Welcome to the Women’s Skiboarding Page
Let’s face it, the world of sports caters to the male gender, so it’s not always easy to relate to everything you read in an article or review. Many women love sports and excel at them. But others feel that they are too unathletic to ever try any sport, much less skiboarding. You might read the reviews, but say “Yeah, but what about me? I’m not like the people writing the articles. I’ll probably kill myself on the first run.” Well, the people writing the articles ARE regular, ordinary people, but just in case, we’ve created a special section just for women written by women. This section is not so much for the athletic types as it is for the ordinary to non-athletic types, because after all we are the ones who need a little extra convincing.
5 Reasons Why Moms Should Try Skiboarding Too
(1.) No lessons necessary…
which means not only will you save a lot of money, but you won’t be humiliating yourself in front of your kids who already ski like pros.
(2.) No Poles.
Get rid of one more thing you can put an eye out with. No more children impaling their siblings. And no more sword fights where someone always ends up crying.
(3.) Less to carry.
Since skiboards are short and light weight, your kids will not have any excuse to dump their junk on you and expect you to carry it.
(4.) Spy on your children.
Ever worried and wondered what your kids are really up to after they leave you in the dust? With you on skiboards, they will never be able to shake you off their trail again.
(5.) Less chance of injury.
Since skiboarding is so much easier to learn than skiing or snowboarding, there is much less chance of a family member getting hurt. Spend quality time on the slopes, not the emergency room.
See what other women are saying about skiboarding
Skaters, rejoice!
“Ice skating, rollerblading on the ski slopes!…” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
Skaters, rejoice! Ice skating, rollerblading on the ski slopes! Skiboards.com has turned my winter blues into winter have no end! Rollerblading has run full (gamete) into skiboarding on the slopes! My Solomon 99.9 Minimax are incredible. Speed, fast carving, jumping off side embankments these are a few of the amazing things I did my first day on my Solomon’s. My new shaped skis I bought just this year are developing rusty edges in their bag! I’ll never go back to being clumsy. Thanks skiboards.com for all the advice! Freedom from poles in Vermont!
Peggy
Hinesburg, VT
Age: 39
I plucked up the courage to try the snowblades
“…wow, for the first time ever I have felt what it is like to ski…” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
Hi there, I live in England and having struggled for 5 years skiing in Europe, trying to use traditional skis (150cm) and having god knows how many lessons from a variety of instructors in each resort. I told my husband that the feeling of fear and panic when I took the slopes (blue ones at that) was now so bad that I didn’t want to go skiing again. 2 weeks ago a new indoor snowdome opened an hours drive away, and I plucked up the courage to try the snowblades, Salomon’s 99.9 long. One of the ski instructors there did everything he could to discourage me, saying they were “girly” not “proper” skis! and that he could get me to ski where others had failed. But I stuck to my guns, thanked him and put the blades on – wow, for the first time ever I have felt what it is like to ski. I cannot believe that after 5 years of fear, panic, anxiety, and being tense from head to toe, it vanished in 5 minutes. I have been back since, to make sure it wasn’t a fluke, and can now race my husband and son to the bottom of the slope without so much as a wobble!
I can’t think why one of those instructors seeing how distressed I was, didn’t suggest them rather than lose me from the slopes altogether.
PS. Great site!
Sharon
England
Age: 50[/expand]
My confidence is back
“People are always approaching us about the skiboards and asking, “Do you ever stop smiling?” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
My skiboards (Dynastar Twins) got me back on the slopes a year after a bad ski accident in 1998 (I was hit from behind by a large male out-of-control skier. We were both hospitalized). The skiboards are so much fun, it took the fear of being on the slopes away. My confidence is back and I’m having so much fun thanks to the skiboards. I feel like a kid again and prefer them to skis. My sister-in-law prefers them to her skis, too. We’re on our skiboards more than on our skis … just out there having a great time. People are always approaching us about the skiboards and asking, “Do you ever stop smiling?” The answer is “No, you should try them.”
Carol (Wear a Helmet) D.[/expand]
I will never go back to long skis!
