The Top Snowboarding Competitions You Need To Know

The snowboarding mania that hit the young people notably in countries enjoying lots of snow is far from fading. With thousands of young men and women taking part in this extreme winter sport, numerous competitions are being held each year in the different parts of the world.

The first even snowboard race occurred in 1982 in Suicide Six, outside of Woodstock in Vermont. Everything was simple then as participants only had to board down a steep and icy face. However, it was only in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan when snowboarding hogged international attention.

The X Games

The X Games are an annual event catering to extreme sports fans. The Winter X Games are the newest events that focus on extreme sports like skiing and snowboarding done on snow-capped mountains with great terrain. Sponsored by ESPN, the regular venue of this event is in Aspen, Colorado. First-time and experienced snowboarders have an opportunity to show their skills and tricks here.

US Open

The US Open snowboarding events take place each year usually at the end of the winter season. For more than two decades now, the games kick off in March with the champion getting $25,000 for his prize.

The Olympics

To date, the Olympics feature six snowboard events. These are the men's halfpipe, ladies' halfpipe, men's parallel giant slalom, ladies' parallel giant slalom and men's snowboard cross and ladies' snowboard cross. Although no cash prize is at stake, an Olympic medal for most athletes is already a reward worth treasuring for the rest of their lives.

Burton New Zealand Open

The Burton Open is New Zealand's top winter snowboarding event. It has been held yearly since 2003 at the Lake Wanaka. The New Zealand Open is the first of the Burton Open series which then takes place in Australia, Japan, Europe and the U.S. This event gives Kiwis a big opportunity to compete with some of the world's greatest riders.

Steven's Pass World Snowboarding Championship

Steven's Pass in Washington, U.S.A. is popular for its world class and varied terrain on two different mountains. Its terrain alone covers 1,125 acres while there are about 37 runs. On the west edge of the resort is a huge terrain park while for riders who'd like to get some sunshine can ride on the Mill Valley or the so-called backside. This ski and snowboarding resort is jampacked on weekends and school holidays so, those wishing to go there should book early. Lodging is not available there, though, but those who'd like to stay the night can book rooms in nearby Skykomish and Leavenworth.

Revolution Tour

The Chevy Revolution Tour is a series of competition for snowboarders that began in 2005. Aimed at helping young riders progress to the elite level competition, this event is the brainchild of the U.S. Snowboarding. The 2008 competitions took place from January to March and were held in various areas such as Minnesota, Colorado, Utah, Oregon and Philadelphia. Events featured were snowboardcross, halfpipe and slopestyle.

Enter The Dragon

This yearly snowboard contest features slopestyle and superpipe events with great prizes at stake. Open to all ages, this competition welcomes young and old riders who want to participate in a fun-filled and relaxed atmosphere.

FIS World Cup Circuit

This is best for professional snowboarders around the globe. The European countries of Italy, Austria, Slovenia and the Netherlands played hosts to the 2006 series while more countries joined in during the 2007 event such as Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Korea and Quebec in Canada.

Exploring Snowboarding

The sport known as snowboarding is rapidly taking the world by storm. This high speed, stylish sport has become especially hot among teens and young adults. While the sport is big fun, the riding culture is also generating big bucks with its trendy lines of snowboarding gear. In this article, we'll explore why the snowboarding has become such a pop culture phenomenon.

Snowboarding is the fastest growing sport in the United States today. Thanks to the sport's thrilling moves and funky image, more and more young people are picking up a snowboard and hitting the slopes. Even 007 tried his hand at the sport in the James Bond film, "A View to a Kill!" But you don't have to be a super spy to snowboard. In this article, we'll look at the development of the sport and give beginners a few helpful tips.

Snowboarding involves descending a snow-covered slope on a snowboard attached to a participant's feet using a special boot and snowboard bindings. The sport was developed in the United States in the 1960s and the 1970s and became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998. This popular pastime's growing popularity is reflected in its recognition as an official sport. The International Snowboard Association was founded in 1994 to provide universal contest regulations. Today, high-profile events like the Olympic Games, Winter X-Games, US Open and other events are broadcasted to a worldwide audience.

