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Fans of extreme winter sports will be treated to displays from the world’s hottest snow-riding talent this month, as the 2008 Skiboard World Cup takes off in Dubai. The three-day competition, which starts on May 22 at Ski Dubai, promises to be an exciting event for spectators as the best skiboarders from across the world pit their skills against each other to vie for the top honours.
For the uninitiated, skiboarding is an exhilarating and fast-paced sport, which has only developed over recent years. It is therefore one of the youngest winter sports and this year’s World Cup competition is only the second in the discipline’s history.
Despite its relatively young age, skiboarding is the fastest growing snow-borne activity; becoming increasingly popular because of its combination of the best elements of skiing, snowboarding and inline-skating.
This year, competitors from 14 countries will be showcasing skiboarding’s unique appeal at the Skiboard World Cup.
Dubai’s selection as the venue for the 2008 Skiboard World Cup certainly represents a major coup for the city.
The organisers of the event, The World Skiboard Association, voted unanimously for the emirate, immediately recognising the value of an indoor skiing facility located in a booming metropolis.
“When Dubai was put forward as a potential host for this year’s Skiboard World Cup, it received a huge level of support,” said Marius Sprinceana, president and founder of the World Skiboard Association.
“It is the first time that such a major winter sports contest will be held indoors and the excellent viewing facilities at Ski Dubai will ensure a high level of visibility for the public that will help with the promotion,” he added.
Charged with making sure that the Skiboard World Cup is a success is Ski Dubai’s general manager Mike Mahoney, who is clearly enthused with the event.
“Skiboarding is a relatively new sport, but is rapidly growing in popularity across the world, so we are very pleased and honoured to be hosting this year’s World Cup,” he said.
“Ski Dubai is the perfect environment to showcase skiboarding’s thrills, as it offers competition standard winter sports facilities in one of the city’s most popular malls. This year’s Skiboard World Cup is going to be highly accessible for the general public,” he added.
Spectators attending what is expected to be a hotly contested competition can count on being enthralled by the elite skiboarders; as they do their best to impress the judges with stunning manoeuvres and aerial tricks and turns.
“This is the largest event that Ski Dubai has held to date and we anticipate being very busy,” Mahoney said.
“We are expecting around 400 spectators will turn up each day to watch the action and be part of the excitement of this international event,” he said.
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