too much fun, and became a way of life instead
Nobody knows for sure who first had the bright idea to strap themselves sideways to a sled/ski/lunch tray, but we do know that by the late sixties a kid’s toy called a Snurfer was attracting a following of adult enthusiasts in the USA. Over the next decade pioneers like Jake Burton, Dimitri Milovich and Tom Sims all contributed to the Snurfer’s evolution, and by the early eighties key elements such as steel edges, highback bindings and sidecut were in place. Soon, a rapid influx of skateboarders were strapping in and taking their skills to legendary spots like the Tahoe City Halfpipe, and freestyle was born.
Snowboarders quickly earned a reputation for hell-raising, skier-snowboarder tensions rose, and the ski establishment responded by banning it on many mountains. This of course made snowboarding more popular than ever, and through the eighties the sport spread like fluorescent pink wildfire across the globe.
Freestyle took a little longer to catch on here in Europe, where steeper mountains and riders coming from a ski background meant hard boots and bindings dominated for longer, which led to the Americans laughing at our ‘crazy Euro style’ for a while. By the start of the ‘90’s, it was our turn to laugh when a young Norwegian
kid called Terje Haakonsen came out of nowhere to completely re-define freestyle snowboarding, winning contests and inventing new tricks faster than anyone could count them.
As the nineties progressed, equipment evolved further, more resorts opened their doors to snowboarders, and boardercross joined halfpipe and dual slalom as the latest competition discipline. Meanwhile, filmmakers like Mike Hatchett and Mack Dawg were creating backcountry superstars, far away from the contest circuit. The sport was evolving fast, and as it did so, many riders became increasingly specialized in order to keep progressing.
When Halfpipe made its debut as an Olympic discipline in Nagano in 1998, it signaled a new era: snowboarding was finally accepted as a ‘real’ sport, operating under the control of the international ski federation (FIS). Meanwhile Terje, the number one contender for gold, refused to compete in a ski event, keeping the spirit of rebellion alive... nice.
By the turn of the millennium, snowboarding was officially the fastest growing sport in the US, and also one of the most dangerous: riding powder is so easy on a snowboard that riders with zero experience were heading off-piste and getting buried on a regular basis. On both sides of the Atlantic, resorts were climbing over each other to attract new business, while at the same time trying to keep this new business from dying in avalanches, or ruining Mr and Mrs Skier’s holiday with their bad language and ‘bad boy’ attitude. The answer was simple: build them a snowpark.
And that brings us nicely up to the present day, where every resort worth it’s salt has a snowpark, and slopestyle is the event of choice for the modern ripper.
| Snowboarding Trick : and How To Snowboarding | ||
| Snowboarding History | Getting to kow your snow park | |
| Setting up your snowboard | Snowboarding terminology | |
| How To Snowboard Grab and Tweak | ||
| Backside, Frontside, Mute | Stalefish, Nose Grab, Tail Grab | |
| Snowboarding : Trick Flat | ||
| How to Olies | How to Eurocarve, | |
| How to Frontside Butter 180 out | ||
| Snowboarding Trick : Straight Jump | ||
| How to : Frontside 180's, - Backside 180's | |
| How to Backflip | How to Boardslides | |
| How to : Backslide 360's - Frontside 360's | ||
| Snowboarding Trick : Jibs | ||
| How to 50-50 | How to Bomb Drops | |
| How to Boardslides | How to Rock to Fakie | |
| How to Frontside Boardslide | ||
| Snowboarding Trick : Half Pipe | ||
| How to Droping In | How to Frontside Air | |
| How to Layback Slash | How to Backside Air | |
| How to Frontside 360 | How to Air to Fakie | |
