by Nion Kokesu

Created on: January 24, 2007

It's likely that you've heard the term "slalom" used in reference to skiing, but did you know that it also refers to a form of inline skating? While inline skating-often called "rollerblading" due to the success of the Rollerblade company in the United States-loses out to skateboarding in popularity amongst most Americans today, it has remained very popular in other regions of the world, such as Europe and Asia. Where many people in the U.S. may rarely see people on skates outside of rinks, parks and boardwalks, European and Asian parks are often full of people practicing their "cone skating."

Even for the pros of the sport, slalom skating can be very difficult to describe. It is basically weaving through a line of cones while on skates (hence its also being known as cone skating) and is generally divided into two categories: speed and freestyle.

Speed slaloming is when a skater weaves through the cones as fast as he or she can, usually on one foot. Freestyle skating involves weaving through the cones while stringing a series of tricks together, which requires maneuvers that are similar to roller dancing. Competitions are held around the world in both categories.

The basic skills needed to start slaloming are the ability to skate forward and backward, and a decent pair of skates make the learning a lot easier. Two of the most popular slalom skates today are the Seba, which is recommended by skaters around the world, and the Rollerblade Twister, which is recommended in the United States where access to slalom skates is limited. Both skates are very maneuverable, which is vital in slaloming. The cones or cups one uses should be small and set far apart until one feels more comfortable moving them closer together.

A common modification seen on slalomers' skates is rockered wheels. Anti-rockered wheels are often seen in aggressive skating, and rockered setups are the complete opposite. In a rockered wheel setup, the middle wheels on a skate are larger than the outer wheels, which enhances the maneuverability of one's skate.

Cone skating involves very fluid motions of the body and stringing a few simple tricks together can create an amazing-looking series of movements. As with any other form of skating, one should wear safety equipment when slaloming, especially when learning, as getting hurt will only take away from the fun experience one can have.

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