even better….please contact your local dealer during this time for all of your Spark split needs. We have an incredible, knowledgeable, band of Spark dealers worldwide who can help you out with most anything. Please give them a ring and see if they can help you out. CLICK HERE for Spark Dealer link.

As always, THANK YOU for your support and energy. We’ll see you after the shows!

                                                             -Team Spark

Evo is hosting the Boarder’s Choice Awards to find out who is killin’ it right now as decided by the people that live to ride these brands. This is your chance to show your support for Spark R&D and potentially win a brand new deck for the season!

You can only vote once, in 5 categories (note: we are only listed in best backcountry and most innovative)  – so make it count: CLICK HERE!

Spread the word, and vote for Spark!

We’ve decided to extend our T Shirt Design Contest this year. Some might think its because we are lazy. Or maybe we are too busy mountain biking, fly fishing and just enjoying the last days of summer. We say its because we are too busy building the best damn splitboard bindings ever!

So we are going to extend our contest all the way through this fall and into December. Hopefully the new falling snow brings out the creativity in everyone. Keep the designs coming. If you need further details, please see our original post.

http://www.sparkrandd.com/2012/07/t-shirt-design-contest/

Powderwhore’s “Choose Your Adventure” will be playing tomorrow night, Tuesday October 2nd at the Eagles Club (316 East Main Street) at 8pm. Buy Tickets Now for $10, $12 at the door. Doors will open at 7:30pm, so get there early to guarantee a seat. Raffle ticket included with admission.  Splitboarding by Bob Athey “the wizard of the Wasatch”, Ian Provo and others.  Come enjoy some preseason powder stoke!

SPARK R&D CELEBRATES 5th ANNIVERSARY, TALKS 2012/13 PRODUCT,
and GIVES AN UPDATE ON THE EDISON INTERFACE

Spark R&D has always been about maximum fun and performance in the backcountry – it’s the only reason why we exist. We have been leading the charge on improving split gear ever since founder Will Ritter took his first touring steps on a splitboard and thought to himself – this is awesome, and I can make it even better. Splitboarding became his passion, Spark R&D was born, and the first ever splitboard specific binding was created.

This November will mark the 5th anniversary since our very first splitboard binding was sold. Those of you following us from our humble beginnings on splitboard.com probably remember the Ignition I binding. We remember shipping off our first package – in a re-used Bent Metal box from the straps and highbacks we were using at the time, covered liberally with duct tape to lucky #1 on the waiting list. We’ve come a long way, learned a ton, and have stayed true to our original values: rider owned and operated, dedicated to pushing innovation in the sport of splitboarding. So a huge thank you and fist bump to everyone who has supported us along the way!

For the 2012/13 season, we’re pumped to offer our best products yet. Both our Blaze and Burner splitboard bindings shaved significant weight from redesigns, dropping 8 screws and four parts per pair by changing how our toe straps attach. The Blaze Splitboard Binding drops even more weight with machined cut outs in the baseplate – the lightest binding we’ve ever produced. The Burner Splitboard binding, Backcountry Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award Winner for the second year in a row, keeps its solid baseplate and adds a wider ankle strap and toe cap strap for maximum support at mach speed. Both bindings have straps, plastics, and buckles designed by Spark R&D and manufactured by Burton – the industry’s leader in quality, performance and durability. New for this year we are offering skins with a brand new high traction material by G3 with our splitboard specific tailclips attached. Our Mr. Chomps crampons also got a makeover with weight saving cutouts and serrated teeth for even more chomp. Along with these changes, we keep our line of accessories with seasonal upgrades to: the LT Pin System, tailclip retrofits, the Spark strappy strap, and backcountry kits.

And of course, you’re probably eager to hear about the progress we’ve made with the Edison Interface since we showcased its prototype at SIA and ISPO. The Edison is the summation of our years of experience in the backcountry and the factory. In case you missed it, our new interface design provides the fastest transition between ride mode and touring mode, and solves one of the biggest complaints of
splitboarders … adjustability. Stance width and angles are easily adjusted independently and quickly to get your split setup ‘just right’. Light weight is maintained and moving parts are kept to just two. Not to mention, it works with factory splitboards, DIY splitboards (using original factory inserts) and solid boards (!).

The Edison is on its 5th rendition now and we will continue to tweak and finalize the design by SIA and ISPO tradeshows in Jan 2013. We will have a limited number of beta sets available for select pros later this season. Edison protos will not be released to the general public this time around. Looking down the pipeline, the Edison will be available to the splitboarding community as a limited edition for the 13/14 season. Stay tuned!