Photo Credit: neal_mcquaid
Early History
Although the sight of snowboarding enthusiasts seems common today, it’s taken nearly 50 years to get this far. In the 1960s and 1970s, early boarders called themselves "snurfers" – a combination of snow and surfing. It didn’t matter that their "boards" were little more than two skis crudely fastened together, with no foot straps and no control. Like the surfboards of the time, these surfboards were too long and too cumbersome. But, oh, they were fun. And, they were totally different than long skis, poles, restrictive boots and bindings for downhill or cross-country skiing. That just added to the appeal, being somewhat radical and all.
In the early 1970s, Vermont’s Jake Burton Carpenter began to shape snowboards from wood, attaching rubber straps for the feet in a sort of primitive binding. Vermont held the world’s first established snowboard competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Vermont was also the first U.S. state to include terrain parks in its ski resorts. By 1988, the U.S. Amateur Snowboarding Association was formed, becoming the International Snowboarding Federation by 1990. Snowboarding became a recognized Olympic sport in 1998. Today, thanks in large part to Vermont’s contributions to the sport and the equipment, 98 percent of U.S. ski resorts not only allow snowboarding, but have also developed challenging snowboard-only courses and terrain parks.
Terrain Parks
According to sackupsports.com, the first snowboarding terrain park opened in Vail, Colorado in 1990. Adapted from skateboarding terrain parks, snowboarding terrain parks include challenging and varied terrain where snowboarders can find jibs (fixtures such as trees, rails, park benches and the like), jumps (mounds of snow from 5 to 100 feet high) for performing tricks, and verticals (such as half-pipe and quarter-pipe). In essence, terrain parks are the snowboard-only zone where boarders can test their skill level, improve their techniques, tricks and turns to their hearts’ content.
Snowboarding Equipment
What you’ll need to snowboard is pretty basic, although you can get really fancy with extra gear. Just buy or rent a board, boots and binding and you’re good to go. Of course, you’ll need adequate protection in the way of jacket or parka, gloves or mitts, goggles and snow pants. But that’s pretty much a given.
Where to Snowboard
It’s purely a matter of personal choice, but here are several prime snowboarding areas:
- Vermont – In Vermont, where skiing in the U.S. began, snowboarding is big at all the resorts. Check out Killington, where more people ski in Vermont than any other area of the state. Killington has a new terrain park at Bear Mountain open this year.
- Colorado – Snowboarding is big-time fun in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Not only does Steamboat offer year-round snowboarding clinics, it’s also home to one of the world’s longest superpipes. Two other Colorado resorts, Copper Mountain and Keystone, provide thrills and challenges galore for snowboarders. Copper Mountain’s multiple terrain parks for boarders of every skill level make it an easy choice for snowboarders from around the world. Keystone’s A51 terrain park features plenty of jumps and rails, day or night snowboarding, and non-stop music to keep you energized.
- California – In the North Lake Tahoe area, there’s Boreal Mountain Resort All-Terrain Park (100 rails, jumps and funboxes, plus 450-foot long superpipe), Homewood Mountain Resort Terrain Park (4 terrain parks), Northstar-at-Tahoe Terrain Parks (6 terrain parks, halfpipe and 420-foot superpipe), and Squaw Valley USA Terrain Parks (3 terrain parks). In South Lake Tahoe, check out Heavenly High Roller Terrain Parks (4 terrain parks and 1 superpipe), and Sierra-at-Tahoe Terrain Parks & Pipes (6 terrain parks, 485-foot superpipe and world-class halfpipe).
- Canada – Aim for the top at the Whistler-Blackcomb resort in British Columbia. Whistler-Blackcomb’s Nintendo Terrain Parks were named North America’s number one terrain park by TransWorld SNOWboarding’s Top Ten Best Parks category.
Are there more snowboarding locations to consider? Of course there are. But start with these and find branch off to find the snowboarding spot that’s right for you.