“I’m a 30-something mother of four and hadn’t skied for 12 years.” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
I will never go back to long skis!
I just had to write and tell you I loved skiboards from the day I tried them. I’m a 30 something mother of four and hadn’t skied for 12 years. I was teaching my two oldest and tried the skiboards. Now I will never go back to “long skis”. I wish I would have taught my kids on skiboards, it is so much easier. This year they will get skiboards for Christmas, not ski’s.
Thanks for bringing the fun back!!!
Kellee
Idaho Falls, ID
Age: 30 something[/expand]
Trust me, if I can do it… ANYBODY can!!!
“… I had NEVER been in snow, played in snow, seen snow up and personal before my Skiboarding experience…” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
Hi…
My husband and I just moved from Hawaii to Seattle last March. I was born and raised in Hawaii so this past winter was my first “real” winter experience. I heard about Skiboarding (or Snowblading) through a friend of mine, who heard about this sport through her friend. Well… her friend raved about it! He said his sister who has never done any type of snow sport picked it up rather quickly. That made me think that I could do it too! Now, I need to mention that I had NEVER been in snow, played in snow, seen snow up and personal before my Skiboarding experience. My husband on the other hand was born and raised in Illinois and practically grew up on skis! I’ve got to admit, it was a little tricky (more like scary) for me at first, but once I got the hand of it, well, let me just say … we were on the slopes for almost 7 hours!
I am fully looking forward to this next season…and to purchase our first pair of SkiBoards! (We rented the one’s we used last year). Can you imagine? ME, with my own pair of snow related equipment???? Something I don’t think I could’ve imagined just 2 years ago! I LOVE the sport! Trust me, if I can do it…ANYBODY can!!!
Yours,
Sandra
Seattle, Washington
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Couch Potato Goes Skiboarding
“…I was flying down the snow, slicing deep carves, laying my body out across the slope, even catching air… (in my dream)” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
Couch Potato Goes Skiboarding
The first time I went skiboarding was in the middle of July, 1999. That’s right, July. I had just moved to Colorado and all one of my friends could talk about was skiboarding. Before long I became obsessed too. When would it snow? If it snowed down in Boulder, would we be able to go skiboarding in the mountains? Wasn’t there anywhere with snow yet? After weeks of my pestering and speculating, we decided to hike up to St. Mary’s Glacier and skiboard down.
The drive was beautiful. I’m a California girl, so I was unprepared for REAL mountains. What we call mountains back home… well, I won’t get into it. The vastness of the Colorado sky leaves me breathless. I don’t know if it’s because we’re so much higher here or because the atmosphere is thinner, or what, but the sky is HUGE. So anyway, we’re driving out to the glacier and I’m craning my neck around every corner for the tiniest glimpse of snow. Finally, we saw it! As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw some hikers carrying their skis down the trail and we knew we were in the right place. We gathered our gear, clothes, and skiboards, and headed up the trail. The trail wasn’t steep, but I was totally surprised by the change in altitude. Every few minutes I had to take a literal breather as my Californian lungs struggled to extract oxygen from the thin mountain air. Filled with determination, yet behind the rest of our troop, I hiked on. It took us about 25 minutes to reach the base of the glacier.
If my lungs were complaining before, they were screaming now. My muscles never even got a chance to get tired; I had to stop so often just to breathe. The higher we climbed, the more incredible the view became: snow, trees, lake, foothills and incredible clouds in the distance.
Finally, the moment of truth was upon us. I put on my skiboards and instinctively turned my tips inward, trying to recreate the snowplow ski insructors had drummed into me years ago, only to realize that it was completely unnecessary. Finally, control! In a matter of minutes, I felt like I had always been doing this. The rounded heel of my MicroSkis made turning easier than ever before. I experimented with my stance and found that what felt the most natural also worked the best. Never again will I pitch myself forward on a pair of skis, I vowed silently.
