December 30, 2010
Dr. Mark Clayson asked:
Snowboarding, simply put, is sliding through snow using a board. This fast growing winter sport is already a rage with about 7 million people currently involved or interested in it and its ever growing popularity is only attracting more and more newcomers. Having made it into the Olympic sports in 1998 where snowboarding turned into an enormous success, this sport has never looked back. Considered to be a relatively easy sport to learn the number of snowboarding “beginners” is on the rise.
Snowboarding beginners, as in any other sport, are advised to sign up for a formal training session as this would cut down their learning curve and make them more confident of mastering the sport. The first step associated with the sport is to purchase (or loan) comfortable and correct clothing as it puts the person in the right frame of mind and is protective of safety. On this front it is advised to get into a loose fitting suit with goggles and gloves. Protection gear in the form of wristbands and a helmet is a must.
Picking up the right snowboard is critical and it should of the right length and width. The most popular styles of snowboarding are freestyle and freeride, the category in which the beginner wants to gain hold determines the type of snowboard to be picked and manufactures cater to both types.
Fixing the bindings is next and to do this correctly requires practice. For strap bindings, toe and ankle are to be strapped until they are comfortable and for step-in bindings it is first required to step in and roll the foot around to ensure that the bindings are safe and sound. Binding front foot first and then repeated with the back foot. To cross check if the bindings are in place it is advised to make a few quick jumps and see that they are not disturbed.
Snowboarding, simply put, is sliding through snow using a board. This fast growing winter sport is already a rage with about 7 million people currently involved or interested in it and its ever growing popularity is only attracting more and more newcomers. Having made it into the Olympic sports in 1998 where snowboarding turned into an enormous success, this sport has never looked back. Considered to be a relatively easy sport to learn the number of snowboarding “beginners” is on the rise.
Snowboarding beginners, as in any other sport, are advised to sign up for a formal training session as this would cut down their learning curve and make them more confident of mastering the sport. The first step associated with the sport is to purchase (or loan) comfortable and correct clothing as it puts the person in the right frame of mind and is protective of safety. On this front it is advised to get into a loose fitting suit with goggles and gloves. Protection gear in the form of wristbands and a helmet is a must.
Picking up the right snowboard is critical and it should of the right length and width. The most popular styles of snowboarding are freestyle and freeride, the category in which the beginner wants to gain hold determines the type of snowboard to be picked and manufactures cater to both types.
Fixing the bindings is next and to do this correctly requires practice. For strap bindings, toe and ankle are to be strapped until they are comfortable and for step-in bindings it is first required to step in and roll the foot around to ensure that the bindings are safe and sound. Binding front foot first and then repeated with the back foot. To cross check if the bindings are in place it is advised to make a few quick jumps and see that they are not disturbed.
Filed under Recreation And Sports by on Dec 30th, 2010. Comment. 
December 31, 2010
Michael Millbank asked:
Snowboarding is an exciting fast paced sport that can take several forms. You can race down the hills or mountains maneuvering quickly or glide and slide down in a rough free style. Snowboarding itself is loosely based on other similar sports like surfing, skateboarding and skiing. Developed just prior to the 1980′s it became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.
Initially, there was a little animosity between skiers and snowboarders, but over time as the popularity of snowboarding has increased this has been resolved. In most resorts where you find skiing you will also have access to snowboarding at least in one form or another.
Free ride snowboarding is the most common style of the sport. This is in part to its versatility since any terrain available will do. You can do tricks where you catch as much ‘air’ as possible in the jump then do tricks. You can jib, which is, in fact a method of sliding or gliding down rails or other terrain obstacles, however this is done far less than in other styles like free style. It is during free ride snowboarding that the sport shows its relationship with surfing the most. Just as you might see a surfer glide down a wave doing tricks on the board this closely resembles the power of free ride snowboarding.
In free style there may or not be a hill or mountain, but there is grace as the participants find ways to utilize man made terrain features to perform jibs and glides. These features can be anything from jumps, boxes, rails, to any object a track designer can dream up. Jibs and glides refer to how the rider will build power and speed then slide across objects for either a short or long duration frequently performing some other physical stunt while doing so.
The boxes used are objects used that have highly polished surface that allows the rider move very easily. Naturally, this also means that while on the box, rail or other object the rider has no traction so the snowboarder will need to be extremely skilled.
Free style can also be done in half pipe, which is a type of man-made trench-link ditch made of snow. Tricks done in the half pipe are customarily done as the rider moves from one side of the pipe to the other. Free style unlike free ride snowboarding has a look that puts most spectators in mind of skateboarding.
Since there is so much need for balance in free style a soft boot with a very flexible board is the one preferred. Free style riders also prefer shorter boarders and sometimes even file down the edges. The shorter length gives them the ability to make quick moves, change direction and rotate the board faster than with a regular board. Free style takes a lot of practice, but participants who love this activity do not complain much.
Both these styles are part of a fast growing intensely popular sport in which the practice necessary to become a better rider is the fun part.
Snowboarding is an exciting fast paced sport that can take several forms. You can race down the hills or mountains maneuvering quickly or glide and slide down in a rough free style. Snowboarding itself is loosely based on other similar sports like surfing, skateboarding and skiing. Developed just prior to the 1980′s it became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.
Initially, there was a little animosity between skiers and snowboarders, but over time as the popularity of snowboarding has increased this has been resolved. In most resorts where you find skiing you will also have access to snowboarding at least in one form or another.
Free ride snowboarding is the most common style of the sport. This is in part to its versatility since any terrain available will do. You can do tricks where you catch as much ‘air’ as possible in the jump then do tricks. You can jib, which is, in fact a method of sliding or gliding down rails or other terrain obstacles, however this is done far less than in other styles like free style. It is during free ride snowboarding that the sport shows its relationship with surfing the most. Just as you might see a surfer glide down a wave doing tricks on the board this closely resembles the power of free ride snowboarding.
In free style there may or not be a hill or mountain, but there is grace as the participants find ways to utilize man made terrain features to perform jibs and glides. These features can be anything from jumps, boxes, rails, to any object a track designer can dream up. Jibs and glides refer to how the rider will build power and speed then slide across objects for either a short or long duration frequently performing some other physical stunt while doing so.
The boxes used are objects used that have highly polished surface that allows the rider move very easily. Naturally, this also means that while on the box, rail or other object the rider has no traction so the snowboarder will need to be extremely skilled.
Free style can also be done in half pipe, which is a type of man-made trench-link ditch made of snow. Tricks done in the half pipe are customarily done as the rider moves from one side of the pipe to the other. Free style unlike free ride snowboarding has a look that puts most spectators in mind of skateboarding.
Since there is so much need for balance in free style a soft boot with a very flexible board is the one preferred. Free style riders also prefer shorter boarders and sometimes even file down the edges. The shorter length gives them the ability to make quick moves, change direction and rotate the board faster than with a regular board. Free style takes a lot of practice, but participants who love this activity do not complain much.
Both these styles are part of a fast growing intensely popular sport in which the practice necessary to become a better rider is the fun part.
Filed under Recreation And Sports by on Dec 31st, 2010. Comment.