SNOWBOARDING – Jasmine Therese G.

Abalos

What is Snowboarding?
Snowboarding is a winter sport with roots in skiing, surfing, and skateboarding where the
primary activity is riding down any snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard with
feet positioned roughly perpendicular to the board and its direction, further differentiating it from
skiing, in which riders face forward. Moreover, no poles are used as in skiing, and the majority
of participants wear not hard but soft- to mid-flexing boots for support. The sport developed in
the 1960s and ’70s, grew in popularity in the 1980s, and became an Olympic sport in 1998. To
die-hard riders and enthusiasts worldwide, including this author, snowboarding is a special kind
of “medicine for the soul,” combining the beauty of nature, the thrill of competition, and the
opportunity for self-expression. There is no single way to snowboard.
Snowboarding is now a well-established sport and has come in leaps and bounds; with
its own culture, super stars and equipment. Competitions and events have become
international staples, for example the Air and Style snowboard competitions, the Swatch
Freeride World Tour and the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.
Snowboarding has also evolved into different styles including alpine racing, freestyle,
free riding, backcountry and more, but where did it all begin?
Snowboarding History

Well, in the beginning there was a plank of plywood. There was a clothesline and also some
horse reins for bindings. This was 1929, and M.J. "Jack" Burchett could be seen surfing down
hills, testing his new invention, and presumably falling over quite a bit.
Over 30 years later, in 1963, an eighth grade student from New Jersey called Tom
Sims (who would go on to form Sims Snowboards) created what he called a "ski board" as a
woodwork project. Sims was obsessed with skateboarding, which he had picked up on a holiday
to California, and wanted to be able to skate in the winter as well as the summer. His invention
was a rounded plank of pine with a nose kick in the front and carpet on top to supply the much
needed traction. Underneath, aluminium and candle wax would supply the sliding action that he
needed to surf across the snow. Not a bad start at all for an eight grader who just wanted to
skate 365 days of the year.
Commercially the snowboard didn't catch on until 1965, when Sherman Poppen, a
frustrated father trying to get his kids out of the house on a freezing winters day, invented the
Snurfer (snow and surf together, clever eh?). Two childrens skis bolted together and a length of
cord for balance later and Poppen soon had all the kids in the neighbourhood on his doorstep,
begging him to build them one. 6 months later the snurfer was patented and a manufacturer
started to mass produce them (see picture, left); over 1 million units would be sold over the next
few years, but the Snurfer was seen by most people as a kids toy.
Meanwhile Dimitrije Milovich, inspired by sliding down snowy hills on meal trays, began
producing boards for himself and friends. In 1972 he would begin to produce the first
snowboards as we know them today and experimenting with iron edges. Winterstick, as he
called his company, are still producing snowboards today- the classic swallowtail deep powder
snowboard is especially popular.
In 1977 snowboarding showed its doubters that it was here to stay. Dimitrije Milovich and
other snowboarding pioneers found that they were having trouble bringing snowboards onto the
slopes- irritated ski resort managers would tell snowboarders to take a hike- muttering that the
resorts insurance did not cover snowboarding. Milovich then obtained written confirmation from
the major insurance brokers for Ski Resorts in the states, Petit-Morey and Kendall, that
snowboarders were, in fact, covered to be on the mountain. Everything changed.
Tom Sims, Mike Olson (who would later found Gnu Snowboards) and Jake Carpenter Burton (of
Burton fame) all began to produce snowboards in 1977. At this early stage everyone was feeling
their way in terms of design- Burton would modify Snurfers, Olson was using planks of pine and
Sims was creating his own wood boards with aluminium underneath.
Since the pivotal year of 1977 the innovations came on thick and fast. Sims began using
fibreglass as the base of the snowboards in 1979 when Jake Burton was developing ptex and
working on how to use the already advanced ski technology to make the boards glide better. As
the snowboarding industry moved through the 1980's and became a popular phenomenon,
board design became more standardised across the industry and the focus shifted to finding the
best binding.

With the rise in snowboarding over the past decade, the sport is being recognised in the World’s
best sporting events. The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi showcased 12 new competitions
across the games including snowboard Slopestyle and the snowboard parallel slalom. This
made a total of ten snowboarding events at the winter games.

