TOM KELLYwith this week's gadgets
Car Heated Snow Scraper
Hope it’s not too much of a sore point to mention to those who’ve flung a kettle of boiling water on their iced-up windscreen, only to crack it open in the process that, well, they shouldn’t. Stable door, bolted horse and all that.
Anyway, like using two long words when a short one will do, I always favour using a new gadget to complicate a task. Not that the Heated Snow Scraper is complicated – just plug it in and get de-icing.
It’s got over 2m of cable to get from your 12V car power point to all other points, so you should be able to get to around even the burliest SUV. You wouldn’t want the humiliation of having to abandon your Chelsea tractor at the first sign of snow. There’s even a little LED light to let you get at it from dusk to dawn.
A decent electric heating element loosens ice so it safely slides off, without risk of scratching the glass. And there’s a rubber squeegee to finish the job. And in case you’re worried you might blow the car’s electrics, a built-in circuit breaker fuse protects. If that’s all a bit too much gadget for iced-up Luddite, there’s always the CD case and sleeve route.
Cost:$8.50 (€6.50) on amazon.com
Mattracks Petrol Powered Snowboard
Again this is one of those “great” ideas where two entirely separate bits of engineering get cross-bred to make something shiny and new. Oh, and fun, if at a price. So here we’ve the black sheep offspring of the snowboard and the lawnmower. For snowboarding without a slope. Or up one. Or indeed, for an extra push downhill, when you really want to threaten a whiteout.
With a 200cc petrol engine driving a rubbery track, it combines the thrill of the snowmobile and the snowboard, with a scooter-like handlebar throttle for control. It can heft a not inconsiderable 18 stoner around with a claimed top speed of 18mph (about 30kmh) and you’ll get about two hours of blasting about in the powder out of a tankful.
The Powered Snowboard (you need a new name fellas) has an aluminium frame, with tough ABS bodywork and a pair of grippy footplates. No strapping is required and there’s a safety tie to an auto-off failsafe so that you don’t run away with yourself in the snow. And speaking of being run away with, the price tag may just be a bit too Celtic Tiger, even for the boy who has everything. But perhaps you haven’t been at all naughty.
Cost:$2,500 (€1,910)
Whamo Snow Trac Ball
I’ve no idea what the complete name here actually means. It’s like there’s a word too many. But Whamo says it all. This is guaranteed to deliver a snowball with extra wham-bam. The snowball equivalent of the high-powered waterpistols (aqua cannons if you must), the Snow Trac can deliver a snowy missile with a range of 50m.
And – in the best tradition of the advertorial – there’s more! It’s got a handy scoop to manufacture your weapon of mass hilarity in the first place, so no frost-bitten pinkies. And the whole thing is well-designed to make a competent thrower out of the weediest flinger.
Accuracy can’t be assured though, but given that you can safely hurl from secure distance, your near miss will arrive like a snowball out of the blue and you’ve got sufficient margin for escape. As good as a direct hit.
Suitable for the immature of all ages.
Cost:$15 (€11.50) from amazon.com