Splitboard Bindings

A pair of splitboard boot bindings, each boot binding for securing a rider's boot to a splitboard, the splitboard having a pair of conjoinable ski members, the ski members defining a snowboard riding configuration when conjoined together and defining a ski touring configuration when used separately, each boot binding for engaging an elastically deformable snowboard mounting block assembly affixed crosswise to the top face of the splitboard in snowboard riding configuration and for engaging a ski mounting assembly affixed to one of the ski members in ski touring configuration, each boot binding of said pair comprising:

• a box girder having a top surface, a bottom surface having outside mediolateral edges, a medial web member with a lateral face and a medial face dimensionally separated by a lateral-to-medial width, a lateral web member with a lateral face and a medial face dimensionally separated by a lateral-to-medial width, a heel end and a toe end;
• wherein,
• a) said top surface is proportioned for contactingly receiving an applied torque from the sole of the rider's boot;
• b) said bottom surface comprises parallel inside flange edges forming an underside channel for receiving and flangedly interlocking said box girder to the snowboard mounting block assembly, said outside mediolateral edges of said bottom surface for dynamically transmitting the applied torque to the top face of the splitboard;
• c) said medial and lateral web members join said top surface to said bottom surface, forming a rigid mechanical linkage therebetween;
• d) said medial and lateral web members each comprise a pivot hole defined on a transverse pivot axis proximate to said toe end, said pivot holes for receiving a toe pivot pin;
• e) said underside channel is configured to engage the snowboard mounting block assembly with a clearance (C1) between said bottom surface of said box girder and the top face of the splitboard when flangedly interlocked thereto, wherein the clearance (C1) is configured so that,
• i) in the absence of an applied torque, said bottom surface and the top face are separated by the clearance (C1), thereby aiding the rider in sliding said boot bindings on and off the mounting block assemblies;
• and
• ii) in the presence of an applied torque from the sole of the rider's boot, wherein said torque may be clockwise or counterclockwise, an outside mediolateral edge of said box girder is enabled to contact the top face so as to define a fulcrum (F*) and a lever arm (L1) equal to the distance between the fulcrum and the inside flange edge where deformation of the elastically deformable mounting blocks is greatest.