SKIBOBBING

also called Skibob Racing, a winter sport using a guidable, single-track vehicle, an adaptation of the bicycle, the bobsled, and skis. The longer rear ski is fixed, and the shorter front ski is mobile for steering; a bicycle-like saddle and a steering bar with handles complete the rig. The assembly is kept flexible to provide smooth passage over bumps and is lightweight, made of wood, aluminum, or plastic for portability. The skibob measures 1.9 to 2.29 m (6 feet 3 inches to 7 feet 6 inches) in length. The rider wears short skis and a helmet, but goggles are optional. In racing, skibobbers run a marked course, usually from 3 to 5 km (2 to 3 miles) as quickly as possible. International events, such as the European and World championships held from 1963 and 1967, are held under the jurisdiction of the Fdration Internationale de Skibob (FISB), founded in 1961 and headquartered in Vienna. The first skiboblike device was patented in the United States in 1892 and an Austrian device in 1902. Swiss mailmen and delivery boys used the device, but the sport did not develop until after World War II. In 1948 the German Georg Gefller manufactured his Gefller Ei (Gefller Egg), which was called a skibob. The sport slowly became international as it spread from Austria to the Swiss Alps, West Germany, France, Italy, and Czechoslovakia and then from Europe to the United States, Canada, Japan, and elsewhere. Skibob events include the downhill, the giant slalom, and the special slalom (similar to skiing events), with a course having, for the downhill, a minimum 365-metre (1,200-foot) drop for women and 600-metre (2,000-foot) drop for men. The giant slalom has a less severe drop and has 31 gates. The special slalom has even less drop but 50 to 60 gates for men and 30 to 40 for women. Noncompetitive speeds range from 40 to 65 kilometres per hour, but, on the downhill, speeds of more than 160 km/h have been reached.