A superpipe is a large

halfpipe A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, Inline skating, skating, and scooter riding. Overview The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially t ...

structure used in

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extre ...

such as

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 Paralym ...

freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, Mogul Skiing, moguls, Ski Cross, cross, Half-pipe skiing, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics. It can consist of a ...

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

, scooters, freestyle

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...

and

vert skating Vert skating or vertical skating is a discipline using skates like inline skates or roller skates on a vert ramp, a style of half-pipe. In vert skating, the skater is able to achieve more air-time as compared to other styles of skating, meaning ...

Overview

For winter sports, the term ''superpipe'' is used to describe a

built of snow which has walls high from the flat bottom on both sides. Other features of a superpipe are that the width of the pipe is greater than the height of the walls, and the walls extend to near vertical. In the FIS snowboard world cup rules, the recommended width for walls is .Snowboard Resort Information Sheet 2008
The term ''superpipe'' has evolved over the years as the size of halfpipes has grown. Originally, halfpipes were known as ''superpipes'', but during the early 2000s, major competition organizers listened to rider feedback and began constructing 22' halfpipes for competitions. These became known as ''superpipes'', and the 18' halfpipes they replaced are now known as standard halfpipes. The 22' wall size has proved very popular with athletes. The length of a superpipe ranges from to , depending on available terrain and construction funding. All halfpipes require extensive

grooming A groom (short for bridegroom) is a male participant in a wedding ceremony. Groom or grooming may also refer to: Occupations * Groom (profession), a person responsible for the feeding and care of horses * One of the competitors in combined drivi ...

by specialized equipment. In contrast, a natural snow

can be cleaned by a normal snow groomer. Because of the high expense of constructing and maintaining them, there are not that many

halfpipes A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, skating, and scooter riding. Overview The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps ...

in the world, and very few true superpipes. During the 2013–2014 northern-hemisphere winter, only fourteen 22' superpipes existed globally. While 22' superpipes are standard for all major competitions, many ski resorts have halfpipes ranging in size from to . 18' is the most popular size globally for halfpipes.

References

Aggressive skating Freestyle skiing Roller skating Skateboarding equipment Snowboarding Sports venues by type {{Skateboarding-stub