That is going to totally destroy down hill performance.
Kearsen Lim
It would. That's why they can take it off. But I can't see how they mount it on the board. Probably just screws
Marc 1
Slowburn, from the article: With the Propul~Surf, a snowboarder could motor himself up the mountain or hill, take it off the board, strap it to his back and then snowboard down. How will that ruin the downhill performance of the board?
Oztechi
After watching the video, i rename this device the Snow Sloth for its speed and agility. Seriously though, this thing is way too slow and underpowered to move you up hill more than about 50m. You would be better off being towed by a snowmobile, which would be much much quicker and is designed well for the task, unlike this device. Maybe try rockets next time...
ALNimrod
Seems the Russians may have invented a slightly more powerful and robust version as seen in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uynmApjhWI
Snowill
It is a high school project, the conception period and budget were obviously limited. It is said that the performance was to be improved with the use of better advanced components.
I'm not part of the project ; but please keep in mind this is a prototype. I think it's a bit soon to venture criticism about speed...
SoundRacer
Given that the forward force is created by the compression of the snow, the function should be improved if the pitch of the screw increases gradually.
Siegfried Gust
Neat school science project. Criticizing it on commercial or practical feasibility isn't really fair. That was probably never the goal. I'm sure that it was an engaging learning experience for the students involved.
Laurent N
Remember it is a school project with all its limitations (time, money, knowledge, etc...)
My students did well and I am pretty confident that, according to the data we have collected, the V2 of the Propul~Surf will climb snowy hills next year, in puffy snow on a shiny day in the Alps.
;-)
AllenH
It's great to see old ideas revived in another generation. Even prior to the Russians' attack vehicle was the 1929 Fordson Snow Motor as seen here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBjlSJf4274)