Snow Kayaking

The idea of kayaking on snow is not new - there are mentions of canvas boats being used in the 1950s, and it was probably going on even earlier. However, although there have been informal downhill and slalom competitions, it is only now that the sport is beginning to take off. There aren't any hard and fast rules yet, but these are bound to develop soon. There are two main forms emerging, firstly freestyle, which is a blend of skills from freestyle kayaking and freestyle skiiing or boarding. How long before moguls and half-pipe make an appearance? Secondly,snow kayak cross, in which, much like the ski and snowboard versions, four paddlers at a time race down a course as fast as possible, using paddls to steer, brake and gain speed. The best sort of course seems to be something halfway between a board-X course and a bobsleigh run. All sorts of plastic boats can be seen: playboats have steering advantages, whereas GP boats go faster. The sign that the sport has really taken off will be the development of specialised snow boats and snow paddles.