Skiboarding: Short skis are long on fun
Foghorn Online Magazine by: Photojournalist, Barry-Scott Hall
Say what you will of snowboarding, it has changed skiing forever. Skiers are exploring the mountain as never before, taking it in on a variety of ski designs from radical Ultra Carve tools to wide and versatile all-terrain platforms. However, unique of these changes, has been the sudden explosion in short skis. Where we once would have turned our noses up at these snow-sliding toys, we now look with curiosity and interest.
There are two basic versions of short skis on the market today, “skiboards” and half-pipe skis. Skiboards got their name from their obvious hybrid appearance. They have twin tips and retro snowboard graphics, but come in pairs and work with ski boots.
About half the length and twice the width of traditional skis, skiboards can be ridden backwards like a snowboard, carve turns like a shaped ski and jumped better than both. Due to their short length, these skis come with nonreleasable bindings, making them ever lighter and more maneuverable.
Skiboards ever have their own national association dubbed the Ski-board Coalition. After all, ski boarding is easy to learn, especially for urban kids with inline skate experience. Though you will still incur cost of a pair of ski boots, skiboards are less expensive than full