While snowboarding holds the image of a “rebel” youth male activity, this winter snow sport appeals to a broad demographic and beginners continue to enter the sport at all stages in life. Snowboarding now holds the interest of over 7 million participants in the U.S. alone, and many skiers and skateboarders have crossed over to this youthful, innovative sport.
History of Snowboarding and the Snow Park
Snowboarding was developed in the US in the 60s and 70s, inspired by skiing, surfing and skateboarding. Sherman Poppen originally designed a ‘snurfer’ (snow and surfer) for his daughter in 1965 in Muskegon, Michigan. Founders of the sport include Dimitrije Milovich, Jake Burton Carpenter (developer of Burton Snowboards from Londonderry, Vermont), Tom Sims (Sims Snowboards), Chuck Barfoot (Barfoot Snowboards) and Mike Olson (Gnu Snowboards).
Snowboarding's growing popularity is reflected in its recognition as an official sport: in 1985, the first World Cup was held in Zürs, Austria. The International Snowboard Association (ISA) was founded in 1994 to set the standard for snowboarding competition. The Federation International du Ski (FIS) later took over as the sport's official governing body. Snowboarding became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.
Freeride Freestyle and Alpine Snowboarding
Since snowboarding's inception as an established winter sport, it has developed various styles, each with its own specialized equipment and technique. The most common styles today are: freeride, freestyle, and alpine. These styles are used for both recreational and professional snowboarding. While each style is unique, there is an overlap between them.
- Freeride or all-mountain riding is the most generalized style of snowboarding and involves simply making one’s way down the mountain's slopes or off-piste runs taking advantage of natural terrain features.
- Freestyle snowboarding allows snowboarders to showcase their skills and maneuverability, especially in the terrain park and half pipe.
- Freecarve, alpine or 'hardboot snowboarding' is a niche discipline of snowboarding typified by it's equipment - hardboots (compared to the softboots typically used by freestyle and freeride snowboarders) and race oriented snowboards that are used primarily to carve and maintain contact with the snow.
Snowpark Facilities and Equipment
The majority of ski areas have developed specific terrain parks. One of the first in-bounds terrain parks was the "Snowboard Park" built in 1990 at Vail Ski Resort. Terrain parks have their roots in skateboard parks and many of the features are common to both. Freestyle terrain may contain jumps, hits, ramps, banks, fun boxes, jibs, rails, half pipes, quarter pipes, snowcross, bump terrain and other constructed or natural terrain features. Although terrain parks are open to skiers and snowboarders, one impetus for the development of terrain parks in the U.S. was to allow boarders the freedom to practice their aerobatic manoeuvres without coming into direct conflict with skiers. Snowboarding contributes greatly to the economies of ski resorts.
Snowboarding Lessons and Skills for Terrain Park Riding
The terrain park and half pipe are fun and challenging features of the mountain resort. To minimize the chance of injury and fast track freestyle novices towards sound performance and personal accomplishments; snowboard beginners should consider taking a park and pipe lesson. Becoming familiar with the etiquette, flow and lingo of the park will help aspiring freestyle snowboarders fit into the park environment. A snowboard coach can provide a learning pathway that includes skill building, knowledge, and personal tips.
Some essential early snowboarding skills for park and pipe riding include:
- Being able to glide (straight run) both forward and switch (backwards).
- Maintaining balance while rolling over small bumps or knolls.
- Linking turns to control speed and direction.
- Mastering edge control to either flatten the board and slide (butter) or tip on edge for some grip (carve).
- Demonstrating the ability to flex and extend through a full range of motion and in all joints, such as gently jumping up and down maintaining balance while standing in place and/or gliding shows park readiness in a rider.
Since its humble beginnings in the 60s, snowboarding has evolved in style, equipment and facilities to become a leading winter sport practised at ski resorts world wide appealing to a broad spectrum of snow enthusiasts.
Further snowboarding articles in this series include: Backcountry Snowboarding Equipment
