Snowboarding - Skiboarding

Info and trivia

Snowboarding is a boardsport which involves descending a snow covered slope on a snowboard attached to one's feet. It is similar to skiing, but inspired by surfing and skate boarding. The sport was developed in the US in the 1960s and 1970s and became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.

Skiboarding is a winter sport which combines elements of skating, snowboarding, and skiing. Skiboards are generally 80-100 centimeters long, symmetrical, twin tipped, and wider than traditional skis. In addition, they generally have non release bindings, very similar to snowboard hard-boot bindings. However, skiboards are now on the market which feature ski-like releasable bindings. The sport is often referred to as snowblading or skiblading, however, Snowblades are a trademark of Salomon.

Snowboard instruction from certified snowboard instructors is available at most ski resorts. Professional instruction is a good way to learn proper technique, safety policies, and resort rules. Beginning snowboarders, should consider taking a series of lessons. As students progress in ability they seek out specialized instruction in areas such as riding steeper slopes and through a wider variety of snow conditions, terrain park skills (jumps, rails, and pipes), mogul technique, powder riding, and racing.

A snowboard is a board ridden in snowboarding to descend a snow covered slope. It is often thought as a winter form of a surfboard or skateboard, except that the rider's feet are bound to the board with bindings. Snowboards generally have a length between 140-165cm, width of around 25 cm, and are constructed with a laminated wood core with a steel edge. A variety of snowboards exist to suit body types and riding preferences.

Snowboards come in several different styles, depending on the type of riding intended:

Racing/Alpine = long, narrow, rigid, hard boots, and directional shape. Best during machine groomed slopes.
Freeride = longer in length, soft boots, semi-directional. Used for fast-big-turn type of snowboarding.
Freestyle = Rigid, average in length, light, soft boots, twin-directional, deep sidecuts. Used in pipe and park.
Freestyle (rails)= flexible and short, soft boots, twin-directional. Used for skateboard like snow parks.
All-Mountain = A hybrd between freeride and freestyle boards that uses soft boots. All purpose board.
Swallow-Tail = Generally a wider board that has a split running down its tail. The split tail is designed to sink the tail lower then the nose. This is prefered in powder/ backcountry conditions. This is a niche board for use in powder.
Split = Not to be confused with the swallow-tail, the split board consists of a stable powder board that can be broken down into two touring skis,used when hiking in deep backcountry conditions.
Fish Shape = shorter, wider board with a tapered tail designed to eliminate leg fatigue in deep powder

Alpine snowboarding is a small niche of the sport of snowboarding. It is typically practiced with hard plastic shelled boots called "hardboots" and carving or race-oriented snowboards. Loosely, it is the pursuit of snowboarding mostly on the ground, in the forward direction, with the primary goal of making clean, smooth turns.

Skiboarding, like many small sports, has a very tight knit community. There are only a few companies which exclusively make skiboarding products. Companies that make only skiboarding products are called core companies. They are owned and operated by skiboarders ; make only skiboarding related products ; put their profits toward advancing skiboards and skiboarding. Because of the limited market in small sports like skiboarding, companies often don't make enough money to stay in business. Former core companies in skiboarding that are no longer in business include Groove, Journey, Lunch Lady Industries and Imperial.

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