Guide Note

The sport of snowboarding involves gliding down a snow covered hill while strapped into bindings attached to a snowboard. Snowboards are made from the same material as skis and are manufactured using similar processes. Snowboarding combines aspects of skiing, surfing and skateboarding.

Fast Facts

1. Invented in 1929 by M.J. Burchett
2. There are an estimated 15 million snowboarders worldwide
3. 20% of visitors to U.S. ski resorts are snowboarders
4. Snowboarding became a Olympic sport in 1998
5. Unlike skiers, snowboarders face sideways rather than forward

Competitive snowboarding takes many different forms and can generally be separated into two main styles: Freestyle or freeriding involves snowboarding over various types of terrain which may be marked with various man made or natural obstacles. Performing various tricks is integral to freestyle riding and competitors' scores are comprised of a combination of trick points and completion time. In alpine, or "euro-carve" races, snowboarders race through a preset course of slalom flags on hard-packed, highly groomed runs.

1. Big Air: Boarders travel down a large man made jump and then perform an advanced trick
2. Half-Pipe: Riders perform tricks and jumps while traveling down and across a semi-circular ditch
3. Rail Jam: Boarders travel through an obstacle course of rails, boxes and pipes performing jib tricks
4. Boardercross: Multiple riders snowboard at the same time down an obstacle course similar to a motorcross course