The most common styles of boarding are free ride, freestyle and free carve. It is important to note that while each style has its own distinct traits, there is overlap between each style. The free ride style is the most common and easily accessible style of the sport. Freestyle incorporates the rider with man-made terrain features such as rails, boxes, handrails, jumps, half pipes, quarter pipes and a myriad of other features. The intent of freestyle is to use these terrain features to perform a number of aerial or jib tricks. Free carve/race is also known as alpine snowboarding and focuses on carving and racing. Free carving takes place on hard-pack or groomed runs and focuses on the ultimate carving turn.

As fun as snowboarding is, there is a lot of room for error and injury no matter your skill level. In addition to wrist guards, padded clothing and helmets, riders should also invest in a good pair of snowboard goggles. On bright days the goggles will protect you from snow blindness. They are also a safeguard for your eyes should you fall in rough terrain. For safety's sake, you should always snowboard with a friend.

As with any sport, snowboarding can cause injury. To keep yourself as safe as possible, getting the right protective gear is critical. Injuries usually occur in the wrist, tailbone, ankles and knee ligaments. A good snowboard shop will be able to provide wrist guards, padded snowboard pants and jackets, snowboard bindings and snowboard goggles. When you are purchasing these items, make sure that they fit well and don't slide around. Poor fitting equipment will hurt more than help you.

Snowboarding has come a long way from the backyards of Vermont. Boarding facilities can now be found in approximately 97% of ski resorts in North America and Europe. The sport has also made a huge impact in the world of fashion and entertainment. If you want to give boarding a shot, then take a few lessons and learn to do it safely. Most importantly, have fun!

Snowboarding is a phenomenon that has reached the red carpets of Hollywood. In 2005, the film 'First Descent' featured pro snowboarders Shaun White, Hannah Teter, Shawn Farmer, Nick Peralta and Terje Haakonsen where they heli-boarded into remote locations and performed big mountain riding. This film is also a documentary on the history of the sport. With such a colorful past, the future of boarding should be exciting to watch.

Best Places For Snowboarding in the World

Most resorts now cater to skiers and snowboarders alike, but what are the best areas and resorts in the world for snowboarders? Read on to find out:

USA

The United States has some of the best snowboarding in the world. With Colorado, Wyoming, California and Utah in the west and Vermont in the east home to great resorts that cater to snowboarders. Resorts famous for their snowboarding include Crested Butte in Colorado, Vail in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley and Heavenly Valley in California. California abounds with a vast selection of snowboarding options. Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood are also favorites among California snowboarders.

Canada

Some of the very best snowboarding in the entire world is in Canada, with a great amount of resorts from the east to the west. Whistler/Blackcomb is the premier destination for snowboarders in Canada, but you can't overlook the smaller resorts including Silver Star, Apex, BigWhite, Whitewater and Sunpeaks. You also can't forget Banff, with some of the most beautiful and majestic scenery anywhere and their resorts like Lake Louise.

Japan

Japan? Great for snowboarding? Yes. As well as skiing. People forget that Japan has many mountains and cold areas since the country is very long and reaches quite far north. In fact, Japan has over 600 ski and snowboarding resorts! A little ways from Tokyo, you'll find some nice resorts, but they tend to be more crowded and expensive due to their popularity with Tokyo residents. To experience Japanese snowboarding at its best, you'll want to travel away from Tokyo. Around Japan's 600+ resorts, you'll find everything from ultra modern and high tech resorts to traditional resorts to small time, family run resorts. You can't forget Nagano, also not too far from Tokyo and home to the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Europe

Ahh, the Alps. The Alps, whether the Swiss Alps, the Italian Alps or the French Alps, you'll be treated to a different experience when you are snowboarding in Europe. European visitors to ski resorts tend to be well off and enjoy a lifestyle fitting of their wealth. Partying is about as important as skiing or snowboarding for European vacationers. In addition, runs tend to be quite long, perhaps unusually long for those used to only US snowboarding. European resorts also tend to be huge, fancy and modern, with a price tag to match. However, there are plenty of affordable options to be found at smaller, lesser known European resorts. If you have the wallet though, you can't get better than the French resort Chamonix and St. Moritz in Switzerland. Don't forget Italy as an option, with some of the best snow in the world. A favorite of Italian snowboarders is Livigno, with affordable options and over 60 miles of runs.

South America

Argentina and Chile are both home to some fine snowboarding. One of the main advantages to snowboarding in South America is that Americans can enjoy great snowboarding in our summertime, since their wintertime is America's summertime.