Balance is no doubt one of the key ingredients in skiing. Because of that better balance in general will give you a better foundation for skiing.

That is why I am always on the lookout for fun and interesting ways to practice and improve your balance when not on skis.

I recently found the GiBoard from Gibbon who are industry leaders in making slack lines, and I immediately saw an opportunity to use this as a fun tool for balance improvement. It further sparked my interest that the GiBoard is a 2021 Gold winner at the winter sport conference ISPO.

So I then bought a GiBoard to test whether it was worth it and share my findings with you guys. I have now used the GiBoard regularly for a couple of months and here is what I found.

Spoiler alert and disclaimer

I love this product and I use it daily. We have therefore partnered with Gibbon as an affiliate. As part of that partnership we can offer you 15% off of any Gibbon Product. Use the coupon code Balancelikejanus at checkout and you get the discount and we earn a small commission.

What is in the box

We have the double line package, so there are two lines and two sets of wood rollers to fasten the lines.

The regular package only have one line and one set of wood rollers.

Cork pads to go underneath for protection of the floor and to make sure the GiBoard doesn’t slide.

Then there are some instructions and safety papers.

The quality

One of the things I was curious about was how the quality would be – and I must say it is really good.

The board itself is solid and seems to be able to last for many years to come. It has just the right amount of flex when you balance on the line and it feels feel like it will stay that way. I also appreciate that the wood is FSC approved which means it comes from responsible forestry.

According to the website the GiBoard is designed to have people of up to 110kg/242lb using it dynamically with a bit of bouncing. With no bouncing it can take a load of up to 140kg/308lb.

The line is also top quality and I guess it is the result of Gibbons many years as passionate producers of slack lines. It is a bit slippery if you are wearing socks, so just be aware of that. Barefoot or maybe a flat shoe might be a better option if you want to have better grip.

The cork pads are another nice piece of material that adds to the over all feel of a quality product designed and manufactured by people who care for creating a great product and a great user experience.

Even the wood rollers you use for mounting the line feels nice to touch and adds to the experience.

With products like this you want to feel like it doesn’t break and something you can rely on, so you feel safe on it. And that is definitely the case with the GiBoard.

What it is like to use

I remember when I first started to practice walking on a slack line many years ago. My legs were immediately shaking and it seemed almost impossible to stay on the line for no more than a few seconds.

With some support from a friend or a stick – and a lot of persistency – it gradually got better as my body adapted to the very unstable line.

With the GiBoard the line is still unstable but not at all to the same extend as say a 8 meter line, and hence it is a lot easier to succeed.

It was a little shaky for me to begin with, but I quickly got better and was soon able to start experimenting and playing with different movements. I think most people will have a good chance of learning how to balance a bit on the line and walk a few steps.

If you are more advanced there are really no upper limit for how difficult it can be, so it can most definitely become a challenge for anybody.

The GiBoard as training for skiing

Here are the reasons why I think the GiBoard is an excellent tool for balance training for skiing.

• The unstable line require you to constantly adjust your balance – just like in skiing due to the constantly changing surface and the constant change in how the forces are influencing your balance through the turn.

• Regular practice can improve your general balance ability – which will help you ski better, be able to recover your balance better and give you more confidence.

• You can practice balance one foot balance – which is a key skill in skiing.

• You adjust your balance as you move and you move to adjust your balance – just like in skiing.

• You can simulate certain skiing movements and positions on an unstable surface – you will then be more familiar with these movements and positions (in a challenging setting), when you perform them on skis.

• You can use it as a fun variation in how you do lunges etc. to incorporate a balance/unstable element in your strength training – which simulates the combination of strength and balance required while skiing.

If you want to use the GiBoard in your training routine they have several workouts and tutorials on their app.

How I use the GiBoard

The most important thing may be that using the GiBoard is a fun and playful activity that you can do almost anywhere without preparation.

For me this means that I am practicing my balance in a ski relevant way almost every day. Our GiBoard is just laying on our living room floor, so we can easily have a session on it or do a quick walk over it.

Sometimes I like to challenge myself and try new movements and sometimes I just do a quick walk over or balance a little bit on one foot.

It is super easy to carry, so we also bring it with us, as a fun activity when we hang out in the garden.

It all adds up and in this way I get much more balance training in than I would without the GiBoard.

The GiBoard and kids

A wonderful thing about kids is that they are curious and explorative by default, so just having the GiBoard lying around means that our kids (currently 2 years old and 6 years old) are spontaneously taking up the challenge of walking on the line and experiment with movements.

It has become a shared toy everybody in the family to enjoy playing around on and having fun with.

Conclusion

I think the GiBoard is a simple, brilliant, fun and easy way to incorporate skiing relevant balance training in your everyday life.

I love the product and since the material quality is great and the design looks good, so I don’t mind having it laying around permanently. You can of course quickly move it on and off the floor, but for us it has just become a functional as well as a decorative part of our home and everyday life.

I think it is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a fun and easy way to improve your balance in general – and of course for skiing!

If you have any questions regarding the Giboard feel free to send me an email on [email protected] and I will be happy to answer.

/Janus

Other products from Gibbon

The GiBoard is excellent if you want the slack line experience in an easy, portable and indoor friendly way, but they also have a range of other cool slack line products.

Disclaimer: I haven’t tried these products myself, but from all I can tell from my experience with the GiBoard quality and the company vibe, I believe these product have to be good quality as well.

The SlackRack

This gives you 2-3 meters of slack line placed wherever you want.

The independence kit

Another cool option if you want to add even more meters to your slackline experience but don’t have any trees to mount a slack line.