The Newest Extreme Sport – Snow-Surfing
Extreme sports participants never like to stop moving, both physically and metaphorically. They are some of the most creative sports men and women around, and are constantly on the look out for the next big idea. Two incredibly successful and well-established sports are surfing and snowboarding, but these have been around for many years now and some people believe they could do with freshening up. 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.The issue of slowing the board down and stopping had caused some problems as well, but flat run-off areas where people can glide to a stop can be found in many resorts now.
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. On the other hand, because the new sport has been embraced so well by both surf and snowboarding communities it could make it big faster than a lot of fledgling sports.
