The closest known prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,959 (2004) to Shea et al. A snowboard is fitted at the rear with a mounting assembly to support a motor. The motor powers a flexible track with a tread. A tiller moves the motor and track side to side for steering. The motor and tread are set at snow level and cannot be lifted up to allow natural snowboarding.
What is needed in the art is a powered snowboard that can be put into a passive mode to allow natural snowboarding downhill. The present invention provides this passive mode by mounting the tiller near its center on a tripod. The motor acts as a counterweight to the motorized tread which is mounted behind the snowboard. Thus, by locking the motor in a down position, the tread is supported in the air above the snow. Now the rider can ski downhill with his hands free.