Alpine riders use hard plastic snowboarding boots, which resemble ski boots, except that they tend to be less stiff in the ankles and have a shortened heel, to minimize hanging over the edge of the snowboard. They tend to angle their feet much more forward than other snowboarders, and so also ride narrower boards. Alpine boards are usually, but not always, longer and much stiffer than freeride boards, as the particular demands of carving usually require as much usable edge length as possible. The hard plastic boots stiffens the ankle joint up significantly, making it more difficult to make small ankle adjustments while making skid turns, but making the board much more stable and powerful at higher speeds and the much higher g-forces typically felt by an alpine snowboarder in carved turns.

An analogy made by some alpine enthusiasts is that freeride and freestyle snowboards are like dirt bikes, and alpine/carving snowboards are like road bikes. (Hence riding a freestyle snowboard on groomed slopes is like riding a dirtbike on a road track).

A common misconception is that alpine snowboarding necessitates riding very quickly or racing. In fact, the only real defining characteristic of alpine snowboarding is that alpine snowboarders turn often and very hard while engaging the board in a carve. Short slalom boards with very short sidecut radii, for example, are alpine boards but can only be carved at slow speeds.

Alpine snowboarding is significantly less popular than other kinds of snowboarding, especially in the United States.

Backcountry

This type of boarding started out with fresh powder-craving snowboarders who, most likely, didn't have the cash to spend at crowded upscale ski parks. In fact, before snowboarding was allowed at resorts, this was the only form of snowboarding; Jake Burton, one of the original pioneers of snowboarding, never even considered resorts; backcountry was what he envisioned as the future of snowboarding. Today, backcountry snowboarding is often for those who have enough to cash to afford trips to Alaska or the mountain ranges of the West, to ride outside resorts. Donning snowshoes or a split-board with skins, the backcountry snowboarder cuts a new path up the side of the mountain in search of the very best vistas and untouched snow. Some of those more cash-endowed riders can even hire snowcats or helicopters to take them where they want to go; this is known as catboarding or heliboarding respectively.

The split-board is exactly that, a snowboard cut right down the middle. When apart, the two halves can be used like cross-country skis to shuffle up the hill. At the top of the run, the halves are recombined, and the bindings rotated back into their sideways positions. Those that don't make use of the split-board will usually strap their board to their back and hike with snowshoes.

Snowboarders also use snowmobiles to ride in the backcountry. If the hill is too steep a snowmobile may not make it up the hill. Often snowboarders use snowmobiles to make jumps into the powder.

Safety is key when hiking and riding in the backcountry, especially after a fresh 'dump' of powder. Snow can be extremely unstable, often leading to avalanches. Backcountry riders are advised to take extreme caution in all conditions, to carry avalanche equipment including a probe, beacon, and shovel, and never to ride alone in the backcountry. Avalanche equipment can be purchased or rented at outdoor equipment stores. Courses in avalanche safety are also available.

Instruction

Snowboard instruction is available at almost every ski resort from certified snowboard instructors. Professional instruction is useful for learning proper technique and avoiding injury, as well as for learning other tangential information, such as mountain etiquette and general ski safety rules.

Snowboard lessons, as with ski lessons, are either group or private lessons. Group lessons are cheaper, and are taught by an instructor to a large group of students, and private lessons are either one-on-one or taught to a very small group of friends.

Typically, beginner snowboard lessons focus on very basic, common snowboarding skills, such as getting on and off the lift properly, skating with only one foot strapped in, sideslipping, and proper technique for falling, and later progress to linking turns, better edge control, and proper methods for dealing with bumps or choppy snow. As students progress in ability they are usually able to get more specialized instruction, in areas such as terrain park skills, mogul technique, off-piste riding, powder riding, or, more rarely, carving.

Safety

Wearing safety gear is highly recommended. The body parts most affected by injuries are the wrists, the tailbone and the head. Useful safety gear includes wrist guards, padded or protected snowboard pants and a helmet.

Padding can be useful on other body parts like hips, knees, spine and shoulders. Padding can be specialized for snowboarding, or it can cross sports. For example, knee pads used for volleyball can be useful for snowboarding. They can be useful for the many times that a snowboard rider may wish to rest on the knees, such as after coming to a stop.

General safety tips for winter sports, alpine conditions and skiing should also be respected.

Snowboarding vs skiing

There is a known culture clash between skiiers and snowboarders. Purist skiiers find snowboarding a less technical and primitive version of skiing. In exchange purist snowboarders often find skiing less exciting and to the tune of entertainment for senior citizens. Snowboarding's growing popularity combined with efforts from the Professional Ski Instructors Association (PSIA) which provides a certificate for snowboard instructors have furthered the sport into gaining credibility and respect among the ski community. As adults enter the sport and the early riders move through adulthood, the culture clash has shown significant signs of diminishing.

Videos and Movies

Snowboard videos have become a huge part of the sport. Each season, many different snowboard films are released, usually in September. Production companies work all year developing these videos.

On December 2, 2005, a feature film was released called "First Descent", which documented the history of the sport as well as its modern day stars.

New Developments

The combination of kiteboarding technology with snowboarding has led to the creation of a new sport, snowkiting. Using the pull of the wind, snowkiters are able to make massive jumps and travel uphill.

See also

• Alpine snowboarding
• Category:Snowboarders
• Skiing
• Skwal
• Monoskiing
• Boarder Cross
• Skateboarding
• Surfing
• Snowkiting

External links

• Snowboarding.com - Several interesting Howto's for Snowboarders
• Snowboard City - A snowboard trick tips site
• Transworld Snowboard History Timeline
• Snowboarding and Skiing Photo Gallery
• Alpine/carving information and equipment
• Slopestyle competitions
• Grays on Trays -Information about snowboarding for and by adults 30+ years old and up
• Freeriding.nl, an allround freeride sports including seasonal big mountain tour descriptions and videos

References

• Hart, Lowell (1997). The Snowboard Book: A Guide for All Boarders. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-32692-0de:Snowboarden