A snowboard is a long continuous surface platform made from a variety of materials designed to capture certain aspects of surfing on snow. When using a snowboard, there is a sensation of gliding over a surface and shifting one's body weight from one side of the board to another in order to execute a turn in either direction. In surfing, the execution and completion of a turn relies on the surface hull design (single concave, double concave), fins (single, double, triple), and overall body design (teardrop, asymmetrical). The execution of a turn with a snowboard is based on the flex and shape of the bow of the board and the ratio of the width of the bow to the width of the waist. The completion of the turn is based on a mixture of the flex and shape of the tail and the ratio of the width of the tail to the width of the waist. Ideally, a turn with a snowboard is initiated by applying pressure to the downhill foot and leaning down and into the side of the board one wishes to turn.
Skateboarding utilizes an articulating platform with wheels attached to trucks mounted to the underside of a platform that invariably is designed to appear as a surfboard. The execution and completion of a turn with a skateboard is accomplished by shifting weight from one side of the platform to the other and maintaining pressure slightly to the bow. The articulating wheels (front set turns one direction while the back set turns another) allow for completion of the turn. With a skateboard, the turns can be of varying radius and frequency.
Snowboarding and skateboarding attempt to capture aspects of surfing. Because of the snowboard's inherent design limitations it does not attain certain performance parameters in the hands of the average user. Specifically, short radius turns and high-frequency edge-to-edge turns are difficult and not attainable for the recreational user. In addition, the time to learn how to use a snowboard can be long and frustrating, causing some users to avoid attempts to learn. Control of the board is essential and time consuming to master. As noted above, control relies on shifting weight and movement of the uphill foot, from side to side, to assist in the turn cycle. It would be desirable to provide a system for guiding an apparatus on a surface, such as snow, that provides the sensation of surfing, i.e., leaning from side to side to carry out a turn, as well as edge-to-edge control that allows a user to achieve a sensation of cutting up and down the face of a wave while minimizing the loss of vertical feet. Such a device would desirably allow the first-time user to readily master the necessary skills which would further promote usage of the device.