Snowboarding Extreme Sport Action

snowboarding. If you want adventure take the risk.

Do you know what snow boarding is?

Snowboarding is a sort of cross between other sports using boards. It is not skiing although it has similarities. It is not skateboarding. It is more like surfing except it is on snow rather than water. Its origins as far as we know are from the sixties but really came to fame when it was featured in Japan at the Winter Olympic Games of 1998. It has taken off since then and has become one of the fastest growing sports in the world. In the United States alone over 7 million people participate in the sport.

Snowboarding is not an all year round sport as it needs snow so is classed as a winter sport. For many years it was frowned upon by ski resorts and was not allowed on the slopes because it was thought to be only a passing fad. Since its acceptance many ski resorts dedicate whole slopes just for snowboarding. So ski resorts are now a good place to start for those interested it taking up the sport.

When first starting out you will need clothing for winter sport activities which are loose fitting and comfortable enough to move about in. You will also need snowboarding equipment which includes obviously a snowboard. You will also need snowboard boots and snowboard bindings. You should also wear a protective helmet, gloves, goggles and also wrist supports can be a good idea when starting out. It is probably best to rent the equipment if you are a beginner. That way you can try different equipment which comes in a wide variety of choices to see what your preferences are. Try different boards, boots and binding until you get the right brand and size best suited to you. There is plenty of information on snowboarding equipment you can read up on to get a better feel for you requirements.

There are many different styles of snowboarding but the main ones are Freeride, Freecarve and Freestyle.

Freeride.

The easiest and most common type of snowboarding is Freeride. This style is best describes simply as finding a slope and riding down it. Riding straight down a slope is the best place to start if you are a beginner but is also great fun for the more experienced rider. You will probably start with a mild slope and progress to steeper slopes which are still freeride if you are doing a straight ride down a mountain.

With a little experience you can use natural terrain to do a few tricks when riding Freeride down a mountain. Usually the Freeride board will be a little longer and have less flexibility to cope with the different types of snow as the conditions can vary. Usually you will also have a soft boot type for these conditions. 

Freecarve.

The next type of snowboarding is for racing and carving and is called Freecarve, it is also called alpine snowboarding. Freecarve takes place on hard packed snow and has groomed runs especially for this. Carving with a snowboard means never skidding. Snowboard carvers tilt the snowboard high on edge, leaving pencil-thin trenches in the snow, while leaning into the turn until both arms are skimming the slope. There are very few jumps when carving.

The equipment for Freecarving is hard boots, a plate binding system and a racing board that is narrow stiff and long.

Like downhill skiing, freecarving is a race using gates or manoeuvring around poles.

Freestyle.

Probably the most popular of all the snowboard styles is Freestyle. It consists of jumps over man made or natural objects and includes doing half pipes, quarter pipes, slope style, and rails, there are also big air competitions. Snowboarders use the objects to perform jumps using aerial or jib tricks.

The board used for freestyle is usually shorter and broader and has additional flexibility. These are speciality boards but if you can afford one they are designed specifically for freestyling and do not operate particularly well outside of this speciality. The stance in freestyle is usually a bit different in that boarders use the “duck foot” stance. The back foot is at a different angle than normal and the foot faces the back end of the board.

When starting out you should try the different styles of snowboarding and only when you are ready should you buy the boards for the specific styles? Generally to start with buy a board that will perform well in an all round environment for a variety of terrains.