The Skiboard World Cup, the first major international winter sports event to be held in the Gulf region, ended on a successful note at Ski Dubai in the Mall of the Emirates.

The three-day run of competition heats at Ski Dubai saw spectators being treated to a world-class display of tricks, turns; airborne acrobatics and pure downhill speed by 37 competitors from 14 different countries.

The World Cup, which commenced with a grand opening ceremony on Thursday, finished with the awarding of medals yesterday afternoon,

The six hotly contested disciplines at the competition included the Fakie Downhill, Slope Style, Rails and Boxes and the Chinese Downhill, which is a race down the slopes backwards.

The most spectacular heat was the Big Air, where riders took turns in taking off from a special ramp, turning acrobatic tricks before landing. Each one of the six events took place in either the morning or the afternoon of the three days, with a much needed three-hour break in the middle to enable the competitors to soothe tired limbs and top up on warming hot chocolate, said the organisers.

The fact that this year’s Skiboard World Cup has been held in Mall of the Emirates has allowed the sport to be exposed to a much greater audience than before, they said.

Interested individuals wanting to find out a little more about the activity - which uses twin boards that are shorter and wider than regular skis – haven’t had to worry about driving up a remote mountainside first.

Throughout the three days of the contest there was a palpable good natured rivalry between the competitors; the skiboarders knowing each other from similar events in other countries. This attitude was not lost on Mike Mahoney, general manager at Ski Dubai.

“It has been an incredible three days at Ski Dubai, with the successful conclusion of the Skiboard World Cup,” he said.

“The winners have certainly deserved their medals, but all of the contestants from the 14 different countries should be praised for their competitive but friendly spirit throughout the contest. We fully hope to stage similar international competitions in the future at Ski Dubai,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service