Mountain boarding and skiving becoming more popular

(Mountain Skyver)

As increasing numbers of people pursue sports and activities such as hiking or mountain climbing, outdoor niche sports such as mountain boarding and skiving are growing in popularity.

Despite the recent economic downturn, the outdoor industry is showing signs of continued growth as people become increasingly aware of the benefits of a healthier lifestyle and the environmental impact of long distance vacations. As a result many more are taking part in hiking or mountain climbing expeditions.

As more people adopt outdoor pursuits, a number of niche sports are developing to capitalize on an expanding market.

Mountain skiving is one such outdoor adventure sport that is growing. Participants ascend mountains on foot, then descend the slopes on highly portable, lightweight bikes. The pursuit of mountain skiving was developed by Skyver Sports, which created the mountain Skyver bike after six years of research: the foldable bikes have no seat, and riders stand on foot pedals located on either side of the bike. According to manufacturer Skyver Sports, mountain "Skyving" was developed to reduce the impact of descents on walkers' knees and provide an alternative method of descending from the peak. The name 'mountain skiving' or 'skyving' relates to the British slang 'to skive,' meaning to deliberatly miss or avoid school, the sport is so called as participants 'miss' walking back down the mountain.

Mountain boarding, where enthusiasts descend moderate to extreme slopes on specially designed ‘dirt boards', skateboards with large rugged wheels, is thought to be one of the fastest growing outdoor adventure sports. The sport is popular worldwide and is run by a governing body which organizes competitions and professional tours.

In a new worldwide release, Skyver sports will be displaying their new design of the Mountain Skyver Carbon, a super lightweight carbon frame version of the original folding bike at the OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, July 15 -18.

OutDoor is reputed to be the leading trade show in the outdoor equipment industry, with 19,300 specialist visitors from 72 countries expected to attend and exhibitors such as Merel, Mamut and Keen expected to also use the trade show as the worldwide launch pad for their products.