A superpipe is a large
halfpipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, 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. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...
such as
snowboarding,
freestyle skiing,
skateboarding,
scooters, freestyle
BMX and
vert skating.
Overview
For
winter sports
Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold are ...
, the term ''superpipe'' is used to describe a
halfpipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, Inline skating, skating, and scooter riding.
Overview
The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially t ...
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
FIS or fis may refer to:
Science and technology
* '' Fis'', an ''E. Coli'' gene
* Fis phenomenon, a phenomenon in linguistics
* F♯ (musical note)
* Flight information service, an air traffic control service
* Frame Information Structure, a Se ...
snowboard world cup rules, the recommended width for walls is .
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 by specialized equipment. In contrast, a natural snow halfpipe
A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, Inline skating, skating, and scooter riding.
Overview
The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially t ...
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 snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, skating, and scooter riding.
Overview
The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ra ...
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
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