Latest Winter Sport – Snowbiking
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. Snowbiking is basically the sport of travelling down a snowy piste on a modified bike. The idea was conceived over 50 years ago, but people found that using a conventional bike was ineffective and rather dangerous. For many years ski and snowboard fans have been working on advancing designs in the hope of developing something that worked. Sadly, many of the earlier models were bulky and difficult to steer, and it has only been in the last few seasons that a snowbike has been developed that really works.
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. Snowbikes are not really freestyle or jumping pieces or equipment, but instead built for speed and manoeuvrability. This will be reflected in the world championship events that will be based around slalom and speed competitions. The large majority of snowbikes that have succeeded in the market share many characteristics with snowmobiles. Steering comes in the form of a front-mounted large blade which is attached to handlebars, and the bike is lower to the ground than conventional bikes. 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 traditional mountain bikes. It is a skill that takes a little while to get right, but it has a steep learning curve and once you've mastered it you won't lose it.Snowbikes are now beginning to be made in multiple sizes so that people of all ages can enjoy the sport. They also come with some additionally safety features including padded framing and stabilisers.
Although many confident skiers and snowboarders will be keen to try out the snowbikes on the steeper and more difficult runs, it is advised that everyone should have a go on learner slopes first. 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.
In fact there have been a number of ski resorts in America who have banned snowbiking from their slopes until they have done their own safety tests. A large majority of slopes have opened their doors to snowbikes though, stating that if used responsibly, they are no more dangerous than any other winter sport. Whether ski resorts like snowbikes or not, it seems that the popularity of the sport will continue to increase and we could even see some big extreme sports brands enter the market very soon.