Snowskate

A Snowskate is a small, binderless snowboard, or a skateboard deck with skis, depending on the brand or style of snowskate.

History and Design

The first snowskate traces its history to the "Snurfer" circa 1960. The Snurfer is considered the first snowboard, but it could arguably be called the first snowskate, since it lacked any bindings.

Circa 1970, a product called the "Snow Skate" was sold in local toy and sporting good stores. They resembled the modern day bideck snowskate. There were two ski-like aparati that were attached to the area around the truck of a skateboard, allowing the skateboard to move through the snow. Other mentionable early snowskate brands were The Skeeter" and the "Sno-Dad". Designs of this early era ranged from two skiblades on the lower deck to four blades on the lower deck. Sometimes, the early snowskates used metal runners, similar to ice skate blades, enabling the snowskater to use the board ice.

Modern Snowskates

Modern snowskates now come in two varieties: the single deck variety and the bideck variety. Both the single and the double deck modern snowskates have a either a waterproof top grip coating on the deck, or a textured deck to avoid slippage while riding.

Bideck

A bideck snowskate is a snowskate that has a top skateboard deck which the rider stands on and a lower ski deck, which is in contact with the snow. Bidecks come in single blade varieties and multiple blade varieties. Bideck snowskates were reportedly invented by a Stevens Pass (Washington) local named Steve Frink. He came up with the idea of a skateboard with skis in 1993 while burning his skateboard in a skateboarders' ritual. In the year 2001, after many prototypes, he completed a final and finished product which he marketed under the brand "Bi-Deck Snowskates".

Around the same time, snowboard manufacturer Burton Snowboards released the "Snowdeck". Burton has since stopped making two decked snowskates. There are many bidecking skate communities in the world. Different bidecks are tailored to a different style of riding. Longer bidecks are favored for mountain snowskating, and shorter bidecks are favored for tricks and stunts.

Single Deck

Single deck snowskates are usually made out of laminated wood with a plastic bottom or are made of solid plastic. Single deck snowskates have groves on the bottom part of the deck for easy movement while riding in the snow and also for riding onto rails. Single decks are preferred for riding in snowskate parks and urban terrain. Single decks can be ridden down hills but are rarely permitted on ski resorts. These kind of snowskates are most suitable for winter skateboarding tricks.

Single deck snowskates first appeared on the market in 1998, manufactured by Premier Snowskates and marketed by Andy Wolf, former snowboarder for the Nitro snowboarding team.

Snowskate parks became numerous when the first single deck snowskates were being sold in stores. Word of mouth quickly spread about the single deck snowskate, lending to the popularity of snowskate parks around North America

The snowskate park moved snowskating from an urban underground winter sport to a mainstream winter sport. Many resorts have removed their snowskate parks, and snowskating has moved back to its underground winter sport roots.

Companies

Many companies have started to manufacture snowskates and snowskate accessories. Some are snowskate-only companies, while others are branches of pre-existing snowboarding/skateboarding companies. Some of the snowskate-only companies include the following.

Ambition Snowskates Premier Snowskates Circuit Skates GNU

See also

• Snowboarding