Is New Snowboard Equipment Being Developed?

SOURCE: BURTON

The economic principle I’m exploring is “People generally respond to incentives in predictable ways. “

 My research question to help me study the economic principle is “Is new technology actively being developed for Snowboarding?”

 The article (SELECT ONE) published on Redbull titled “..[Check out the wildest new snowboard and ski tech gadgets for 2019 ]...” demonstrates this economic principle by arguing/showing whether new technology has been developed, whether it is useful, and the potential drawbacks of this technology.

 First, this article lists off six new products that have just surfaced in the snowboarding world. They range from classic snowboards, to new styles of bindings, and even different accessories with new benefits. One interesting revolution is the Capita FUS3D, also known as a board with 3D printed edges. This is very important for the snowboarding community because it will create less waste, and these new 3D printed edges will last longer than before. One of the other interesting inventions on this page is the Burton Step on Bindings. These are new bindings without straps in order to lock you feet in. One of the main hassles of snowboarding is having to strap into your bindings once you reach the top of the chairlift, and this gets rid of this issue. You simply step into them, as skiers do. And finally Oakley released a new type of goggles that allows the user to change the amount of light that gets through the goggles. Often, skiers have multiple pairs of goggles depending on the day. A lighter pair for a cloudy, snow filled day, and a darker pair for a clear sky. This eliminates the struggle of choosing what pair of goggles to bring on that day.

 Second, out of the three inventions that I listed, I believe that most of them are useful when compared to their counterpart. Each of them have their own uses and improve upon some of the flaws associated with these products. The new 3D printed edges on the snowboards allow them to reduce waste and create a board that lasts longer. I believe that this is the future of snowboarding, and it will allow them to save money, instead of buying a new board. The new Burton Step On boots are also a major innovation in the snowboarding community. These new bindings reduce one of the major drawbacks of snowboarding, and provide a binding with plenty of flexibility in the long run. It will allow snowboarders to complete more runs in the day, however, I am not sure that these bindings will become incredible popular. And finally the Oakley goggles that allow you to switch the tint of your goggles on the run. These will be useful for the fully dedicated snowboarders who are out riding for more than a week a year. Most intermediate snowboarders will only have one pair of goggles anyway, and these will not make a big difference. However, for people competing in competitions and who are snowboarding often, then these goggles are very useful. Personally, I only have one pair of goggles for the entire season.

 Third, I do not see there being any major drawbacks for the development of 3D printed snowboard edges, however, the other two options have a couple of major drawbacks. For the bindings, snow can get caked onto the bindings, preventing you from being able to clip into them at the top of the mountain. Also, in order to use these bindings you need to purchase a specific pair of burton boots. Currently there are only two pairs of boots available for these bindings, a stiff pair and a more flexible pair. The only drawback of the goggles I could see is if it were to break, and you were now stuck with either a very dark or very light pair of goggles. Also the price of these goggles is much higher than a standard pair.