About Snowblades

A new trend in winter sports is snowblading. Snowblading is a new turn on skiing which allows riders to take advantage of skiing without poles along with the added flexibility of the snowblades' shorter ski blades which allow for greater flexibility than traditional cross-country skis. These skis are lighter, thinner and more flexible than ordinary skis. Snowblades feel like snowshoes and can function in the same way when used while walking uphill. When skiing downhill snowblades feel somewhat like rollerblades and the movement to use them is very similar.

  1. History

    • Versions of snowblades have been in production since the 1940s. The shortened skis became popular with hikers in the early 1980s because they could be easily strapped to a hiker's backpack, though this version of snowblades had no bindings on them. About ten years later Kent Keiswieller invented the MicroSki, one of the first mass-produced versions of snowblades, and started the massive growth in popularity that the sport would have in the mid-1990s. Snowblading, also referred to as skiboarding, was added to the Winter X-Games in 1998. Snowblading fell in popularity and was removed from the X-Games after the 2000 competition. Renewed interest in the sport began in 2007 and continues to grow.

    In Sports

    • Snowblading is quickly catching on in popularity with skiers of all ages. Many snowboarders are taking up the sport because of its similarity to snowboarding while allowing riders to experiment more with the flexibility of the blades. Snowblading is gaining in importance as an extreme sport. Many snowblading competitions have sprung up in recent years, allowing riders to compete both as amateurs and professionally for top honors and prizes. Though snowblading only spent three years as a part of the popular Winter X-Games, new competitions and summits have been initiated in both 2007 and 2008 to meet the competitive demands of world-wide snowbladers in response to growing interest in the sport.

    Snowblades vs. Snowboards

    • While snowboarding still remains the most popular winter sport, snowblading is making a comeback. Snowboarding allows riders to complete different series of tricks and stunts that skiing will not allow because of the apparatus required by the elongated blades, such as poles. Snowblading is a hybrid of skiing, snowboarding, and roller skating which gives riders the shorter board or blade of a snowboard while also granting more flexibility. The rider's movement on snowblades is not confined to a single board or blade. The dual blades of snowblades allow the rider to perform more complicated jumps and stunts than can be done with the single wide blade of a snowboard.

    Safety Precautions

    • Snowblades can be used in virtually any type of snow, however, it is recommended that they be used primarily on hard packed snow. When using snowblades in tightly packed snow, a rider can easily perform tricks, maneuver and cut tight corners. Snowblades are not recommended for use on powder as they typically do not have the safety bindings of regular skis and are not used in conjunction with poles. Snowblades are used with a hard boot and can be purchased with safety bindings in order to grant the rider more security. Because the blades of the skis are so short, they require a rider to push their weight very far back in order to be able to maneuver on powder when going downhill which makes it easy for more inexperienced riders to lose their balance.

    Other Information

    • Snowblades are often referred to as skiboards. Snowblades is the name given to the sport by sports manufacturer Saloman who developed a slightly longer version of the shortened ski blades. Typical snowblades are between 75 and 110 cm in length though some longer versions are available. The shortest snowblades available are 65 cm in length and the longest top out at 130 cm.