There is much more than just skis and snowboards: you can also take them to the slopes

Always only skiing or snowboarding? That doesn’t have to be the case. There were and are various (crazy) winter sports items with which you can hit the slopes. At least if the ski area allows it. Make sure you know in advance what your destination looks like.

The monoski was invented in 1961 and experienced its greatest growth in the 1980s. But he couldn’t really assert himself and has virtually disappeared today.

Simply put, it is a snowboard where the feet are mounted parallel to each other.

Have you ever heard of the jellyfish? This is even narrower than the monoski and the feet are placed one behind the other. The Skwal is also called a single ski or tower mono.

The Skwal is not that easy to drive. Extreme lean angles are possible in curves. Or rather: powerful carving is actually the only driving style. The Skwal was patented in 1993 by French inventor Patrick Balmain. The sports equipment is also the most common in its home country.

We come to an older sports equipment: the Firnglider (or Figl). This was developed in the 1930s as a descent aid for mountain climbers. They could use the short ‘skis’ in soft snow and steep slopes.

In 1987 there were even unofficial snow gliding world championships, and from 1990 to 2016 the sports equipment was officially recognized by the Austrian Federal Sports Organization. And we get to the next point almost seamlessly.

Because the Firnglider belongs to the large family of short skis. Whether skiboard, fun carver, snow feet, short carver, snow blades, ski blades, short skis – there are many names for this product. They have one thing in common: they are quite short, usually less than a meter.

However, there are major differences, for example in the safety binding, which is required depending on the model.

We stick with the short skis and introduce another model from the Fun Carver family: the Bigfoots. These also reached a certain level of popularity in Switzerland in the 1990s.

The extremely manoeuvrable mini skis attracted a lot of attention at the time and had to be especially careful to maintain their balance on fast descents.

We are leaving the domain of sporting goods worn on the feet. How about a city scooter in the snow? The Snowscoot offers exactly this. Instead of wheels, you ride through the snow on two sliding surfaces. The front board can be controlled like a kickboard.

But be careful: first check whether the sports equipment is allowed in your winter ski area.

The Skifox goes in a similar direction. Here you have a seat mounted on a short carving ski. You attach special glides to the ski boots so that you have extra support and steering options.

The ski bike is even more comfortable to ride. A mix of the snowmobile and the Skifox. Here you sit on a saddle and actually cycle into the valley on gliders. You also have the option to get up and then ride down the mountain snowmobile style.

Switzerland has its own type of snow bike, the Velogemel. Since 1996, the Football World Cup has taken place in February. The next date for the wooden vehicle competition is February 2, 2025.

Skating in the ski area? The Sled Dogs make it possible. Here you strap short gliders to your ski boots and head out for a wild ride. The same applies here: it’s fun, but if the speed gets too high, it becomes difficult and dangerous.

The manufacturer calls the piste buck the Schlitteln 2.0. You sit on a wooden board with four mini skis as ‘runners’. This means that you can especially go on toboggan runs and control your vehicle by shifting the pressure with your feet.

Another vehicle we actually know: here comes the snow skate or snow deck. Basically a skateboard for the winter. Instead of riding on wheels, you ride on the subdeck; there are no bonds. You will probably be especially happy off the slopes.

In addition to the skateboard, the snakeboard also found its way into the snow. Here you actually stand on a two-piece snowboard and you can build up speed through the winding movements and make extreme turns.

Telemarking is an old technique in which only the tips of the ski boots are attached to the ski by means of a binding. Telemark technology, which originated in Scandinavia, experienced a revival in the 1970s.

In telemark skiing, the downhill ski is moved forward with a lunge while the knee of the mountain ski is pressed against the ground.

If we referred to the piste buck above as sledding 2.0, then airboarding could be version 3.0. Here too you are not allowed to go on the normal ski slopes, but there are a number of special airboard routes in Switzerland, and in some cases you can also go on the toboggan runs.

On this inflatable board you lie with your head on your stomach and steer by shifting your weight and using your feet. The airboard is also good for deep snow slopes, the feeling of speed is extremely high because you are so close to the ground.

Finally “Freestyle Cross Country”. Actually, there are only a few talented cross-country skiers here who show what is possible with their thin skis instead of boring kilometers on the cross-country ski trail.