Team GB sent 7 snowboard athletes to Sochi to compete in Snowboard Slopestyle, Snowboard

Halfpipe and Snowboard Cross. Jenny Jones blew the nation away by winning a bronze medal
in the Ladies Snowboard Slopestyle and became the first ever British female to win an Olympic
medal on snow. Plus both Jamie Nicholls and Billy Morgan made it into the top 10 Snowboard
Slopestyle Finals.

With the success of Team GB at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, British Ski and Snowboard
was awarded £4.89 million in Summer 2014 to progress the team in the run up to Pyeongchang
in 2018.

BASIC RULES IN SNOWBOARDING

The following are included here. If you have any others that you can think of that I
have missed please let me know in the comments section at the end of the post and I
will add them in.

 Passing Etiquette
 Responsibility for you
 Responsibility for others
 Stopping Safely
 Stopping Rules
 Respect the boundaries
 Snowboard leash?
  Terrain Park Rules

assing Etiquette
It is the responsibility of the person trying to pass to get past safely.

If you are higher up the slope and going faster than the person below then it is up to
you to get past them safely. If this means having to slow down to wait for a better
place to pass then so be it.

It is not up to them to get out of your way. You have them in your sights the whole
time – they can’t see you.

If you’re the person lower down the mountain you also have responsibilities
(see stopping rulesbelow)

Responsibility for You

When you go snowboarding you should understand the inherent risks of the activity. It
is up to you to ride within your own limits and take necessary precautions.

You should only rely on yourself to make your riding experience as safe as possible.
Yes resorts will try to make things as safe as possible because they obviously don’t
want any injuries in their resorts – but that’s them protecting their own interests. You
need to protect your interest yourself.

Responsibility for others

Even more importantly you need to take responsibility for the safety of others.

For example, if you blindly go over a jump without making sure the landing space is
clear then you aren’t taking responsibility for the safety of others.

If you ride beyond your limits – for example ride too fast for your ability and can’t
stop yourself or slow yourself down and could potentially take someone else out, then
you aren’t taking responsibility for others.
Stopping Safely
Make sure you are comfortable stopping before you start to ride too fast. If you are
learning of course you are going to fall and get a bit out of control at times – but don’t
recklessly ride at speed if you don’t have the ability to stop yourself or to maneuver
around obstacles.

If you are riding slowly, within your capabilities you can always do a crash stop
(purposefully take a tumble) to avoid danger. But if you are going too fast and try a
crash stop you’ll have too much momentum and likely won’t stop in time.

Stopping Rules
You might be stopping part way down a slope to wait for a friend, to have a rest or
maybe to adjust some gear. But when you stop there are a couple of simple things to
think about first.

 Make sure you don’t stop suddenly right in front of others. Before you stop
make sure there is no one right behind you. If there is move off to the side
before stopping or wait until they have passed you.
 Don’t stop around a blind corner or on the other side of a jump or lip – or
anywhere where other riders or skiers can’t see you clearly from a good
distance away. In other words, stop where you can be seen.
 Only stop where you won’t be in the way of others.
 When you start again from a stop give way to riders already moving. It is your
responsibility to merge back onto the slope without disturbing anyone else –

and yes that goes for riders and skiers!

Respect the Signs

If there is a sign that says “do not enter” it is probably there for a good reason so listen
to it.

If there is a sign that says “slow area” or the likes – obey it – these are generally in
areas where beginners are riding or skiing and hurtling through there at 100 miles an
hour might make you feel cool but everyone else just thinks you’re a dick!

There are plenty of places on the mountain that you can fulfill your need for speed.
This goes for any other sign. The signs are generally there for a reason and even if
there’s not a good reason that you can think of, there may be other factors that you
aren’t aware of.

Respect the Boundaries

Resorts designate boundaries for a reason.

Going outside those boundaries might lead you into dangerous terrain or lead down a
path where you can’t return to the lifts or the resort base.

A lot of resorts have designated backcountry (off piste) areas. Only use these areas if
you are an experienced backcountry rider or if you are with a guide – and follow the
specific backcountry guidelines of that resort.

Snowboard Leash?
Very few resorts have a rule requiring a snowboard leash and even fewer of those that
do actually enforce it. In my experience I’ve never seen it.

