Snowboarding is precisely what its name implies: riding a board on snow. It's a relatively new sport that combines elements of skiing, skateboarding and even surfing. In fact, early snowboards were once known as "snurfers," a combination of the words "snow" and "surfer."
Sherman Poppen is generally credited with coming up with the first snowboard when he fastened two skis together in Muskegon, Mich., in 1965. But the sport really didn't take off until the mid-1980s when trade magazines started to publicize it.
Many snowboarding tricks are named after skateboarders who pulled them on the streets long before they were attempted on the slopes. Because bindings keep riders firmly planted on their boards, snowboarders are able to punch up some of the tricks.
OLYMPIC OVERVIEW
Once disdained at ski resorts everywhere, snowboarding has become the fastest-growing winter sport in the world. As it grew in popularity and race federations organized, the International Olympic Committee jumped on the wave. Snowboarding rapidly advanced to an Olympic event without having to prove itself first as a demonstration sport.
Snowboarding made its debut at the Winter Games in Nagano in 1998. It was not a quiet beginning. The world's top rider at the time, Terje Haakonsen (the Haakon flip is named after him) of Norway, refused to participate. And snowboarders who did show up with their pierced bodies, funky hair and nonconformist attitudes turned the staid Olympic movement on its head.
The sport's first Olympic gold medalist, giant slalom rider Ross Rebagliati of Canada, was stripped of his prize after a post-race drug test revealed traces of marijuana in his system. An arbitrator restored it less than 24 hours, ruling the International Olympic Committee lacked an agreement with the International Ski Federation on marijuana use. Rebagliati later said he inhaled second-hand smoke at a party.
While snowboarders' antics away from the mountain add color to the sport, action on the snow is just as exciting, especially in the halfpipe.
One of the challenges Olympic snowboarding faces is attracting the world's best riders. For some, the Winter Games are no big deal. Others have trouble with the regimentation that comes with Olympic competition. Some don't even like to wear the race bibs.
There also is some griping about the format for Olympic competition.
Olympic snowboarding currently consists of two events for both men and women — dual giant slalom and halfpipe. The Americans and Canadians don't like the dual giant slalom, which pits racers head to head on a shorter course. They prefer the longer, steeper giant slalom courses where the riders challenge the mountain more than each other. Europeans, however, like the dual event.
Americans also are pushing for what's called super halfpipe. The super pipe has higher walls and a more gradual slope, allowing riders to pull off bigger tricks. Few super pipes exist in North America; there are virtually none in Europe.
As the popularity of snowboarding continues to soar, Olympic officials will likely have to consider adding more events in the future. One that has been considered is snowboardcross, a sort of motorcross race on snowboards.
EVENT DESCRIPTIONS
Halfpipe: A halfpipe is a carved-out channel of snow that resembles a barrel split sideways. It is about 110 meters long, about 12 meters from edge to edge and features rounded walls that are about 3.5 meters high. Riders glide up and down the high banked walls to do various tricks and maneuvers. They are judged on standard air, amplitude, rotations, landing and technical merit. There are no required moves.
Dual giant slalom: Riders race head-to-head down side-by-side courses of at least 20 gates similar to giant slalom ski racing. After each run, racers switch courses. The one with the fastest combined time for both courses eliminates the other and moves to the next round. Heats continue until one racer remains.
