So what's the attraction with snowboarding?

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 599, 15 August 1995, Page 7 (Supplement)

So what's the attraction with snowboarding?

Not quite the radical fringe-sport it once was, snowboarding is attracting ever-increasing hordes of new participants with each passing season. Some people are into the principle of only having to control one piece of equipment (snowboard) rather than four (skis plus poles); some are attracted by the freedom offered by soft boots; some want a change frorn skiing; some just want to try it because it looks like a whole bunch of fun; and of course there are the fashion victims for whom the fat pants, dreadlocks, goatees, and wraparound sunnies hold the most appeal. But there' s more to this sport than first meets the eye. Just like skiing, several different "disciplines" or sub-sects have evolved within snowboarding: Freestylers or "jibbers" They are the fat-pants brigade who wear soft boots and bindings and ride shorter, wider boards. The boards are often identical front and back to enable easy transitions to and from "fakie" (riding backwards). Freestylers tend to stand with a wide stance, with their feet perpendicular to the edge of the board. These are the people you'll see in groups (the 'seal colony') above a hit (jump) egging each other on to go bigger, fatter, and trickier. This is probably the largest segment within snowboarding, and is heavily influenced by the American scene. Most freestylers come from backgrounds in sports like skateboarding, surfing, and bmx. Alpiners This is a much smaller group which is mainly comprised of ex-skiers. The most noticeable difference is the equip-

ment, much of which has a strong European influence. The boots have hard shells like ski boots, and the boards are longer, narrower, and stiffer, with "plate" bindings. The narrower stance and more extreme foot angle, combine to position the rider facing towards the nose of the board. Alpine equipment is designed with hard-packed snow in mind, making off-trail riding in soft snow difficult. This type of riding is ideally suited to the harder snow conditions "enjoyed" in the North Island. Freeriders These are the "soul surfers" of snowboarding, and are often the "old-schoolers" who pioneered the sport. Equipment for this type of riding is basically a compromise between freestyle and alpine, to enable the entire mountain to be ridden. Hard boots are used by some freeriders, but the majority will be "softies". Boards tend to be relatively

long and stiff, although not as stiff as alpine boards. The emphasis with freeriding is on 'big' as opposedto 'technical' — big airs, big turns, big speed. While there is good-natured ribbing between advocates of these different sub-sects within snowboarding, a good snowboarder will be able to rip on any type of set-up. This is not as easy as many would think. Whatever the reasons for it's popularity, snowboarding has grown to such an extent that it is to be included in the next Winter Olympics in 1998, and is predicted to have a 30 per cent share of the ski market by the year 2000. This prediction could even be conservative, considering the high ratio of snowboarders to skiers already witnessed this season. So what are you waiting for? Strap on a board and go with the flow. i —