The snow was the worst. I am not kidding – chunky, icy, dirty snow, complete with rocks and frozen ridges. I struggled to control the chatter of my boards as I coasted over bumps and lumps. As I relaxed into my boards, I was able to control them even over this awful terrain. If skiboarding is this effortless on a glacier, I thought to myself, I can’t wait until I get to do it on real, fresh snow! We reached the bottom, more exhausted from the long hike up than the too-short trip down. The glacier starts out as a green run, fades into blue, and then ends on a steep slope that I’d call comparable to a black diamond run. When we reached the bottom, we all had huge smiles plastered over our faces.
As we hiked back down the trail that had brought us to the foot of the glacier, I reflected on my experience. I came to Colorado in search of the extreme. On that day in the middle of July, I found it on the snow.
Sasha Kuczynski[/expand]
Passionate About the Sport
“Once we tried these, our skis and poles have been gathering dust, none of us picked them up again for the rest of the season…” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
Passionate About The Sport
I decided to try skiboarding after visiting the Skiboards.com website last year and reading the reviews and experiences of people who had tried it. I learned to ski at 35 and I while I am an aggressive skier and improved enough to ski black diamonds, I never felt that I was a “pretty skier.” The poles always felt awkward and the times when I felt I had it all going on at the same time were few and far between. So … I tried the Microski Orbits. The first time down the slopes at Mount Snow I was clattering along, my feet bouncing up and down and I hated it. By the time I got to the end of the slope, I was starting to smile, a little. By the second run, the clattering and knee shaking was less, and by my third run … I was hooked. I loved it. I was zipping around the mountain in no time, with a new confidence I’d never experienced on skis. I was taking small jumps, sking backwards (a little) and smiling the whole time. It was like rollerblading on snow.
Well, within a month, my daughter, my son, my husband and five of my friends had retired their skis and poles and were on Microskis! Then I bought the Line Skiboards and I felt they were a little sturdier and more secure. They are easier to cut, but do not work well in wet snow. My husband tried the Microski, my Line skiboards, then bought the Salomon snowblades and likes those best. He says they are most like skiing and easier to cut. I have yet to try those, but plan to this season. Anyway, once we tried these, our skis and poles have been gathering dust, none of us picked them up again for the rest of the season. We have found that long-time skiers who have been skiing since they were children (now in their 40s) are vehemently opposed to these new skis and insist it is not really skiing. We say they are just jealous they aren’t having as much fun as us!
I’m a 40-year-old (very) active woman. I have been rollerblading several miles a week for years and I am now taking figure skating lessons. My family (husband, 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son) have rented a house in Vermont the past two years and spend many weeks and weekends skiboarding throughout the winter. I am passionate about the sport.
Laura
Age 40
Orange, CT[/expand]
A Liberated Woman
“I took great pride in being the only “old lady” on the slopes at Ski Roundtop and on a trip to Belleayre in NY blasting down the mountain on skiboards.” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
A Liberated Woman
While on a ski vacation at Mt. Ascutney in Vermont a few years ago, we had the opportunity to demo some Canon skiboards. The whole family fell in love with them!! My 18 year old son ordered a pair last year but didn’t get to use them much as the ski conditions in Pennsylvania where we live weren’t too good. This past winter (99-00) I purchased a pair of Hart Free Boost for myself (fully intending to share with the rest of the family..yeh, right.
I just learned to ski 6 years ago and have done OK but always ski on the cautious side. Having a bad knee always kept me looking at the harder slopes but too chicken to adventure down them worrying about not being able to turn sufficiently and keep control.
When I started out this past season, I swapped back and forth between my new Hart skiboards and my skiis. On New Year’s Eve I decided to go strictly skiboards. I don’t think I will ever go back to my skiis again!!! What a blast! We live 10 minutes from a local mountain (Ski Roundtop) and I became obsessed with coming home from work and hitting the slopes!! My confidence level sky rocketed and I found myself doing slopes I would never go near on skiis!. The ability to turn quickly and the stability kept me on my feet doing runs I never dreamed I could do.
