Snowskates

Not to be confused with snowskate.

Snowskates are a type of snow sport equipment intended to allow the user to emulate the actions of ice skating or rollerblading on snow. They were first produced commercially in Germany in the 1930s.

Snowskates consist of a pair of flexible ski boots with integrated bases resembling sled runners that are approximately the same length as the boot itself, incorporating a steel edge. They can be used on pavement, in parking lots, on streets or even down stairs, as long as the surface is covered by snow.

The similar term snowskating more usually applies to a skateboard for use on snow.

History

Snowskates were invented in Norway, and originally consisted of a simple wood runner that was tied to the users boots. The earliest versions came in many varieties and were custom products, not commercially produced. The first commercial models came from Germany. The modern version of snowskates was invented by Swiss inventor Hannes Jacob in the 1970s. As of December 2015, the only producer of snowskates is the Norwegian brand Sled Dogs. The first ever cross downhill competition using snowskates, called Bonefight was in Wagrain, on the 20th of December, 2015.

Date	Location	Women's Champion	Men's champion
20 December 2015	Wagrain, Austria	Alice Zenz (AUT)	Philip Auerswald (GER)

Famous snowskaters

Ingi Freyr Sveinbjörnsson, Iceland - Top freestyle snowskater in 2015, developer of the following tricks on the snowskates: 540, 720, frontflip, play dead, twisted donut. Currently he has the fastest measured speed on the snowskates with 113 km/h.