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Snowboarding at the Olympics

February 8th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Bordercross - A Competition for Men and Women

The first women’s Bordercross snowboarding event took place in the 2006 Olympic Games, though snowboarding of any kind was sorely contested as an Olympic sport since the1998 Games that took place in Nagano, Japan. In their very first competition, the women created a memorable event when Lindsey Jacobellis took a spill, coming in Silver to Tanya Frieden, who took the Gold away from her.
The sport of snowboarding is performed on a descending snow-covered slope. Snowboarding evolved from a combination of the sports of surfing, skiing and skateboarding.

Though snowboarding is said to have begun in the United States during the 1960s, snowboarding was a means of transportation, or getting down a snow-cover hill in Europe many decades earlier. Snowboarding was made a part of the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, with the women joining in the Bordercross in 2006.

The Half-Pipe

Despite controversy about the acceptance of snowboarding as an Olympic sport, the half-pipe competition has appeared in each Winter Olympics since snowboarding was allowed. Both men and women participate in this event.

The half-pipe structure looks like a cut-away section of a swimming pool. Some TV commercials show people using swimming pools in which to practice. Children practice in the streets and in their yards on a curved incline board known as a quarter-pipe.

Half-pipe ramps are built with decks atop both sides. Since the first half-pipes, the flat area in between the two sides had been widened to allow the boarder to prepare for the upswing on the opposite side. It’s the large half-pipes that make performing aerial tricks seem easy. It is from these beginnings that the Olympic Bordercross slopes were designed.

The Bordercross Course

The peaks and valleys essential to Olympics-style half-pipes are cut into a bank of snow using heavy machinery known as the Zaugg Pipe Monster, developed by a Swiss company. The Pipe Monster uses five cutting edges to cut and shape the snow on the slopes. Some of the peaks are as high as 23 feet. As competency in the sport increases, peaks could range much higher. A good video on the Internet showing Bordercross racing provides a view of half-pipes; the slopes, and the twists and turns of the course.

The course is narrow and consists of banked turns, berms followed by drops, and gaps. Flat and steep sections challenge the snowboarder to remain in control or regain control, providing they do not spill as Lindsey Jacobellis did in 2006. With 4 people sharing the course at the same time, all of this activity and control involved nearly makes this a contact sport since the course is so narrow. Competitors wear helmets and other protective gear.

Snowboarding’s Future in the Olympics

Both men’s and women’s Snowboard Cross and Half-pipe competitions were included in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

The Games for 2010 promise even more excitement as snowboarding gains in popularity.

Mary Deal, Pushcart Prize nominee

Read articles, short stories, and novels on

her Web site: www.writeanygenre.com

A Few Things About Snowboarding Tricks (part 1)

July 19th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Snowboarding tricks can seem pretty incredible and maybe just the business of athletes. Though its not the easiest sport to master, anyone in reasonable fitness can master many of the snowboarding tricks. If you learn the basics and practice as often a possible, you’ll probably surprise yourself.

It may seem silly but if you cant swing and carry your snowboard without hitting something or someone, you haven’t mastered the basics. There is also the simple skill of gliding and “skating” over flat terrain before one ever considers attempting snowboarding tricks. When you can stay on the board, carve a little snow, and not mate with a tree trunk when you pick up a little speed, then you can begin thinking about snowboard tips and tricks.

Riding the Board on Your First Snow

Maybe staying on your board sounds silly, even easy, but the truth is, its as difficult as standing for the first time. Its imperative you be comfortable on your snowboard and make it feel like an extension of yourself before ever attempting any snowboarding trick.

Although it may offend your sense of pride, the first time you strap on your board for your first test-drive, do it on a relatively flat area with fewer people around.  Most ski areas have beginner zones for practice. Try not to jump right into snowboarding tricks.

Be sure to place the snowboard flat on the ground. Don’t forget to attach the safety leash to your leg. This is necessary to maintain control of your board in the event that it slips from your control. Your front leg (in the direction you plan to ski) should be placed into the front binding. Fasten the ankle strap only after your foot is securely in the binding. Then you should fasten the toe strap. It should feel snug but not uncomfortable. If not done properly, your boot will come free from the binding…and your snowboard.

When your foot is well strapped into the binding, you can move your leg back and forth. Then stand-up and bring your snowboard toward you with your strapped in foot. Do this a few times with your knee bent, this makes it easier to move the snowboard. Practice this and get the feeling for the movement of the snowboard and how it works on the snow.

