Snakeboard & Slalom

🐍 The loooong history of Snakeboarding 🐍

In 1988, college student James Fisher and two friends were struggling to navigate sharp turns on their skateboards while descending steep mountains in Johannesburg, South Africa. They envisioned a skateboard with rotatable axles to enable real steering. This was achieved using roller skate axles, a water pipe for the bar, and cut-out sections from a ping pong table for the plates. When the prototype was completed, they discovered it allowed them to maneuver on straight roads with winding
movements without putting their feet down. Thus, the snakeboard was born, leading to the founding of the Snakeboard company. As the sport grew, more enthusiasts joined, and the first contests were held. Among all disciplines, slalom stands out as the quintessential representation of snakeboarding.

Here are some memories from the Snake Attacks, showcasing the evolution of slalom over the years. As you’ll see, slalom can even be performed on snowy and wet streets 😜

QUIZ:
James Fisher set the world record in slalom with 21 pylons arranged in a straight line, each spaced one meter apart.
1. Do you know James' world record time in 1992?
2. Who first broke the record in 1996?
3. Who broke the record again that same year and has held it for 27 years as the fastest slalom rider ever? (Answer will be revealed in a separate post)