I’ve never used a leash and don’t feel that it’s necessary.

However, you should still be aware that if you’re not strapped into your board or if
you’re not holding onto it, it can be very dangerous if it runs free on the slopes.

If you are the type of person who can be absent minded and let go of your board
before you are strapped in then maybe it’s a good idea – but for most this isn’t
necessary. But remember that you are responsible for the safety of others and this is
part of it.

Terrain Park Rules

Every resort will have their own terrain park rules but the following are common to
most. And they all make sense when you think about it.

As always you are responsible for your own safety and the safety of others.

 Know your limits and work your way up slowly. Only try tricks, jumps, obstacles
etc that you are ready to try
  Make a plan: Park features are always changing due to snow conditions,
useage, grooming and time of day. Don’t assume the park will be the same as it
was the day before. Do a run through of the park without doing it full speed
and even just ride past the features and look at them to get to know the park
for that day. Once you know your obstacles make a plan as to which ones you
are going to hit before you start your run.
 Inverted Aerials: Some resorts don’t allow these so check with your resort’s
inverted aerial policy.
 Look before you leap: Try to determine that landing zones are clear before you
ride jumps.
 Watch where you are: Never stop directly after a jump or obstacle – never stop
in any landing zone

International Ski Federation rules for ski and

snowboarding conduct
 Respect for others on skis and snowboards: A skier or snowboarder must
behave in such a way that he does not endanger or prejudice others.

 Control of speed and behavior: A skier or snowboarder must move in control.

They must adapt their speed and manner of skiing or snowboarding to their
personal ability and to the prevailing conditions of terrain, snow and weather,
as well as to the density of traffic.

 Choice of ski or snowboarding route: A skier or snowboarder coming from

behind (who are higher up the slope) must choose his or her route in such a
way that he or she does not endanger skiers or snowboarders ahead.

 Overtaking during skiing or snowboarding exercise: A skier or snowboarder

may overtake another skier or snowboarder above or below, and to the right
or to the left, provided that he or she leaves enough space for the overtaken
skier or snowboarder to make any voluntary or involuntary movement.

 Entering, starting and moving upwards: A skier or snowboarder either:

entering a marked run, starting again after stopping, or moving upwards or
 crossing on the slopes, must look up and down the slopes so that he or she
can move without endangering themselves or others.

 Stopping on the piste: Unless absolutely necessary, a skier or snowboarder

must avoid stopping on the piste in narrow places or where visibility is
restricted. After a fall in such a place, a skier or snowboarder must move clear
of the piste as soon as possible.

 Walking up or downhill for skiing or snowboarding: A skier or snowboarder

either climbing or descending on foot must keep to the side of the piste.

 Respect for signs and markings: A skier or snowboarder must respect all
signs and markings. This includes slope information, weather conditions, and
the conditions of the slopes and snow.

 Assistance following ski or snowboarding accidents: At accidents, every skier

or snowboarder is duty bound to assist.

 Identification after a ski or snowboarding accident: Any witness, whether a

responsible party or not, must exchange names and addresses following an
accident. They must identify themselves to Piste Control, as well as to any
others involved in the ski or snowboarding accident.

Snowboarding - Equipment
Besides normal sport equipment, player also use different safety equipment
in order to avoid injuries. The major equipment that is needed for this sport
is the snowboard. Some basic details of the equipment used in this sport are
as follows −

Snowboard
Snowboards are the basic equipment for snowboarding and are used for
sliding over the snow filled surface. Usually the snowboard is made of hard
wood core that is sandwiched between multiple layers of fibre glass. Other
elements like carbon fibre, Kevlar, aluminium are also used in the making of
a modern snowboard.

The nose and tail of the board are curled in upward direction in order to
ensure flawless movement on even or uneven snow. There are two different
ways to design the base of the board which are extruded and sintered.

 Extruded Base − In case of extruded base, plastic based materials are normally
melted and molded in to the desired form.

 Sintered Base − In case of sintered base, the plastic based materials are first
powdered and then are molded to the desired form using heat and pressure.
Snowboards with sintered bases are much faster than boards with extruded base
because of its ability to absorb wax which greatly reduces the friction between
the board and the surface.

