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I have recently been thinking a lot about how skiboarding can be distinguished from skiing especially as the lines between our equipment become blurred ... 10cm in length and and a different turn radius separates the Icelantic scout 140cm twintip ski and the 130 cm Sherpa skiboard. Skiboards are no longer fatter then skis and in fact look for all the world like small twin tips with a turnier more radical turn radius. So is it the equipment or the style that makes the difference ?
I would like to propose that it is NOT the equipment but actually the style ....
Let me digress and talk a little bit about telemark skiing ... telemark skiing allows you to have a free heel , you can ski your gear with a dropped knee telemark style ... but you don't have to .. in fact you can ski telemark gear flat footed and look to the outside world EXACTLY like an alpine downhill skier , in fact the boots and bindings on casual glance look the same and if you do not lift up your heel no one will ever know ! Strong flat foot alpine turns are very effective on modern telemark gear .. the skis are exactly the same , so what is the difference ?? It is the equipment that allows a different style of skiing that is called telemark skiing .
In much the same way , our skiboard equipment with its short length, wide bodied , tight turn radius shape , allows a different style of riding .. then traditional alpine skiing ... it is style characterised by the rider controlling his boards primarily by carving from edge to edge on firmer snow and using a double footed heel down the fall line turn in powder without poles and the use of skating for getting around the flats. ... to me the essential characteristic that defines the skiboarding style is the lack of poles and skating around the ski area ... it makes someone looking at us , say yeah there is a skiboarder .. much as when we watch a skier take a bent knee turn makes us say , yeah there is a telemark skier...
Add the poles and we are skiing on skiboards... this is neither good nor bad .. but it is a different style .. it doesn't matter whether I on Condors , Alps or Sherpas , hardboot or snowboard boots.. the equipment is not the issue ... once I put poles in hand I am skiing , not only does it look different .. I can tell you that right away it feels different to me .. my stance is more upright , I use more ski techniques , pole plants , counter rotations , all that is involved .., skiboarding .. I am lower in stance , just following around the natural curve of my skiboards and letting the skiboards do the work ..
Now how about twintips , can you skiboard on twintips .. absolutely , take a look of the poleless style of some of the newschool twintip riders in the park or on the mountain .. they are skiboarding on skis ( don't tell them that though .. they will not agree ) ....
For me personally , the dividing line as to which style I prefer is whether I am in bounds or out of bounds .. I prefer skiboards over twintips in all conditions , but in the resort I never use poles... I prefer the feel of skiboarding over skiing and for me the resort is the perfect place to get around without poles .. most resorts are now designed with snowboarders in mind who , of course, never have poles in hand , and with our ability to skate .. it is pretty much simple to get around most modern resorts. In the backcountry , not using poles for the descent , I have come to understand, was just for me style with no purpose .. Backcountry is all about getting up and getting down efficiently with the most vertical in one day . I have poles in hand to climb and they are very useful in backcountry situations to get around , so why not just ski my skiboards in the backcountry, . ... I now descend all the time skiing my skiboards in the backcountry whether I am on my Sherpa or my Condor ... I save energy and have more energy to climb , it is just more efficient on the descent .. I use poles to rest , to climb up small rises and move around while on the descent , have a more upright stance and use skier techniques with poles to help muscle my skiboards around in tough nasty backcountry snow .... so for me the mantra is skiboarding my skiboards at the resort , and skiing my skiboards in the backcountry ......
Ok here are two different guys on exactly the same equipment , different styles...
It is not the equipment that defines the difference . .it is the style of riding that defines the difference.
one guy is skiboarding , the other guy is skiing.
skiboarding on the Sherpas
skiing on the sherpas
I would like to propose that it is NOT the equipment but actually the style ....
Let me digress and talk a little bit about telemark skiing ... telemark skiing allows you to have a free heel , you can ski your gear with a dropped knee telemark style ... but you don't have to .. in fact you can ski telemark gear flat footed and look to the outside world EXACTLY like an alpine downhill skier , in fact the boots and bindings on casual glance look the same and if you do not lift up your heel no one will ever know ! Strong flat foot alpine turns are very effective on modern telemark gear .. the skis are exactly the same , so what is the difference ?? It is the equipment that allows a different style of skiing that is called telemark skiing .
In much the same way , our skiboard equipment with its short length, wide bodied , tight turn radius shape , allows a different style of riding .. then traditional alpine skiing ... it is style characterised by the rider controlling his boards primarily by carving from edge to edge on firmer snow and using a double footed heel down the fall line turn in powder without poles and the use of skating for getting around the flats. ... to me the essential characteristic that defines the skiboarding style is the lack of poles and skating around the ski area ... it makes someone looking at us , say yeah there is a skiboarder .. much as when we watch a skier take a bent knee turn makes us say , yeah there is a telemark skier...
Add the poles and we are skiing on skiboards... this is neither good nor bad .. but it is a different style .. it doesn't matter whether I on Condors , Alps or Sherpas , hardboot or snowboard boots.. the equipment is not the issue ... once I put poles in hand I am skiing , not only does it look different .. I can tell you that right away it feels different to me .. my stance is more upright , I use more ski techniques , pole plants , counter rotations , all that is involved .., skiboarding .. I am lower in stance , just following around the natural curve of my skiboards and letting the skiboards do the work ..
Now how about twintips , can you skiboard on twintips .. absolutely , take a look of the poleless style of some of the newschool twintip riders in the park or on the mountain .. they are skiboarding on skis ( don't tell them that though .. they will not agree ) ....
For me personally , the dividing line as to which style I prefer is whether I am in bounds or out of bounds .. I prefer skiboards over twintips in all conditions , but in the resort I never use poles... I prefer the feel of skiboarding over skiing and for me the resort is the perfect place to get around without poles .. most resorts are now designed with snowboarders in mind who , of course, never have poles in hand , and with our ability to skate .. it is pretty much simple to get around most modern resorts. In the backcountry , not using poles for the descent , I have come to understand, was just for me style with no purpose .. Backcountry is all about getting up and getting down efficiently with the most vertical in one day . I have poles in hand to climb and they are very useful in backcountry situations to get around , so why not just ski my skiboards in the backcountry, . ... I now descend all the time skiing my skiboards in the backcountry whether I am on my Sherpa or my Condor ... I save energy and have more energy to climb , it is just more efficient on the descent .. I use poles to rest , to climb up small rises and move around while on the descent , have a more upright stance and use skier techniques with poles to help muscle my skiboards around in tough nasty backcountry snow .... so for me the mantra is skiboarding my skiboards at the resort , and skiing my skiboards in the backcountry ......
Ok here are two different guys on exactly the same equipment , different styles...
It is not the equipment that defines the difference . .it is the style of riding that defines the difference.
one guy is skiboarding , the other guy is skiing.
skiboarding on the Sherpas
skiing on the sherpas
, but the turns were DIFFERENT.
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