Droneboarding in Latvia: not for the faint-hearted

Amid snow-clad pine forests, Latvia's remote Lake Ninieris is home to a new sports activity one wouldn't expect in this tranquil winter setting. A three meter (nine foot) long drone with 16 spinning propellers is fitted with long tow ropes with handles, usually used for water-skiing.

These droneboarders demonstrate how it works: a powerful drone drags the boarders along. The drone prototype is the work of Latvian drone specialist, Aerones. They are putting their invention through its paces, with up to four snowboarders being dragged across the ice at a time.

Flight times are (still) restricted to around 10 minutes using on-board batteries. A drone weighing 55 kilogramms (121 pounds) is able to lift up to 145 kilogramms (320 pounds).

In theory, the top speed is around 150 kilometers per hour (94 miles per hour), but steering becomes difficult at that velocity. So today, droneboarders have to make do with speeds of around 60 kph (37 miles per hour).

"That was awesome!" a young wake- and snowboarder reports enthusiastically: "It's actually easier than snowboarding on the mountain, because it's flat. You don't need to read the hill and you can get constant speeds."

Another droneboarder approves, but also gives advice for improvement: "It's very cool. But the ultimate would be to control your own drone while you were snowboarding."

Apart from the sporty aspect, droneboarding engineers have other ideas: the drones could also be used to assist alpine rescue services.