History
The graduated length method (GLM) of ski instruction was developed during the 1960s. A beginner starts out on short skis, because it's easier to ski on them, and the ski length is increased gradually as the student's skills improve.
Some instructors tried the short skis and discovered they could perform many maneuvers that were difficult or impossible with longer skis. Other experienced skiers also began using them from time to time for the same reason, and several manufacturers began to produce and market short skis during the 1970s.
The real prototype of the modern skiboard was the Atomic Glider, a 63.5-centimeter (approximately 26-inch) ski designed in 1982 to fit into a hiker's backpack. Soon renamed the Figl, this ski didn't have bindings, because it was meant to be strapped to a hiking boot. It was sold primarily in Colorado.
About 1990, the Big Foot was introduced by Kneissel. It was just slightly longer than the Figl, at 65 centimeters, but it was quite different because of its foam-injected construction, its sidecut, and its binding system. Many consider the Big Foot to be the first real skiboard.
Others would award that honor to the MicroSki, which was invented by Kent Keiswieller in 1992. He began with a snowboard, whittled away at it, and added a hands-free binding system.
The first small ski actually called a skiboard was made by Klimax in 1995. The Klimax Skiboard came in two models, a twin tip 82 centimeters long and a 76-centimeter version with a fantail. The following year, Line and Groove introduced their own skiboards, and the sport was truly launched. Most ski manufacturers now also make skiboards.
The skiboard is now about 3 to 3 1/2 feet long and slightly wider than a standard ski, about 4 3/4 inches at the tip and 4 inches at the waist, with a tip on each end.
Skiboarding is still much more a recreation than a competitive sport. Competition is patterned after snowboarding. In big air, the skiboarder launched from a ramp and performs tricks while in flight. In slopestyle, tricks are performed while going down a slope and over moguls.
The International Skiboard Federation was founded in 2001 to sanction and organize competitions.