In short
Skibob, snowbike and skibike usually mean the same thing: a frame with a seat and handlebar that runs on skis instead of wheels, powered by gravity alone. Skibob is the original name from the Alps and the term used in racing. Snowbike is common in ski resorts and rental shops, skibike in English-speaking countries.
The skibob
The skibob consists of a frame with a seat, a handlebar and two skis. The front one is steered with the handlebar, the rear one sits fixed to the frame. On your feet you wear short foot skis to keep your balance.
The skibob comes from the Alps, and Austria is still one of its home countries. In racing it is always called a skibob: World Cup races and World Championships are held under the international skibob federation FISB.
A racing skibob is built for speed and precision: a stiff frame, a low centre of gravity, sprung suspension and skis designed for the leverage on a bob.
The snowbike
Snowbike is not a fixed technical term but a name used mostly in tourism. When a ski resort or rental shop offers “snowbikes”, it almost always means a skibob, often with a frame styled like a bicycle.
The same word is also used for two machines that have nothing to do with the skibob. A motorised snowbike is an off-road motorcycle with the front wheel replaced by a ski and the rear wheel by a track – made for backcountry terrain, not ski pistes. And some people call a fat bike a snowbike: a bicycle with extra-wide tyres that you pedal on snow and winter trails.
If you are searching to buy a snowbike, check carefully what is actually on offer.
The skibike
Skibike is the usual name for the skibob in English-speaking countries, especially in North America. It is the same principle: frame, seat, handlebar, two skis.
Sometimes skibike also means a bicycle with skis mounted in place of the wheels, or a conversion kit that turns a bicycle frame into a winter machine. Those are usually meant for the occasional ride, not for high speed on the piste.
The machines compared
| Skibob, skibike or snowbike without motor | Motorised snowbike | Fat bike | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Gravity | Combustion or electric motor | Pedals |
| On the snow | Two skis, front one steerable | Ski at the front, track at the rear | Two wide tyres |
| Where you ride | Terrain, ski pistes | Off-piste terrain, where permitted | Winter paths and trails |
| Uphill | By lift | Under its own power | Under your own power |
| Sport | Winter sport, racing (FISB) | Motorsport | Cycling |