Patent ID: 7837232

Claim:
A hand held protective ski appliance to break a snowboarder's fall against a snow surface during a downhill run and comprising: a short ski, between 6 and 18 inches long and at least 2½ inches wide and defining an elongated downwardly facing, unobstructed support surface to engage the snow surface and slide in weight-supporting relationship there along during a downhill run thereover and formed with uphill and downhill extremities and further configured at the downhill extremity with an upturned shovel; a handle on the upper side of the ski, including an elongated hand grip parallel to, and spaced from the ski; at least one strut connecting the handle to the ski; and a seat mounted on the ski at one end of the handle whereby a snowboarder may grasp the handle in hand on one side to embark on a downhill run over the snow surface and, in the event of a mishap causing the snowboarder to pitch over or fall to the one side, allow for the snowboarder to reach out with the one hand to engage the support surface with the snow with the shovel facing downhill to slide there along allowing the snowboarder to transfer weight to the ski to reduce the impact that would otherwise be applied to the arm and shoulder of the boarder.