"Stalmach Snow-Horse" Skibob Slope Test 21/01/2003 - Brendan West

The Ski-Horse
The primary marketing focus of "Stalmach Ski-Horse" is fun and ski-bob touring. The bob weight in at 10kg and comes equipped with foot pegs, suspension (front and rear) and detachable skis. The suspension and dampers are derived from a mountain bike. The frame is made from oval tubular steel.

The skis and the front of the bob can be detached easily without tools. The front suspension, ski, handlebar assembly is removed by simply pulling on a spring loaded knurled nut and sliding a locking gate to one side and there you have it! The skis can also be removed with similar simplicity.

I arranged to meet with Jacek Stalmach during the "London Club" week in Soell, Austria to try the Snow-Horse. He arrived with a ski-bob his friend Chris to help with translation. After a quick hello, we departed for the slopes for the day.

First impressions
I am just over 6 feet tall and am not the lightest person in the world and have a bad knee which won't bend more than 85 degrees. Sitting on the bob for the first time, I was surprised at how solid it felt. The suspension is quite firm which is we suited to me as I have bad legs and tend to use my foot skis less than most ski-bobbers. The sitting position is very comfortable albeit a bit low for a man of 6ft +. The natural riding position is to lean forward a little which helps to balance the body weight between the front and rear skis.

On the ski lift
On a standard 2 man or 4-man chair-lift, the Ski-horse is a delight to handle due to it's relatively light weight. I have an old Keeda bob which weighs in at around 20Kg and makes lifting it over turnstiles difficult. 

Handling
Due to the balanced sitting position (leaning slightly forward with arms bent), the Snow-Horse is very easy to turn. The model I was testing was equipped with Parabolic skis although I believe you can order traditional skis if you prefer. After 2 or 3 runs and a little coaching from Mr Stalmach, I improved my style and handling of the bob and found that I was extremely comfortable and confident with all aspects of the Snow-horse. The foot-pegs were mounted in the ideal position for me and I found that I began to use them frequently as my familiarity with the bob grew. The front and rear suspension carried out their jobs well absorbing all bumps without problem and without excessive bounce. I found that stopping was no  problem with the bob coming to a standstill without bounce or skittering.

Dismantling
We used bubble lifts several time during the 2 day test. Removing the front fork and ski assembly was easy. A simple case of pulling the spring loaded knurled nut and sliding a locking gate to one side and off comes the front ski. The only disadvantage to this design (if you compare it to a Brenter C4) is that you are using both hands to carry the skibob. Having said that, I dad no problem carrying the bob at any time.

Summary
Please remember that the comments are my personal and subjective view. Having said that. I have found the Stalmach Snow-Horse light, strong and extremely east to handle. I fact, I liked it so much I have ordered one subject to the saddle being raised by about 8cm.

A big thank you to Chris who acted as translator.

Jacek Stalmach with Ski-Horse	Turning after a big jump