Based on different variants of the sport and the surface used, different types
of snowboards are used. Some of them are −

 Freestyle board − In case of freestyle snowboarding, the boards used are in

mirror image of each other along the lateral axis. These boards are mostly used
on surfaces like metal rails, logs, boxes, etc.
  Free ride boards − These boards are typically longer in length than freestyle
boards. These boards are typically directional and has a pointed tip suitable to be
placed along the direction of motion. These kinds of boards can be used on any
surface starting from backcountry riding, to extreme big-mountain
descents.

 Alpine boards − Alpine boards or racing boards are long, narrow, and rigid in
shape and similar to free ride boards They are also typically directional and are
specially designed to excel in groomed slopes. The narrow shape helps the rider
to perform better during the race. Mostly hard plastic boots are ridden over it.

Snowboarding Boots
The boots used in snowboarding are generally soft plastic boots except in
case of alpine snowboarding, where hard plastic boots are used. The primary
functionality of these boots is to pass the rider’s motion energy to the
snowboard. Based on different designs, generally three types of boots are
used which are standard boots, step-in boots, and hard boots.

 Standard Boots − No part of the boot is connected to the board. Most of the
applied pressure is achieved through the binding.

 Step-in Boots − In these boots, metal claps are there below the boot to attach
it to the step-in bindings over the board.

 Hard Boots − The hard boots use special bindings and are mostly used in case
of alpine snowboarding for better control over the board during the racing.
Snowboard Bindings
These are specially designed equipment and are attached to the snowboard.
The major functionality of these bindings is to hold the boot of the rider in
proper place in order to efficiently transfer the rider’s force into the motion
of the board. Based on their characteristics, there are three types of bindings
which are strap-in, step-in, and hybrid bindings.

 Strap Bindings − In strap bindings, people use boots with thick flexible sole and
padded uppers. These shoes are held on the board using two padded buckle
straps for better grip over the shoe. These straps are tightly fitted over different
parts of the shoe to distribute pressure. Normally two strap bindings are used,
but in some cases, people use three strap bindings.

 Step-in Bindings − Step-in bindings were improvised in order to provide better

control than strap binding. Here the riders use a specially designed step-in boots
and place their foot over the step-in binding.

 Hybrid Bindings − Hybrid designs are mostly used in case of freestyle and
recreational riders because of the minimum risk involved with it. It is very much
similar to strap-in bindings. But the foot of the rider enters the bindings through
the back side then flipped up and tightened with a clamp to give a proper grip to
the rider.
 Snowboarding - Playing Environment
Depending on the type of snowboarding, different types of surfaces are used.
In case of freestyle and jibbing, mostly skateparks and halfpipe surfaces are
used. In case of alpine snowboarding, a special designed race course is
created. A brief idea about these surface areas is as follows −

Freestyle Snowboarding
In case of freestyle snowboarding, the snowboarders mostly use skate parks
as the playing environment. The basic surfaces used are metal rails, logs,
boxes, stairs etc. There are no certain specifications about the surfaces in
case of jibbing and free style snowboarding.
Halfpipe Snowboarding
For halfpipe snowboarding, players use a halfpipe surface which looks like the
bottom half of a pipe with two sides covered with walls and the middle sloppy
ramp surface filled with snow for the ride. The walls on both side must have
a height between 8-23 feet.

In case of skateboarding, the halfpipe surface used is basically made of wood

or cement, here the surface will be completely made of snow or partially with
a coating of snow over the basic surface.

Alpine Snowboarding
In case of alpine snowboarding, the playing environment used is
called pisteand it comprises of a landscape above 1200 m and is covered
with snow. The landscape is basically a slope structured area. For the race,
different paths are drawn over the landscape with turns and slopes over the
course.
Usually the pistes have groomed and symmetric surfaces without any
unevenness which is achieved by running a snowcat over the piste. Based
on the degree of difficulty in riding over these slope surfaces, different colours
are used. Usually in all regions, green is used to denote the easiest slopes
whereas black colour is used for the expert level slopes.

How to Play Snowboarding?

Since its invention, Snowboarding has gone through a lot of changes and
improvisations. Based on the modern snowboarding, different variants have
been invented which are Jibbing, Alpine, Freestyle, Snowboard
Racingwhere all of these types differ from each other in case of equipment
and the bases used as the snowboarding surface. These snowboarding styles
are described below.

