Snowboarding: Not Your Average Sport

It’s winter time, the snow is white and thick, and the air is cold. You’re bundled in your snow gear and ready to face the mountain, one slope at a time. You ride up to the top, strap yourself into your board and prepare yourself to go down. Your heart pounds with excitement. You glide through the wind like a knife. Racing around the trees and corners, you’re catching more and more speed as you go. It’s just you, your board, the mountain and the free feeling that lies inside.
This isn’t your average sport. Snowboarding is a board resembling a small surfboard and equipped with bindings, used for descending snow-covered slopes on one's feet but without ski poles.
Snowboarding was created in the 1960’s by Sherman Poppen. Poppen fixed two skies together in order for his daughter to “surf” down a snowy mountain. The invention soon became know as a “snurfer” and went into production the following year. Years later the sport got its name “Snowboarding” when Mike Olson built an actual snowboard in his high school woodshop. Burton and Winterstick (big snowboarding companies) introduced today’s model of the snowboard in 1980. Today’s snowboard is made from many different layers of material. The first layer is polyethylene (or plastic) which makes for a slippery bottom. That layer also has a steel edge so you are able to grind into the snow. The second layer is fiberglass which makes the board hard and adds strength. Third is the core of the board which is made from wood or foam, then another layer of fiberglass. To top it off you have what is called the “top sheet”. It’s a protective layer of thin plastic. One by one each layer is hand placed into a big iron with the shape of a snowboard inside, and then the layers are molded and heated together to make a snowboard.
In the mid-eighties snowboarding hit a craze sweeping through ski resorts across the US. In the year 2000, snowboarding became the fastest-growing sport in the US increasing by 51.2 percent from the following year making a total of just over 7.2 million snowboarders. (Even though snowboarding took off as a sport, there are still four ski resorts in the US that don’t allow it because it’s not a “sport”). Throughout the 80’s and 90’s snowboarding competitions arose. In 1998, snowboarding debuted in the Olympics. According to freethesnow.com, snowboarders make up 25% of all winter sport participants and they say the numbers are growing.
Snowboarding can be a family sport and is for all ages. Gabe Wasil, an avid snowboarder, started snowboarding when he was 12 years old. He is now 19 and snowboards like he has been doing it his whole life. “I love snowboarding because you’re strapped onto nothing but a board and you’re going down a mountain covered in snow. It’s just you, the board, and the mountain and you can do whatever you want.” Wasil states. “Not only that, but its good exercise for your body and gets you out and about.” I am one of many people Gabe has taught how to snowboard. This last winter season was my very first time and I can already catch air (actually get the board off the ground) and land jumps. (I did land wrong and crack my tail bone, but it was at the end of the season, so luckily I wasn’t missing anything.) “For only going six times in her life, Teran is pretty good. I would say she has a natural talent for the sport,” Wasil says.
Despite all of the fun things about snowboarding it does have its downfalls. Most ski physicians agree that snowboarding carries a slightly higher risk of injury than alpine skiing with around three-five injuries per thousand boarder days (as compared to two- four per thousand days for skier injuries). Injured snowboarders are twice as likely (28% vs 14%) to sustain a fracture compared to skiers. Most of these involve the wrist (Langran). Along with injuries the price for snowboarding is not cheap. Not only do you have to have a board that runs in the $200 range, but you have to have bindings (what keeps your feet on the board), special boots, a ski pass to get on the mountains (day passes usually run $35.00), and of course clothing you to stay dry and warm. Also, if buying boards and boots are not an option, there is always renting. Renting boards usually came in packages, board, boots and bindings. This all goes for $25.00 at most ski resorts. Some people find this easier then buying and carrying your gear around.
Despite the money, the gear, and the slight risk of injuries, snowboarding is a lot of fun, and I highly recommend this sport to anyone who is athletic and up for a challenge. Once you go one time, you will be hooked. I know I am.
(Written Spring 2004)