Skibobbing is an ultimate winter sport which can let you hit the slopes while sitting down on a skibike. The sport utilises a light-weighted, bicycle-type frame attached to skis or some time with a foot ski set instead of wheels. The usage of foot skis defines the sport’s name skibobbing. However, skibobbing is also regarded as skibiking. The skibob or ski bike is a single-track vehicle with longer rear ski fixed and a shorter front ski mobile for steering. It also features a saddle similar to the one present in bicycle, and a steering bar with handles completed the rig. The assembly of skibob is kept flexible to provide a smooth ride over bumps.
The Skibobbing events comprise downhill, slalom, giant slalom, and super-giant slalom (super-G). The courses have a minimum downhill drop of 365 metres (1,200 feet) for women and 600 metres (2000 foot) for men. However, the giant slalom features a less severe drop and has 31 gates.
During an official skibobbing race, the skibobbers compete to finish a marked course of 3 to 5 km long. Whoever finishes the track first while riding a skibike becomes the winner of the race. Generally, the non-competitive skibobbing speeds vary between 40 and 65 km (25 miles to 40 miles) per hour whereas the downhill speed usually reaches more than 160 km (100 miles) per hour.
History of Skibobbing
Skibobbing has been prevalent as a transportation mode in the Alps. In 1892, Mr. J.C. Stevens patented his idea of a bicycle with ski prior which skibikes served the purpose of transportation featuring a steerable sledge with runner. The sport made its debut internationally in 1954. During the 1960s and 1970s, ski bobbing started gaining popularity internationally. In 1961, the Fédération Internationále de Skibob (FISB) was founded as the official governing body.
Traditionally, skibobbing was preferred by people lacking strength in their knees to enable them for alpine skiing. But soon after, the sport became popular among physically fit people. Since 1967, the World Championships for ski bobbing are organised regularly (annually now) and European Championships of the sport also take place annually or biennially. The sport has a wide fan-following and is practised in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, USA and several other countries.
In 1967, Skibob Association of Great Britain (SAGB) was founded and in 1968, the American Skibob Association (ASBA) was formed. In 1964, Austrian skibobber Erich Brenter created the first world record for downhill skibobbing speed. He skibobbed at a speed of 102 mph, i.e., 164 km/h.