Jibbing
Jibbing is also known as Cruising in which the rider rides on nonstandard
surfaces and performs different tricks. In case of jibbing, the players mostly
ride and slide above surfaces that are mostly other than snow. These surfaces
can be boxes, metal rails, logs, benches, rocks etc. Basically the rider has to
ride on anything that comes in his/her way. It is mostly performed in skate
parks.

Freestyle Snowboarding
In case of freestyle snowboarding, the more importance is given to the tricks
performed rather than the surfaces. The players have to ride on a snowboard
on any of the surfaces that comes along the way which can be a log, rock,
metal rails, or boxes.
These surfaces can be either manmade or natural. Freestyle snowboarding
can be performed in a skate park or in natural environment. There are
different types of freestyle snowboarding based on the surfaces used.

Halfpipe Snowboarding
Halfpipe snowboarding is one of the most popular formats of snowboarding.
Here the surface used has the shape of a half pipe. It is a semi-circular surface
with two sides covered with walls and the middle sloppy ramp surface is filled
with snow for the ride.
The players start at one edge of the slope, slide down to and from different
sides perform different tricks while moving from one side to another and
being in the air. The height of the walls of the half pipe lies between 8 feet to
23 feet.

Slopestyle Snowboarding
In case of slope style snowboarding, the surface used is a terrain park. Here,
the terrains are filled with different manmade surfaces which can be boxes,
logs, metal rails, jibs etc. Here the basis of scoring is the surface chosen and
efficiency of the tricks performed.
In order to win the slope style competition, the player not only has to go for
hardest surfaces, he/she must perform all the tricks smoothly on the chosen
surface. Slope style snowboarding competitions are mostly held at specially
built surfaces in mountain areas.

Alpine Snowboarding
In case of alpine snowboarding, the sport takes place in a hard packed
snowed surface. Also called as carving, here the players have to mostly focus
on carving blinked turns similar to surfing and skiing. Here the players wear
hard plastic boots and then place the board below their feet with the front
toe being in line with the snowboard tip.
The snowboard used in alpine snowboarding is narrower in comparison to the
snowboards of other variants. Here the players tilt the snowboard high on the
edge while leaning in turns till his/her hand touches the snow, which is known
as carving. Carving is helpful in maintaining the speed as well as proper
balance in case of alpine. Speed is a major plus in this variant and there is
very less or zero jumping throughout the race.

Snowboard Racing
In case of freestyle and alpine, the scoring is based on the efficiency and
smoothness of the tricks performed by the rider. In case of snowboard racing,
players race against each other on a narrow snow filled surface having turns.
The players perform different tricks such as jumps, berms, roller, steep etc.
in order to stay in control while racing. One of the major forms of snowboard
racing is called snowboard cross.

In case of snowboard cross competition, there are two rounds which are time
trial round and knock out round. In case of knock out round, a certain number
of players qualify for the next round while other players are eliminated from
the race. Once the knock down round is over, it is followed by the time trial
round where players either ride alone on a singular track or parallel adjacent
tracks. In this round, the player to complete the race in fastest time is
declared winner.

Snowboarding - Tricks
Based on the variant and surface used, different tricks are performed by the
players in case of snowboarding competitions. More the degree of difficulty
of the trick, more score will be given based on the smoothness of the
execution of the trick. Most of the snowboarding tricks are very much similar
to that of skateboarding. Some of the tricks are as follows −

Straight Air Tricks

The straight air tricks are as follows −

 Ollie − Ollie is considered as one of the basic tricks where the rider has to jump
with the snowboard sticking to his/her shoes. While jumping upward, the player
needs to push the back tail of the board with his/her back foot by striking it
against the surface which will raise the front part of the board known as popping.
While on air, the player needs to use his front leg to guide the board or balance
 the board by pushing it using the front leg which will make it parallel to the ground
and then land safely.

 Nollie − The reverse to ollie is called nollie or nose ollie where the player has to
use his front foot to pop the board while using his back foot to control and guide
the board in air to land safely.

 Switch Ollie − In case of switch ollie, the player has to perform an ollie while
switching his position on the snowboard reverse his both feet positions.

