Visitors to the Winter Olympics in Nagano Japan in 1998 were witnesses to the debut of snowboarding as an Olympic sport, it having been approved as such in 1994 by the International Olympic Committee. It is not surprising that it reached the world’s largest sports stage. Since the mid 1960s, an ever increasing number of snowboarders have taken to ski slopes around the world. Its popularity as a winter sport is perhaps best understood if you consider that in the mid 1980s snowboarding was allowed on less than ten percent of the ski areas in the United States; today it is permitted on over ninety-five percent.
Not far removed from the design of a skateboard or surfboard, the snowboard is designed to dash down a snow covered slope. Unlike skiing, this sport entails using a piece of equipment that looks like a short wide ski. Snowboarders’ boots are mounted in flexible bindings that are slightly perpendicular to the board, rather than facing forward as in a pair of skis.
Snowboarding’s broadest appeal is among young people. The largest age group of participants falls into the age range of eighteen to twenty-four. There are two primary reasons for this. The first is cost. Whereas a pair of entry-level skis may run from four to six hundred dollars, one can purchase a starter snowboard, with boots and bindings, for approximately two hundred dollars. Or they can go even cheaper through rental. The second reason centers on athletic creativity and the perception that it is “hip.” The sport lends itself to myriad styles, techniques, and tricks.
Freestyle is the most common form of snowboarding to those new to the sport. Few, if any, tricks are incorporated as part of the run down the slope. Freestyle boards are usually wider, more stable, more flexible and lighter than other boards so that beginners can more easily negotiate turns and bumps.
The freeride style is the form most embraced by snowboarders. Freeriders are not limited to the type of terrain they use (i.e., Snow-covered or dry slopes.) Additionally, they will adapt to various snow conditions, such as deep powder or ice. Aerial, surface and halfpipe tricks make up part of the repertoire of the freerider. Freeride boards are stiffer than freestyle types so to better execute hard turns.
The fastest form of boarding is freecarving. Very few jumps or tricks are performed; speed is the essence of freecarving. Carving is usually executed on hard-packed snow and requires hard turns while hurtling down the slope. It is not a style meant for beginners because of the necessity of advanced board control. Freecarve boards (also known as Alpine boards) tend to be longer and narrower than other kinds of boards.
One of the great allures of snowboarding is the chance to perform a variety of tricks. Not unlike surfing or skateboarding, snowboarding tricks involve jumps, twists, and spins. Some of the better known maneuvers are ollies, nollies, melons, poptarts, flails, Japan air, and Canadian bacon.
Snowboarding should continue to grow in popularity as a winter sport. Its acceptance as an Olympic sport and its ever increasing television coverage has brought the sport into the sports mainstream.
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