Year by year, the collection of winter sports expands with new disciplines. Some remain niche hobbies for enthusiasts, while others gain international recognition and even, over time, become part of the Winter Olympics program.
Ten to fifteen years ago, not everyone had heard of sports like curling, skeleton, short track, halfpipe, or slopestyle—yet today, these are official Olympic disciplines. But winter extreme sports have even newer entries!
Dry Tooling
Ice axes, picks, and crampons have been around since the birth of mountaineering. But “dry tooling”—a relatively new sport—takes these tools to another level. Often jokingly called “the most awkward type of climbing,” dry tooling is a great alternative for athletes who aren’t fond of ice but still want to train in a more controlled environment.
This form of mountaineering involves climbing nearly vertical slopes using specialized ice-climbing tools: ice axes in your hands and crampon-equipped boots on your feet. Dry tooling employs its own distinct techniques, which are quite different from any other type of rock climbing. A number of essential techniques are covered in the article Three Drytooling Tips.
Athletes mainly practice dry tooling on bare rock faces during off-seasons and increasingly in areas affected by global warming. Suitable locations for dry tooling include caves and steep rocks that are not ideal for conventional climbing. Routes are typically a mix of natural features and drilled holes, grooves, and holds specifically carved by climbers for ice-climbing tools.
This leads to frequent clashes with traditional climbing enthusiasts. Dry toolers often damage conventional climbing holds and grips on established routes, angering rock climbers. Even to an untrained eye, the scarred and scratched surfaces of rocks can appear unsightly.
drytooling-na-skalodrome
It’s a technical and extreme form of climbing where most movements are unnatural and awkward, requiring unconventional solutions and impeccable physical fitness.
Brands like Petzl, Black Diamond, and the Russian company Krukonogi have begun producing specialized equipment for dry tooling.
dry tooling equipment
Nowadays, dry tooling enthusiasts have developed a range of routes with varying difficulty, from beginner-friendly to extremely challenging (rated from M1 to M15), including steep and even overhanging climbs and “mixed” routes that combine rock and ice sections. Many prime locations for dry tooling can be found in Crimea, the Caucasus, the Czech Tatras, the mountains of Norway, and Canada.
Indoor climbing gyms are also being adapted for dry tooling, with both rock and wooden setups. Incidentally, almost all beginner climbers take their first steps on what climbers refer to as “plywood.”
The ethics and aesthetics of eco-friendly dry tooling are described in the article Rules for Dry Tooling .
Naturbahn
The sledding discipline of naturbahn may be unfamiliar by name, but almost everyone has experienced its amateur version. After all, “naturbahn” (from the German for “natural track”) essentially means sledding down a natural slope—much like children sliding down snowy hills.
Interestingly, for official naturbahn tracks used in international competitions, the “naturalness” rule is strictly controlled: artificially altering the landscape (such as elevating the track), using artificial snow, or adding chemical additives to preserve real snow is strictly prohibited.
Rules also regulate the length of the course (usually between 0.8 and 1.2 kilometers), the number and curvature of turns, their radius, and the track’s average and maximum gradients (13 and 25 degrees, respectively). It’s a highly adrenaline-packed winter extreme sport.
This sport has been cultivated in Europe for quite some time; continental championships have been held since 1970. There was even an attempt to include it in the Olympics, but it failed to gain enough support from the International Luge Federation—naturbahn remains relatively unknown outside of Europe.
Competitions are held in three categories: men’s singles and doubles, and women’s singles. Excellent conditions for training and tournaments have been created in the Alpine foothills of Austria and Italy, with good tracks also available in Germany, Switzerland, and Poland. Recently, a track meeting all requirements was opened in Russia. The first stage of the 2019 Natural Track World Cup is planned to take place in Moscow.Skwal (skwal)
At first glance, it looks like ordinary snowboarding. In fact, when this type of winter sport first appeared, even sports officials thought so, and skwaller athletes used to compete in snowboarding events. However, time and again, they emerged victorious, which subsequently led to skwal being recognized as a separate discipline.
Skwal Board
The creation of this new sports equipment, the skwal itself, has an interesting backstory. Renowned French alpine skier Patrick Balmain excelled in both classic downhill skiing and snowboarding techniques. Unsure of which to fully commit to, the French athlete decided not to torment himself with indecision and simply created a new board, combining elements of both skiing and snowboarding.
The Skwal board is a specific hybrid of an alpine ski and a snowboard, combining qualities of both but narrower at the center and widening at the edges. It differs from a snowboard in the athlete’s stance: standing face-forward toward the track, which allows for deep carving turns and sharp maneuvers in both directions. Riding technique on this equipment is more rigid and requires special training for the athlete.
skwal
This discipline is young but is gaining more and more supporters. Its popularity is also growing in Russia. Sports equipment manufacturers offer the necessary gear from top European brands. A dedicated forum for Russian skwallers is actively operating, where enthusiasts share their impressions about new equipment, newly discovered tracks, advice, and photos.
Snowscoot (Snowscoot)
What should mountain bike enthusiasts do in the winter when everything is covered in snow? No problem—enter the snowscoot or bikeboard. This vehicle is a hybrid of a snowboard and a conventional wheeled scooter.
Snowscoot
The construction of the snowscoot includes two wide ski-like boards with curved front and back ends. On the longer board, there is a frame and bindings for the rider’s footwear. The shorter board is connected to a bicycle-type handlebar and is used to steer or brake while descending. The athlete operates the “snow scooter” standing on bent knees.
Extreme Snowscooting
The snowscoot was created in France in 1991 by Franck Petoud during the Concours Lépine competition. It was during this time that Petoud also patented his creation.
Trying out new gear, 1991–1996
Mass production began in 1996 in collaboration with Sunn, a French company specializing in mountain bikes.
By 1998, snowscoots had raced on tracks in 10 countries, and the first international competitions, including world championships in snowscooting, had been organized. National associations for this type of winter extreme sport began springing up in many countries.
Snowscooting in Winter
Mastering downhill rides on such equipment is significantly more challenging than on a snowboard, and transitioning to it should only be attempted with some prior experience in alpine skiing. Speeds can become immense, and the snowscoot’s reactions to bumps, holes, and ramps are often unpredictable. It is not uncommon for the rider and the snowscoot to “lose” each other mid-air and land separately.
By many snow sports enthusiasts’ accounts, the snowscoot is perhaps the most extreme of all downhill disciplines, carrying a significant risk of injury.
A close relative of the snowscoot in spirit and design is ski biking. This involves a “ski bike” used for downhill racing, which goes by several English names: Snow Bike, Skibob, Skike, or Skicycle. Riding one is easier than it seems and quite stable at high speeds. You can even build such a bike in your garage.
Snow Bike
Snow Kayaking
Kayak and whitewater enthusiasts haven’t been left out of winter fun either.
Snow kayaking or boating (Snow Kayaking) involves descending snowy slopes in special kayak-like boats. The athlete sits in the kayak and wields a regular paddle, which they use to steer as they hurtle down.
Videos of such descents are astounding, showcasing the speeds and skills of athletes who not only confidently tackle steep slopes, cliffs, and jumps but even manage to perform a variety of acrobatic tricks along the way.
Snow kayaking is primarily a niche pursuit for dedicated fans of this extreme winter sport. However, who knows—it might develop into a “professional” category in the future. It became an official sport only in 2002, with the first world championship held in Austria in 2007.
Finally, it’s worth exploring skijoring in detail. This exciting winter extreme activity will be the topic of a separate article.