 Fakie Ollie − In case of fakie ollie, first the player has to perform ollie and while
performing ollie, he has to switch his foot position. At the same time he/she has
to spring off the board in direction of his switch.

 Air to Fakie − This trick is mostly performed on a half-pipe surface where first
the player moves on the half pipe surface and once he is in vertical position, he
needs to re-enter the surface while performing a fakie without any switch.

Grab Tricks
The grab tricks are as follows −

 Indy Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to bend down on
the board and grab the toe edge of the board between his / her two legs or mostly
 the middle edge of the board using his/her back hand at that moment. Before
landing, he/she has to leave the board.

 Frontside Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to bend down
on the board and grab the toe edge between the binding of the board using
his/her trailing hand at that moment. Before landing, he has to leave the board.

 Tail Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to hold the tail of the
snowboard using his/her trailing hand. It can be achieved by pushing the board
using the front leg while bending down the back leg in airborne stage.

 One-Two − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab the heel edge
behind his back foot using front hand.

 Bloody Dracula − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab the tail
of the snowboard using both hands.

 Mute Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to bend down on
the board and grab the toe edge of the board between his two legs. He also has
to grab the the middle edge of the board using his front hand at that moment.

 Cannonball − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab both the
nose as well as the tail of the board.

 Chicken Salad − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab the heel
edge of the board using his/her front hand which should be between the two legs.

 Gorilla Grab − In this trick, when a player is the air, he has to hold the toe side
edge of the board using both of his/ her hand.

 Nose Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to hold the nose of
the snowboard using his/her front hand. It can be achieved by pushing the board
using the back leg while bending down the front leg while being in air.

 Rocket Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to hold the nose
of the snowboard using both hands. Here while the rear leg stays boned, the front
leg gets pulled up.

 Melon Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab the heel
edge between the bindings using his front hand.
  Method Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to bend his knees
to lift the board at his back side and then he has to grab the heel edge of the
board using his front hand.

 Stalefish Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to hold the
backside heel edge of the snowboard between the bindings using the back hand.

 Roasted Beef Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab the
heel edge through his legs using his back hand.

 Mute Grab − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he has to grab the toe edge
through his legs using his front hand.

Flipping Tricks
The flipping tricks are as follows −

 Back Flip − In this trick, when a player is in the air he flips in backward direction.

 Front Flip − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he makes a flip in forward
direction.
  Wild Cat − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he flips in backward direction
with an axis of rotation in a cartwheel-like fashion.

 Tame dog − In this trick, when a player is in the air, he flips in forward direction
with an axis of rotation in a cartwheel-like fashion.

 Crippler − Crippler is mostly performed in case of a halfpipe surface. Here once

touching the front wall and being in air, the player has to make an inverted 540
degree spin before landing.

Snowboarding − Scoring
In case of snowboarding competition, the rules vary based on different
categories. In case of free style or jibbing, the players perform different tricks
over the surfaces. The score depends on the degree of difficulty of those
tricks performed, efficiency in performing tricks as well as on creativity. The
players have to gain more score to win the sport. In case of alpine
snowboarding, the first player to complete the race wins the sport.

Snowboarding - Rules
Since snowboarding is an extreme sport, accidents and injuries are pretty
much likely to happen in it. Mostly in case of Alpine snowboarding, the injury
rate is much higher than that of other snowboarding categories.

In order to avoid injuries players are strongly recommended to use different

protective equipment like wrist guard and gloves for wrists, helmets to avoid
head injuries, locked bindings to avoid knee as well as lower body injuries.
Back protection guards that are used during a race during a race to prevent
spine and back injuries are a mandatory requirement during the race.
Snowboarders are prohibited from obstructing or preventing other
snowboarders during a race which might result in fatal accidents. Players are
also prohibited from going outside the boundary lines during a race. During
a race, even false starts are discouraged by awarding disquallification.

Snowboarding - Champions
The International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) works as the international
governing body for snowboarding worldwide. It was founded by five nations
and 120 racers in 1990. International Snowboarding Federation works as the
international governing body for winter sports worldwide and is recognized
as the official governing body of snowboarding by the Olympic committee.
Some of the major snowboarding events organized worldwide are as follows
−

 FIS Snowboard World Cup

 FIS Snowboarding World Championships

 Winter X Games

 Winter Dew Tour

Let us now discuss briefly about some of the champions who have made their
mark in Snowboarding.
Shaun Roger White

Shaun Roger White is from San Diego, California, U.S who is considered as
one of the best snowboarders of present era.

