The Rise of The Snowbike
There has been a winter sport that has been brewing under the surface for a few years now, and is set to explode on the scene properly this season.The sport of snowbiking takes place on a normal piste and involves traveling down the mountainside on a modified push-bike. The idea was conceived over 50 years ago, but people found that using a conventional bike was ineffective and rather dangerous. Over the years many snowboard and ski enthusiasts have been working on newer designs in the hope of discovering something that worked. After years of trial and error, and a few accidents, a snowbike design was finally conceived that was both functional and practical.
The best snowbike on the market is produced by a Canadian company, and they are so confident that the sport will be a huge hit, that they are arranging the first even world championship for 2010. Rather than being built for tricks or jumps, snowbikes are normally purpose-built for control and carving ability. This will be reflected in the world championship events that will be based around slalom and speed competitions. Unsurprisingly, the best snowbikes available today take heavy influence from powered snowmobiles. They are lower to the ground than normal bikes and have a blade at the front of the bike attached to the steering column. This gives the rider much better steering control, but only one blade is needed as snowbikes are a lot lighter and do not travel as fast as snowmobiles.
Snowbike manufactures admit that snowbiking is not the easiest of extreme sports to master, but that it is well worth putting in the hours to master. Apparently learning how to snowbike shares similarities with learning to ride normal mountain bikes. The learning curve is pretty steep, but when you got the hours of practice under your belt, its not something that you’ll ever forgot how to do. You can get the snowbikes in a variety of sizes, including smaller bikes for children. There are also multiple extras now, such as stabilisers, headlights and even horns.
Given the nature of many daredevil snowboarders and skiers, it is likely that some will attempted the most difficult mountain runs on the snowbikes without much practice, something not advised by snowbike manufactures or ski resort owners. Snowbikes are much harder to stop than snowboards or skis, and if you haven’t mastered the technique you will not only be risking your own safety, but you may be endangering the safety of other winter sports enthusiasts also.
Certain American ski resorts in fact have prohibited snowbikers on their slopes until more is known about the safety of the things. The majority of locations however are understanding to snowbikers, but still suggest that everyone is careful until we know just how safe they are. Whatever resorts think of the bikes, with a reported 30,000 snowbikers worldwide, this one seems like a trend that is going to stick (or slide as the case may be).
Finally Surfing and Snowboarding Have Come Together
People who perform extreme sports are not your normal sports participants. They are masters of innovation and if something can be done differently, chances are someone will attempt it. Both surfing and snowboarding, although popular, are a little old now in some people’s eyes and could do with updating. It is no surprise then that one avid extreme sports fan gave in to curiosity and tried riding down the mountain side on his customised surfboard…and succeeded?
The sport of snow surfing is thought to have first been conceived in New Zealand when a visiting Australian surfer decided to see if he could ride his board on the white stuff.The sport was born, and others were quick to give it a go and allow this mad activity to keep on growing. Snow surfers say that the sport demands high levels of fitness and co-ordination above all else. Unlike snowboards, riders do not have any bindings to attach themselves to the board, but instead rely on aggressive carving and the use of the hands to ensure that the board stays under their feet. Stopping has also proved something of a challenge due to the lack of sharp ‘edges’ on a surfboard, but most runs incorporate a run-off area where riders can slow down.
As with all emerging extreme sports, sponsors and industry brands have been paying close attention to see if it is worth their while getting involved.There is speculation that both Ride and Volcom are getting involved in the sport and have been sending their scouts out to snow surfing events recently. Due to the sport’s relative infancy though, it may be some time before we see it publicised in the mainstream media or any specialised equipment appear on the shelves of your local sports store. That said, given the early growth of the sport, you might soon be seeing some snow surfers at a resort new you.
Want to Play Sports?
We all have played sports at one time or another in our lives, sport is fun, enjoyable, exciting and it gives you a great bout of a healthy body, mind and soul. But what are the most known sports to date? Why do people love them alot? Let’s take a brief view at the most popular sports.
Football
Probably one of the best known sports in the world, countries come together whenever a football match is broadcast. Whether it’s the world cup or the fa cup final, football is a truly exciting game to play and too view.
Boxing
We have seen some great boxers come and go such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and many more. Seeing two humans put in a ring and fight is very entertaining, especially if they are of superb calibre. Although boxing is not everyone’s sport, for some it’s their whole world.
Golf
A game that almost anyone of any age can play. I remember visiting theme parks and playing crazy golf, the game can be very relaxing and very exciting at the same time. It’s a bit of the opposite of boxing, in golf you actually like to play the game rather than watch it on the television, which can be quite boring. Let’s face it, it’s hardly as enthralling as watching extreme sports performers hurtling down the mountain side on their snowboards is it?
Rugby
Another sport that is quite similar to football, a lot of people tend to support various rugby clubs and are keen to see them play every week. The pedigree of this sport has exploded immensely over the last 12 months.
F1 Racing
This is still undecided as to whether it is a sport or not. In my mind how much fitness can you totally get from controlling a car or a vehicle. There are a lot of humans that do like viewing F1, in my personal opinion I could not think of anything more tedious than sitting there and watching cars whizzing around. I would rather watch people going round the track on second hand bikes to be honest.
To buy and sell sports equipment and keep yourself active, visit Extreme Sports Trader
A Look at Some Great Sports
We all have played sports at some time in our lives, sport is fun, enjoyable, thrilling and it gives you a great section of a healthy body, mind and soul. But which ones are the best known sports games? Why do people love them alot? Let’s take a fast look at the most famous games.
Football
Probably one of the best known sports in the world, countries come together whenever a football match is broadcast. Whether it’s the world cup or the champion’s league final, football is a truly exhilarating game to play and too watch.
Boxing
We have seen some great boxers come and go such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and many more. Seeing two men stuck in a ring and throw punches is very entertaining, especially if they are of high quality. Playing boxing yourself may not be everyone’s solution, but for most people stepping into the ring is a dream come true.
Golf
A game that almost anyone of any age can play. I remember visiting theme parks and playing crazy golf, the game can be very stress free and very exciting at the same moment. It’s a bit of the opposite of boxing, in golf you actually like to play the game rather than watch it on the box, which can be quite uneventful. Let’s face it, it’s hardly as enthralling as watching extreme sports performers hurtling down the mountain side on their snowboards is it?
Rugby
Another sport that is quite similar to football, a lot of people tend to support various rugby clubs and are keen to see them play every week. The playing of this game has exploded a lot over the last few years.
F1 Racing
This is still undecided as to whether it is a sport or not. In my mind how much fitness can you totally get from controlling a car or a vehicle. There are a huge amount of people that do like watching formula one, in my private view I could not think of anything more dull than being parked there and viewing a car zooming around. I would rather watch people going round the track on second hand bikes to be honest.
To buy and sell sports equipment and keep yourself active, visit Extreme Sports Trader