Snowscoot, yooner, airboard: spotlight on the “new” snow sports, most of them accessible to everyone, that will make you want to keep enjoying the snow and loving winter!
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Snowscoot
You’re bound to have come across a snowscoot on the slopes, as it was invented in the 90s.
A hybrid between a BMX and a snowboard, the machine is more or less a bike without wheels. It has two small boards of different sizes designed for snowy slopes. The front board can be steered using handlebars, making the sport fairly accessible.
Jumps are also part of the fun of snowscooting, but whatever your level, you’ll have plenty of fun!
We tried out snowscooting, and it was a delightful and memorable experience!
First, before we even started sliding, our instructor took great care to explain the basic techniques of this sport. It’s important to understand how this little machine works and how to pilot it properly so that you can keep control of your descent and practice snowscooting in complete safety.
We then made our first runs down the school slope before moving on to the Easy slopes.
Once you’ve got the hang of how to balance your weight on the snowscoot, how to slow down (“get on your turn”, as François would say!) and, above all, how to brake, you’ll quickly find that you’re at ease with the sport and it’s pretty easy to get the hang of it.
It’s a really fun activity and a nice change from traditional board sports. It’s definitely one to put on your winter bucket list!
The skitrikke is similar, but the position of the three (separate) mini-skis provides certain stability and allows you to make very banked turns.
Sooner or snooc
The yooner, a hybrid halfway between a monoski and a sleigh, allows you to slide from a seated position. Sit on the yooner seat, 20 cm off the ground, and take to the slopes. Control your turns with your hands, keeping your legs low to the ground and slightly elevated, which makes the sport safe. This makes the sport easily accessible to everyone from the age of 10. The sensations are very different from skiing or snowboarding.
The snooc is almost identical to the yooner, except that it’s a two-in-one piece of equipment: it’s a pair of alpine touring skis that combine modern ‘sealskins’ on the way up with more or less a sledge (a ski) on the way down. Assembly and dismantling for the transformation takes less than a few minutes.
Airboard sledge
The airboard is an inflatable sledge that lets you hurtle down the slopes at top speed. Clinging to your wrists and lying flat on your stomach, you slide headfirst (protected by a helmet) down the slopes like a penguin on an ice floe.
The activity is risk-free: you lie just a few centimetres off the ground on this snow bodyboard, using your hands to brake and steer while taking advantage of the air cushions to absorb the shocks. Thrills and giggles are guaranteed.
Kitewing
On the ice with skates or on the snow with skis or a board, everything is a terrain for kiteboarding. The wing-shaped sail is carried at arm’s length, without lines that can get tangled and without a mast. It was first invented for moving around on ice but is now used for all kinds of purposes (in the same category, the wingfoil is one of the most popular in summer!).
The power generated by the wind means it can be used on a variety of vehicles and surfaces. A sport kite, or traction kite, is held directly in the user’s hands, offering control, stability and power. This extra control also makes a kite safer than a traditional one. Given the right wind conditions, an experienced pilot can reach speeds of up to 90 km/h and make controlled jumps of up to 500 metres!
Snakegliss
Available on ski slopes via ski lifts, the snakegliss is an ingenious system that links ten sledges together to form several “carriages”. It’s the new way to go tobogganing in a group as you wind your way down the slopes and the perfect group activity for creating a crazy atmosphere and rediscovering your inner child!
Snow kayaking
Snow kayaking, also known as snow boating, is a snow sport that allows kayakers to hurtle down the slopes of ski areas. What a great twist on the good old kayak! Kayakers often use helmets and paddles, but personal flotation devices are, of course, not worn.
A local group of kayakers organised the first official snow kayak event in Lienz, Austria, in 2002.
Skijoring (skijoering)
Ski harnessing, or skijoëring, is a sport that combines skiing with an animal team (horse or dog). The length of the skis must not exceed 1.50 metres so as not to disturb or intimidate the animal. Skijoëring, as seen in competition, is practised with ski skates on wide, well-tapped runs to practise the ‘skate step’ technique.
A bit like bikejoring, harness skiing is an activity that requires a bit of experience on the part of the horse and the dog, but also on the part of the human: in fact, standing on your skis while the animal pulls requires a minimum of technique on your part. Before embarking on this adventure, we suggest that you take a few basic lessons, as the pulling effect of the horse or dog will likely mean that you spend more time on your stomach than standing on your skis.