He has won two golds at the Olympic Games in the year 2006 and 2010 in
halfpipe category.

He also holds the record of winning maximum number of medals at the X

Games which includes 13 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes.

He also holds the record for the highest score in the men's halfpipe at the
Winter Olympics.

Terje Håkonsen

Terje Håkonsen is from Vinje, Norway and is considered as the most

influential snowboarder of all time. He has won three golds in the
International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) World Championship in halfpipe
in 1993, 1995 and 1997 and also has won the European Championship in
halfpipe in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997.
He has won the US Open Halfpipe three times in the year 1992, 1993 and
1995 and the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom seven times in 1995, 1996, 1998,
2000, 2003, 2004 and 2012.

He is still active in the sport and occasionally takes part in competitions.

Danny Kass

Danny Kass is from New Jersey, United States and is a professional

snowboarder. He has won two silvers at the Olympic Games in the year 2002
and 2006 in halfpipe category.

He also has won one gold and two silvers in halfpipe category, two silvers in
slopestyle category, and one bronze in superpipe category at the X Games.

Presently, along with his brother, he has opened Grenade Gloves, which
specializes in snowboarding gloves and other extreme sports accessories.

Seth Benjamin Wescott

Seth Benjamin Wescott is from Durham, North Carolina and is a professional
snowboarder. He has won two golds at the Olympic Games in the year 2006
and 2010 in snowboard cross discipline.

He also has won one gold in 2005 and three silvers in 2003, 2007, and 2011
at the Snowboarding World Championship in snowboard cross discipline.

He also has won one bronze in 2007 and three silvers in 2004, 2005, and
2010 at the Winter X Games in snowboard cross discipline.

Torah Jane Bright

Torah Jane Bright is from Cooma, New South Wales and is a professional
snowboarder and Australia's most successful Winter Olympics athlete.

She has won one gold and one silver at the Olympic Games in the year 2010
and 2014 in halfpipe category.

She also has won two golds in 2007 and 2009, two silvers in 2006 and 2008,
and one bronze in 2015 at the Winter X Games in superpipe discipline. She
also has won one bronze at the Snowboarding World Championship in the
year 2013.

Hannah Teter
Hannah Teter is from Belmont, Vermont, U.S. and is a professional
snowboarder. She has won one gold and one silver at the Olympic Games in
the year 2006 and 2010 in halfpipe category.

She also has won one gold in 2003 and five bronzes in 2004, 2005, 2009,
2010, 2012 in superpipe category and one bronze in dual slalom category in
2016 at the Winter X Games. She also has won one bronze at the
Snowboarding World Championship in 2005.

Dominique Maltais

Dominique Maltais is from Petite-Rivière-Saint- François, Quebec and is a

professional snowboarder. She has won one bronze and one silver at the
Olympic Games in the year 2006 and 2014 respectively in snowboard cross
category.

She also has won one gold and one silver at the Winter X Games in the year
2012 and 2015 respectively in snowboard cross category.

She also has won one bronze and one silver at the FIS Snowboarding World
Championships in the year 2011 and 2013 respectively.

Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark is from Dover, Vermont, U.S. and is a professional snowboarder.
She has won one gold in 2002 and two bronzes in 2010 and 2014 at the
Olympic Games in halfpipe category.

She also has won five golds, four silvers, and one bronze at the Winter X
Games in superpipe category.

She also has won one gold and three silvers at the Winter Dew Tour in
superpipe discipline and one gold in New Zealand Winter Games in the year
2013 in halfpipe discipline.

Gretchen Elisabeth Bleiler

Gretchen Elisabeth Bleiler is from Toledo, Ohio and is a professional

snowboarder. She has won one silver at the Olympic Games in the year 2006
in halfpipe category.

She also has won four golds in 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2010 and one silver in
2007 at the Winter X Games in superpipe category.

She also has won two golds at the Winter Dew Tour in the year 2008 and
2009 in superpipe discipline and one bronze in New Zealand Winter Games
in the year 2013 in halfpipe discipline.