One evening my 21 year old daughter went with me (she using skiis) and after an hour she asked if we could switch. After one run she was hooked!! Of course there I was on the skiis back to my old cautious self again. Needless to say, I recently bought another pair of Hart’s for her to use next season!! I don’t want to stuck without mine again!!
As I mentioned before, my son also has a pair of Canon’s. He has been an avid and kamakazi skier since he was 12… the no fear kind of kid. This past season he also had the opportunity to hit the slopes frequently on his skiboards and has the same comment: “I have no interest in ever using my skiis again!!”
As a side note, I am the 43 year old mother of 2 children mentioned above. I took great pride in being the only “old lady” on the slopes at Ski Roundtop and on a trip to Belleayre in NY blasting down the mountain on skiboards. Like everyone else’s reviews I’ve read, there are many questions and comments on lifts and in lines. I tell everyone what a blast they are and how they have taken me from a so-so skier to a person obsessed!!!
Thanks so much to whoever came up with the idea of skiboards! I feel like a liberated woman!!
Marcia
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How do I love skiboarding? Let me count the ways…
“I have never skied or snowboarded. Suddenly I was riding down the mountain like I had been skiing for years.” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
How Do I Love Skiboarding?
I can’t believe how easy these things are. Wow! What a day. How do I love skiboarding? Let me count the ways… tremendous, awesome, exhilarating, remarkable, and I could go on and on. Piercing blue skies, gorgeous mountains, a bit of snow and, oh yeah, some skiboards all made for my glorious first time skiboarding experience. These people who have been bragging about the sport really know what they’re talking about. So, now I will join the many who have shared their first time skiboarding experiences.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t exactly fond of the sport on my first run at Loveland Resort in Colorado. I was having a bit of trouble getting my skiboarding groove on … after a few trips, slips and flips I finally made it down the run, an hour later. My second time down was better and then by my third time down, I was a pro … well almost! By my fourth run I was tearing up in the eyes from the exhilarating ride down the mountain. What a feeling.
It was like I was being magically mentally taught on my way up the ski lift because the difference in my skiboarding between my first and second run was colossal. I went from a ninny on the snow who fell four times and took an hour to get down a slope, to a fearless thrill seeking skiboarding hippie who never fell again. Of course my theory may have something to do with the fact that skiboarding really is easy to learn and tons of fun. I couldn’t believe it.
Amazing. I haven’t even been to a ski resort before. I have never skied or snowboarded. Suddenly I was riding down the mountain like I had been skiing for years. I had to laugh at the people who would literally stop in their tracks to check out what the heck I was doing… little did they know what in a matter of a few hours I was skiing just as well as they were.
Quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself, considering I did a nose dive the second I got of the ski lift … not a great start. But, I definitely had a happy ending … for I have fallen in love with skiboarding … heck this whole skiboarding thing is a million times easier than dating, and a lot more fun too. I had the time of my life! I can’t wait till we hit the slopes again.”
Alicia
Age 20
Castle Rock, CO[/expand]
Never Too Small to Go Big
“Even the guy at the rental shop said I wouldn’t have any fun because I was too small to control them.” [expand title=”More…” swaptitle=”Close”]
You’re Never Too Small to Go Big
[by: Jak Smaltz, Morgantown, WV]
My story, just basically, was that my whole family and friends told me I was too small, young, and inexperienced to skiboard. Even the guy at the rental shop said I wouldn’t have any fun because I was too small to control them (I’m small for my age look like I’m 10.) He wanted me to use kids skiboards, but my stubborn pride forced me to use regular boards. I felt like they had set a challenge for me to overcome, I had to learn how to skiboard better than my bro and ski in general better than my parents. Now, none of them are on any teams or anything they just ski and skiboard for fun… that’s all I do, but my bro is really good and he jumps and does really wild stunts so I had to be more impressive than him. I taught myself to skiboard (seeing as everyone thought I was a waste of time) and how to jump, carve, land, and do “wacky” tricks. I just set my mind to do it and now I can out jump and trick most people. I wasn’t a very good skiier to begin with, but the skiboards really helped and now I feel I can do anything on them (and now I feel I can conquer any goal.)[/expand]