Titanal?

Post by **Ohawa** » Sunday 11 May 2008, 11:04

This is what I've seen on one original bank in Livigno. Apparently the skiers were not using carving skis yet - but they used Titanal! Material that today's snowboard brands have re-invented.

Post by **nils** » Sunday 11 May 2008, 14:46

well nothing new because titanal has been used since the 60's in skiies... Brands like Duret, Rossignol and Aluflex has been involved with it in France for long long. Its just recently that titanal has been used in the outside of snowboards... there was titanal in some boards of the late 80's too but hidden inside!

Nils

Post by **pokkis** » Sunday 11 May 2008, 15:44

Nils,
but was it so in those early days titanal/alu were used to allow binding screws to make good grip to board. Not to dampen board like now in modern boards.

Post by **Schneewurm** » Sunday 11 May 2008, 21:34

Just take a Nidecker Concept from around 1992 (Carbon-Kevlar-Titanal). The built in titanal-sheet ends (and also breaks in some case) about 15-20 cm from tail. I don't know if anywhere is mounting bindings there. Ride such a thing (they could be buyed for cheap in secondhand stores, but need a differend carving style, like now a days) throug rugged slope or rugged off-piste and compare it with a shape from this decade. You will be astonished!

Post by **pokkis** » Sunday 11 May 2008, 22:07

In modern titanal boards there is two sheets, one on top and one on bottom under base sheet.
In good old times there was one layer under top sheet to ensure bindings to stay when screwed, there was no inserts on those days.

Post by **Speed Cat** » Friday 22 August 2008, 8:36

pokkis wrote:In modern titanal boards there is two sheets, one on top and one on bottom under base sheet.
In good old times there was one layer under top sheet to ensure bindings to stay when screwed, there was no inserts on those days.

This is very true

Even burton PJ's had titanal back in the early 1990

Post by **Schneewurm** » Monday 25 August 2008, 14:11

It seems there is now a revival of this Titanal sheets on raceboards and everyone try to copy Kessler in materials and shape!

Other examples of Titanal Raceboards:

Nidecker (SUI) 1999/2000 Tornado Sl 53/57/61 + GS 68/73/83, wide Titanium beams base-side along the edges (reaches also to the inserts), top-side was on Carbon.
(Had to walk ½ hour, or 20 minutes to ride on bicyle for another store to get one.)
Wild-Duck (SUI) 1999/2000 LDT 161/171/181 and ULT 151/156/161/166 with metal plate protection (4 stringers, base- and top-side of the core)
Oxygen Proton (AT) 1999/2000 GS 164/168/172/178 two full sheets of Titanium.
(Had to walk ½ hour, or ½ hour to ride on bicyle to get one.)
Trans (CSSR) 1999/2000 Titanium 151/157/162/169 and Carbon-Titanium 150/157/166 two full sheets of Titanium.
(Had to to ride ¾ hour on bicyle to get one.)
Plasma (SUI), all Boards available on Kevlar, or Carbon, or Titanal as limited Edition (153 cm up to 186 cm, 12 different shapes)
(Puuh, had to ride more then 2 hours on bicyle to get one, nowadays some of them are at least 3 hours away)

Wasn't it on www.freestyle.ch in autumn 1999, when Kessler (CH) was presenting on the fair "snow&street-mess" his "brushed" boards, right close to Climax Snowboards (Powdergun-Swallowtail 188 cm).
Kessler Snowboards have been available with Carbon-, Titanium-(since 1994/95) or heavyduty V4A-steel- sheets (just for the combat-carvers on the all over crowded weekend-slopes).
The Schoch Brothers step up to the podium in this and following winters still on F2 Snowboards and Raichle SB-boots.