Skiboarding is a winter sport that combines skating, snowboarding, and skiing elements. Skiboards are used and worn together with standard ski boots that connect to skiboards using a fastener. Skiboards can be grouped into two general categories. Common skiboards are generally 75-110 cm, symmetrical, twin-tipped. Modern skiboards have these characteristics but are also more extensive. Skiboarding is often mistakenly referred to as snowblading or skiblading , however, " Snowblades " is a trademark of Salomon. Further adding to the confusion, Salomon has stopped producing skiboards, a product that they create common names of snowblades.
Video Skiboarding
Histori
Hari Awal Skiboarding
Firn Glider (short 50 to 65 cm skiing) has been used by alpine mountain climbers since the 1940s until the summer of glaciers is easier. This may be the initial equivalent of skiboards today. The first prototype of the modern skiboard is the Atomic Glider (later renamed Figl), a 63.5 cm unlicensed ski designed in 1982 to fit into a pedestrian backpack and sold primarily in Colorado. Then, around 1990, the Austrian company Kneissel introduced BigFoot, a 65 cm ski with a binding system. The BigFoot is one of the first mass production skiboards, featuring the foam core, p-tex base and trademark 'toe' at the end.
Growth
In 1992, Kent Keiswieller discovered something he called MicroSki, the others took skiboards. Also that year, Michael Canon became a west coast distributor for BigFoot Kneissel. Only one year later, in 1993, Canon, Tayt Tindall and Victor Holtorf founded Klimax Skiboards.
The mid-90s experienced great growth in skiboarding manufacturers. German Mat Merckel began to create his vision of 'snowshoes' in the early 90's in his grandfather's garage. By the middle of this decade, he had founded a Powder Company that produced skiboards much more widely than was created at that time. In the US, Jarred and Kary Parrelmutter founded GrooveUSA Skiboards after spending a short time producing skiboards for Klimax. These people will form the skiboarding industry and drive popularity over the next few years. On the east coast, Jason Levinthal is designing his own kind of Skiboards to soon become a company, LINE, which has evolved into one of the most prominent twin-ski producers. Michael Canon left Klimax and created another skiboarding company, Canon Skiboards.
In 1997, the German ski company Salomon (Adidas-Salomon) released a version of their skiboards, called Snowblades, in response to the increasing popularity of skiboarding. Soon, many of the larger ski companies started to produce skiboards.
The Boom
Skiboarding continues to grow and flourish as all companies are putting out new skiboards and sponsoring riders. The first pro model (M7) was designed for Micah Fischer of Canon in 1996.
From 1998 to 2000, skiboarding was part of the winter X Games at ESPN. It helps promote the sport and takes it to its peak. In 1999, Rick Stark started the World Skiboarding Federation (WSF) as a sanctioning body for skiboarding and the United Skiboard Series (USS) as a series of competitions for skiboarders. The purpose of the WSF, according to its president, Mark Billik and Rick Stark, is to be an organization "run by the industry, and its people, with one goal to help our industry grow in a healthy and successful way." The WSF rules state that all skiboards must be under 100 cm.
During the 1999-2000 season, about 25 companies produced some form of skiboard, including Dynastar, Imperial, Odyssey, and Cosmos. Larger ski manufacturers also entered the market around this same time. Companies such as Atom, Alpina, Elan, Blizzard, Fischer, and Head all donated many new designs. Some of these manufacturers started to produce skiboards that could be fitted with traditional ski-type type launchers such as Atom and Head.
2000 is the last year of competition for skiboarding in X games and for the second time the event is slopestyle. Neal Lyons (Canon) took home gold, while Mike Nick (Line) won silver and Nicky Adams won bronze. Skiboarding is replaced by skiing at X Games, a blow to the USS and the skiboarding industry. Professional skiboard players no longer have forums to compete, and some professional skiboarders including Mike Nick, Iannick B., and Nicky Adams switched to freestyle skiing. The lack of professional circuitry caused skiboarding to decline in popularity around 2001.
Fall
United Skiboard Series and World Skiboard Federation were disbanded and skiboarding declined in popularity with riders, manufacturers and retailers. No more kids looking for their favorite pro model skiboard, they are now looking for twin tips. But that does not stop the industry to try to revive.
With a skiboarding body and professional series missing, a man named Dean Kistler along with Hashi Group decided to launch the International Skiboarding Federation (ISF) to keep the skiboarding sport in line. They define skiboarding as two skis below 100 cm. The organization's goal is to build an independent membership type organization, utilize key people, to develop beneficial programs and events that benefit athletes and the snow sports industry. The organization served its purpose well in the first few years, but eventually Kistler stopped doing anything for the ISF and it was wasted away.