We will continue this snowboarding trick in another post…

Beginner’s Snowboarding Gear

July 19th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

The Basics

Snowboarding is one of those sports that galvanizes the attention and fires the imagination. Running down a powdery slope at breakneck speed with the wind in your hair and the winter sun on your face is an awesome experience. But turning from the excitement one may note that all this fun requires a plethora of snowboarding gear. Especially for the beginner, all the choices involved in acquiring the right snowboarding gear can be a little confusing. Lets talk a little about this.

Snowboarding clothing is the best place to start. There are a lot of choices and selections but it basically comes down to what you choose for a snowboarding jacket and snowboarding pants. After that, we’ll talk about the snowboard itself.

Snowboarding Jacket

There are so many different jackets, such as the parka, the vest jacket, hoody, zip necks, cardigans, etc. But keep in mind that it is a personal choice that should be based on personal style and comfort. For instance, if you are a winter skier you will need something more durable and warm than if you ski only in spring.

Many people choose parkas because of all the overall benefits granted by the superior protection.  But many choose lighter designs because of the active nature of the sport. This is why you must buy snowboarding gear based upon your personal needs. And don’t worry about costs, there are numerous deals available such as:Up to 50% off on Arc’teryx at Altrec Outlet

Snowboarding Pants

Some people would argue that snowboarding pants are only a minor consideration; jeans could just as well serve the need for snowboarding pants. The truth is it’s a matter of choice. Many women find it cold running down a slope in winter or spring, for instance. Some men prefer a light fleece jacket in the dead of winter. A good compromise that offers protection for your legs but doesn’t feel like you are wrapped in wool is below:

A Beginners Snowboard Selection

The snowboard is of course the single most important piece of snowboarding gear. They range from around 150 dollars such this Junior’s Chicklet Snowboard or 700 dollars for this Vapor Snowboard. There are a wide variety of snowboards at any price point. A good mid-range board that is still good for the beginner to intermediate is this Control Snowboard.

In terms of skiing style, a board that is designed for “freestyle” is the best for the beginning to intermediate skier. It is more forgiving and handles better for a person still learning the sport. A good example for this is the King Snowboard. Whichever board you choose, be sure that it matches your personal style, level of ability, and the kind of style of skiing you enjoy. For snowboarding styles see our post entitled “Three Popular Snowboarding Styles” Your snowboarding style will dictate many of your snowboarding gear choices.

Snowboarding Boots and Bindings

As important as your snowboard, another piece of snowboarding gear is your boots. They must not only be comfortable but work well with the snowboard itself. These, as well as your bindings (that which holds you or your boots to the snowboard), are key to your skiing success. Basic boots like Men’s Orion Snowboard Boot and bindings like Men’s EX Snowboard Binding are an example of basic but capable equipment that will serve the beginner for a long time to come. Other key factors you will want to keep in mind are the lining of the boots (for support and cushioning) and how well they flex with your movements (this effects control of the board and allows you to regulate speed).

Wrap Up

This basically represents the fundamental needs to a cool buzz down the ski slope. But you will want to consider these last points to be totally comfortable on the slope.

The rest of your snowboarding gear should consist of warm clothing you can use to layer for maximum comfort. This should consist of cotton shirts, fleece pullovers, and then lighter outerwear that is rain or water proof (this last being your snowboarding jacket). This will leave you comfortable but not bogged down in heavy clothing. Besides a good pair of gloves and sunglasses, this pretty much rounds out the major items of snowboarding gear.

Go carve some snow!

Sample Snowboard Selection Courtesy of ProBoardshop.com

July 4th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Hi guys!

This is just a small sample of the hundreds of boards available at ProBoardshop. I could have loaded all of them but it would have made this post a mile long Let me know if you see any you like-your comments are always appreciated!

Burton Snowboard as Your Equipment of Choice

July 4th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Introduction

Today, snowboarding is one of the world’s hottest sports. Its fun, fast and exciting! Everyone should try it at least once. Many people think its outrageously expensive, nothing could be further from the truth! In this quick post we’ll look into the few really critical pieces of equipment needed to roar down the slopes in style.

Though this post is principally about Burton snowboards, it also concerns Burton snowboard boots and Burton snowboard bindings. Nevertheless, the snowboard is the key unit you need to buy first. Once this is complete, you can then match up the boots and bindings There is a vast array of manufactures of quality snowboarding equipment, its understandable if anyone is a little overwhelmed by it all, especially if you are absolutely new to the sport. Burton is certainly a leader in snowboarding gear. If you want a quick look at some of their equipment before you read on, jump through the “Burton Snowboards” link above.

