A monoski is a single wide

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

used for skiing on snow. The same

boots A boot is a type of footwear. Boot or Boots may also refer to: Businesses * Boot Inn, Chester, Cheshire, England * Boots (company), a high-street pharmacy chain and manufacturer of pharmaceuticals in the United Kingdom * The Boot, Cromer St ...

, bindings, and

poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in ...

are used as in

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

. Unlike in

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

, both feet face forward, rather than sideways to the direction of travel. Similar equipment includes the skwal and the teleboard, with feet in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

formation (one ahead of the other). Monoskiing was invented in the late 1950s by Dennis Phillips at

Hyak, Washington Hyak is an unincorporated community located on Snoqualmie Pass in Kittitas County, Washington. It is located within the Snoqualmie Pass CDP. Hyak was established around 1915 at the eastern portal of the Snoqualmie Pass Milwaukee Road Railroad ...

using a single water ski and bear trap bindings. Surfer Mike Doyle promoted the monoski in the early 1970s, after which monoskiing's relative popularity slowly increased, but the interest eventually waned in favor of snowboarding. Recently the popularity of monoskiing has increased, particularly in France and in the United States largely due to technological advances in the design of the ski. As with alpine skis the carved shape of the ski has meant easier turns, and as a result, skiers and even snowboarders are finding the transition to monoskis less daunting.

Festivals

Fans of monoskiing arrange festivals during the season to try out new skis and compete in various competitions. * In France one of the most popular is th
"Mondial de Monoski"
* Also in France is the tongue-in-cheek 1980's theme
"Monoski World Championships"
held each April in

Val d'Isere Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Sov ...

. * In the United States this is th
"Monopalooza"
* In Colorado, United States this is th
"Cinco de Mono"

External links

* http://monoski-france.com/ is the French monoski association. It is the biggest community and organizer of the Mondial de Monoski * http://www.monoski.net/ is a US-based site with information and reviews for everyone provided by the US Monoskiers * http://monoskis.co.uk/ is a British site that aims to inform and promote monoskiing to the UK and provides new and used monoskis to buy * http://www.realvikingsmonoski.com/ is a Swedish site with monoski information, photos and videos {{skiing Skiing equipment Sliding vehicles