Almost all of the core skiboarding companies that started in the mid to late 90s are now gone. Line, the largest of these companies, continues to produce skiboards for several years but shifts its focus to twin tips after falling sales. In recent years they produced low-quality skiblade, which in 2007 was recalled and they have not produced since.
The Revival
The new core companies are starting to revive the sport by producing more innovative skiboards. In 2002, the old skiboard retailer who started his company in 1996, Doc Roberts, entered the market with his own skiboard manufacturing company, Summit Skiboards. Today's Summit produced eight models of skiboards: Nomad 99 cm, Pro Carbon 99 cm, Custom 110 cm, Pro Carbon 110 cm, Freedom 99 cm, Jade 87 cm, Headwall 95 cm, and Marauder 125 cm. These skiboards can be fitted with traditional skiing bindings as well as snowboard bindings. The market for skiboards begins to grow with the increasing interest of skiers, snowboarders, families, tourists and those who prefer not to participate in the long learning curve commonly associated with skiing or snowboards. This allows all ages to embrace the sport.
They were followed, in 2003, by Jeff Singer's Spruce Mountain. Spruce Mountain started producing skiboards but soon became but also known for their binding system called 'The Riser'. Riser is a platform with a standard 4x4 skiboarding binding system that allows motorists to attach releasable bindings to their skiboards without drilling onto the board itself. They also shifted their board's focus from traditional scooters to produce what is now known as longboard skiboards. Current production includes a 120 cm board along with a 130 cm Sherpa.
Around the same time as Spruce Mountain, a company called Snowjam started making skiboards. Today, they produce 3 models that use binding patterns of standard 4x4, 75 cm and 90 cm and 99 cm. One of Snowjam's other durable products is a non-release binder system called Extreme II. Using all 4x4 standard metals and systems, Extreme II has survived for years as a quality affordable binding option. Most skiboards produced in Japan today come standard with Extreme II ties. Snowjam also now makes snowboards.
Mix was founded in 2004 by Seth Gartin. Seth came to the market with 2 professional riders, Ben Wannamaker and Adam Lynam. However, the entry of Mix into the market took place shortly. Plagued by production delays and laminated and messy boards, they can not meet the warranty and get folded. They have plans to reappear as Epic Skiboards, but that never happens.
2005 saw two new skiboard companies release their first boards. In Norway, Ola Loken started Loken Skiboards. In their first season, they produced three models, 97.5 cm Apetorch, 99.5 cm El Bajong, and 99.5 cm Cruise Tool 8. Loken sponsored several riders in a short time, but stopped making new scooters after the 2006 season. US, founder of Skiboardsonline.com, Greco started Skibord RVL8 and released his first board, 105 cm Revolution. Still developing today, RVL8 Skiboards now makes the widest board range in the industry. The shortest is 75Ã, cm Bantam followed by 90Ã, cm Tansho and 98Ã, cm BWP. There are several boards over 100 cm including; 100cm BluntXL, 101Ã, cm KTP, 103Ã, cm Rumspringa, 104cm Sticky Icky Icky, 105Ã, cm Revolt, 109cm Spliff, 110Ã, cm DLP, and 110Ã, cm Condor & amp; Condor Rockered.
Latvia became a player in the skiboarding production market in 2007 with the birth of Allz 94 cm. Started by the European retailer, Martins Miculis, Allz has produced the latest version of Allz 94 in 2008. Also in 2007, long-time skiing maker Lacroix came out on its own to manufacture its own scooter line. Since then, its owner Ludovic Lacrois has sold his company and the current Lacroix version no longer makes scooters.
2007 marks a landmark in the advancement of skiboarding, as riders from all over the world come together in Predeal, Romania for the first Skiboard World Cup. Three freestyle events are held (Rail Jam, Big Air and Slopestyle) and three racing events (Skiboard Cross, Fakie Downhill and Chinese Downhill). The World Skiboard Association is the main organizer of the event.
2008 is a breakthrough year for skiboarding. The World Skiboard Association hosted the first European Skiboard Cup in Busteni, Romania, and the second World Cup in Dubai, U.A.E. The Skiboard World Cup in Dubai in 2008 was a historic moment for all winter sports as this is the first international snow sport event held in the desert. 15 countries participated in the 2008 competition. Japan, Romania, Russia and the United States won World Cup medals.
European Skiboard Cup 2009 held in Latvia. The competition is held in discipline: Slope Style, Big-Air, Parallel Slalom, Skiboard Cross, Fakie Downhill and Chinese Downhill.
In the same year in the US at Ragged Mountain Resort held a US SKIBOARD OPEN competition
Maps Skiboarding
References
- What are Skiboards? Instant Skiing, Instant Fun - Skiboards: Best Maintained Secrets on the Slopes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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