Quality

Burton has many fans. The reason is simple: their equipment is good stuff. They can take a beating and come back the next day for more punishment. With attention to proper care and maintenance, Burton snowboards will last you a long time without the need for replacement. Lovers of the sport sing Burtons praises, for instance, the Custom ICS 156 (2008) has been described as “Phenomenal” and “The best board I have ever ridden.- Dave Kaminsky.”

Price

While no one in their right mind would call Burton snowboards cheap (from a dollars standpoint), they are competitively priced. The ICS 156 mentioned and seen above in 2008 can be found for roughly $370. When you consider the merits of this board and then realize you can easily drop $1000 for a board, you can see its quality at a bargain!

Selection

In the opinion of this writer, you will not find a more expansive selection of snowboarding gear than you will with the Burton Company. You have a choice of Burton snowboards, Burton boots, Burton bindings, and all sorts of accessories. In addition, they make their own line of men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel and equipment.

Whether you decide to go with a Burton snowboard or Burton snowboard bindings or even both, the key thing here is to take your time and find what fits you. There is a lot of available equipment to become comfortable with before you size up exactly what you need. While its not necessary to buy from one manufacture, keep in mind that if the critical elements (snowboard, boots, bindings) come from one manufacture, you will have less trouble getting the package working as one.

In short you will probably need the following as a minimum:
1. Burton Snowboard
2. Burton Bindings
3. Burton Boots
4. Gogles
5. Gloves

What you wear for protective outer clothing is a matter of personal choice. Some people like parkas, some just like t-shirts! It will depend on whether you will ski in the winter or in the spring.

Bottom-line:

Burton is a great company. You can’t go wrong matching up a Burton snowboard, Burton Bindings, and Burton boots. Learn all you need, understand the sport, and then go carve up some snow!

Understanding the Three Popular Styles of Snowboarding

June 15th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

An Introduction to Snowboarding

You can compare the sport of snowboarding to surfing on powder instead of water. Ever since appearing on the sports stage, snowboarding has galvanized the imagination of all age groups but none more so than the young. To teens and twenty-somethings, it represents freedom like no other activity. Snowboarding probably hit the world stage in 1998 when it was “demo’d” in the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Since that time it has rapidly caught on across the world and is now a permanent Olympic discipline. According to some pundits, there are over seven million participants in the United States alone.

Snowboarding is for Winter

Its an inescapable fact that snowboarding is a Winter sport, which means you’ll have to hang up your board in Summer (unless you consider downhill wheeled “grass boarding” part of snowboarding-but I digress, that’s for another articleJ). But when Winter hits, you can’t go far wrong by hitting the slopes at the major ski areas or even at one of the mega resorts. All you’ll need is a parka (insulated pants and jacket if skiing in Winter instead of Spring) and your own snowboard, helmet, ski boots and sundries like gloves and sunglasses.

If you can’t manage the change to purchase all the snowboarding equipment just yet, never fear, just about every place you can ski will rent snowboarding gear for a pretty easy daily fee. In fact, it’s probably a better idea to rent so you can makes. When you get the cash together, you will have a much better knowledge of what’s good and what equipment is best left to the novice.

What are the Three Snowboarding Styles?

• Freeriding
• Freestyle
• Freecarve

Freeriding is by far the most common and easy style of snowboarding to learn. It simply takes the form of pointing yourself down the mountain and riding the slope down to the bottom! Of course, you might want to get a gentle slope to get the feel of it first. Once you get this style down (which in essence is for beginners), you’ll never look back.

Freestyle snowboarding is where you will find the vast majority of snowboarding aficionados. Generally speaking, freestyle involves more difficult courses. Everything from obstacles (slalom, moguls) to jumping ramps (acrobatics) can be found in this style. In this style of snowboarding, you will find all age groups and skill levels. Unlike conventional skiing, one of the things that takes a little getting used to is the way in which you lock your feet on the board: “duckfoot.” It is so called because of the way your boots (and therefore your feet) are placed on the board, facing away from each other, as opposed to the Alpine or downhill skiing style of side by side.

Freecarve is a radical departure from the other snowboarding styles, mostly because it is not concerned with obstacles or jumping. In freecarve, the snowboarder is only concerned with making really deep cuts or carves in the snow. Making radical turns and sometimes coming so close to the snow that the snowboarder can put his hand out on the snow as he carves up his turn. It’s a technique for maintaining your balance as much as for just looking cool. Check out the vid below!

Future of Snowboarding is “Hot”

When you decide to make the plunge and go for the snow, go to a large, well-equipped ski area. There you will find every thing from beginner slopes and rental equipment to radical half-pipes and jumps to take years off your life. The future of snowboarding is going for broke! Grab your gear: Snow’s up!

Copyright © 2008 Lots About Snowboarding and Gear

Credits: Work From Home | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund