Snowboarding comes of age

[ski_resort_observer]

Interesting article in USA Today about where snowboarding came from and where it's at today.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/front.htm?POE=HFTABTRV

Couple of sound bites. Snowboarding now account for 1/3 of the resort visitors. The growth of the sport has flattend out since 2000.

One comment which I thought was interesting. Skiers want big mountains but when snowboarders go to Vail, Killington etc, many gravitate to the terrain parks so smaller mountains have alot of appeal for snowboarders.

I think Whaleback may be on to something.

 

[Strat]

Issues I have with this article:
1. "Big air." Please, no one's said big air since 1991, and even those who still do certainly don't define it as "When a snowboarder rides up the side of a halfpipe or jump and goes airborne."

2. I don't agree with the fact that snowboarders don't need big mountains. While this may be true for some, there is a large snowboarding faction (such as myself) that would rather have a long, powder-laden tree run than a freshly groomed terrain park. There's a whole other side to snowboarding than just getting "big air," and the media it seems often fails to realize that.

3. They forgot Mad River. 8) Yes, I'm a snowboarder, but I have a lot of respect for Mad River and the vibe that exists there.

 

[madskier6]

Interesting article. I disagree however with the following:

Bradley says the bulk of the people still skiing at resorts these days are "the people who fueled the ski boom in the '70s and early '80s, and that market is aging and leaving the sport."

The first part may be true but I don't think that many are leaving the sport. This also contradicts what they say later in the article that snowbaording has fueled an increase in skiing and developments in ski technology. They also say that there are lots of new young skiers on the mountain. 3 of my 4 children ski, only 1 boards.

Perhaps the omission of Mad River is becasue MRG is not a member of the National Ski Areas Association? I don't know the answer but the quote says that of their members only 3 don't allow boarders. In any event the article still should have mentioned MRG.

Anyway, just my $.02. Thanks for pointing out the article.

 

[Treeliner]

2. I don't agree with the fact that snowboarders don't need big mountains. While this may be true for some, there is a large snowboarding faction (such as myself) that would rather have a long, powder-laden tree run than a freshly groomed terrain park. There's a whole other side to snowboarding than just getting "big air," and the media it seems often fails to realize that.

Nicely put, I feel the same way.

 

[dmc]

2. I don't agree with the fact that snowboarders don't need big mountains. While this may be true for some, there is a large snowboarding faction (such as myself) that would rather have a long, powder-laden tree run than a freshly groomed terrain park. There's a whole other side to snowboarding than just getting "big air," and the media it seems often fails to realize that.

Nicely put, I feel the same way.

Indeed....
Freeriding is where it's at...
The bigger the mountain the better...
Big lines = good times!!!!

I'll hit the terrain park in late spring.. After the snow melts in the woods...

 

[catskills]

Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

I think the big question at this point is will Snowboarding continue to grow or will it slow down?

Right now twin tips skis are kicking the snowboarders buts with the kind of tricks that can be performed in the terain parks. Then you have the whole skiblade/snowblade trend. New skis like the Volkl Unlimited AC4s are wide and have an amazing turing radius for a wide ski. Ski technology in the last 3 years has changed at an incredible rate. Don't forget the Telemark freeheelers scene, which is kind of like a cult. Then you have the Alpine Touring technology which is a cross over from Telemark.

From what I hav seen personally, in 2001 and 2002 most/many teanagers seem to be on snowboards. Now in 2003 and 2004 I see a lot more teanagers on skis.

Given the extremely fast rate of technology change and diversity in snowsports, I don't think anyone can predict the future.

Just let it happen.

I do agree that their is a demographic large population between the ages of 26 and 60 that all marketing folks are going to have to deal with as that group ages out into nursing homes. Snow sports is just one industry of many that is going to have to deal with that problem.

 

[Strat]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

Right now twin tips skis are kicking the snowboarders buts with the kind of tricks that can be performed in the terain parks.

Uh, excuse me? This is incredibly far from the truth. Skiing wouldn't even have tricks if snowboarding hadn't come along, and snowboarding is ahead of the game in terms of progression. Just because skiers look all exciting with their poles flapping one way and their skis flapping another does not mean they're "kicking but."

 

[awf170]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

Uh, excuse me? This is incredibly far from the truth. Skiing wouldn't even have tricks if snowboarding hadn't come along, and snowboarding is ahead of the game in terms of progression. Just because skiers look all exciting with their poles flapping one way and their skis flapping another does not mean they're "kicking but."

Ya, you make a good point. I'm not sure about terrian park stuff, like who can do more spins and better tricks(partly because i dont care) but I do know that skiers can do sicker big mountain stuff... but the stuff snowboarders do isnt that far behind and is still totally nuts

ohh ya and "gnarly" def should have been on that word list :wink:

 

[Strat]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

Uh, excuse me? This is incredibly far from the truth. Skiing wouldn't even have tricks if snowboarding hadn't come along, and snowboarding is ahead of the game in terms of progression. Just because skiers look all exciting with their poles flapping one way and their skis flapping another does not mean they're "kicking but."

Ya, you make a good point. I'm not sure about terrian park stuff, like who can do more spins and better tricks(partly because i dont care) but I do know that skiers can do sicker big mountain stuff... but the stuff snowboarders do isnt that far behind and is still totally nuts

ohh ya and "gnarly" def should have been on that word list :wink:

I challenge you as well... what do you mean, sicker big mountain stuff?

 

[awf170]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

Uh, excuse me? This is incredibly far from the truth. Skiing wouldn't even have tricks if snowboarding hadn't come along, and snowboarding is ahead of the game in terms of progression. Just because skiers look all exciting with their poles flapping one way and their skis flapping another does not mean they're "kicking but."

Ya, you make a good point. I'm not sure about terrian park stuff, like who can do more spins and better tricks(partly because i dont care) but I do know that skiers can do sicker big mountain stuff... but the stuff snowboarders do isnt that far behind and is still totally nuts

ohh ya and "gnarly" def should have been on that word list :wink:

I challenge you as well... what do you mean, sicker big mountain stuff?

dropping cliffs, crazy chutes and other stuff like that... like ski movie stuff shot in AK, skiers are doing crazier lines than snowboarders

 

[Strat]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

Uh, excuse me? This is incredibly far from the truth. Skiing wouldn't even have tricks if snowboarding hadn't come along, and snowboarding is ahead of the game in terms of progression. Just because skiers look all exciting with their poles flapping one way and their skis flapping another does not mean they're "kicking but."

Ya, you make a good point. I'm not sure about terrian park stuff, like who can do more spins and better tricks(partly because i dont care) but I do know that skiers can do sicker big mountain stuff... but the stuff snowboarders do isnt that far behind and is still totally nuts

ohh ya and "gnarly" def should have been on that word list :wink:

I challenge you as well... what do you mean, sicker big mountain stuff?

dropping cliffs, crazy chutes and other stuff like that... like ski movie stuff shot in AK, skiers are doing crazier lines than snowboarders

Not true at all... you just don't have enough exposure to the snowboarding world. Watch any quality snowboard movie with AK footage and you'll see some lines that are equal to if not crazier than the skiers' lines that you mention...

 

[Geoff]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

Right now twin tips skis are kicking the snowboarders buts with the kind of tricks that can be performed in the terain parks.

Uh, excuse me? This is incredibly far from the truth. Skiing wouldn't even have tricks if snowboarding hadn't come along, and snowboarding is ahead of the game in terms of progression. Just because skiers look all exciting with their poles flapping one way and their skis flapping another does not mean they're "kicking but."

This is a huge pile.

When Stein Eriksen used to work at Sugarbush as ski school director in the 1960's, he used to do flips on 220 GS boards every weekend as part of his ski demonstration. You probably weren't born yet.

I think terrain parks and half pipes are a great thing. It keeps people who would typically be side-slipping all the snow off the terrain I ski away.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Re: Will Snowboarding Continue to Grow

When Stein Eriksen used to work at Sugarbush as ski school director in the 1960's, he used to do flips on 220 GS boards every weekend as part of his ski demonstration. You probably weren't born yet.

.

When I was a kid my brother and I never missed the Vermont Ski Report on WCAX every Thursday night. The intro to the show was Stein doing his flip. I am sure others around the ski world were doing flips but stein's was the one we saw on a weekly basis.

I think both riders and skiers do jaw dropping amazing runs on those movies. It's incredibly silly to say one does gnarlier lines than the other.

 

[Strat]

Well unfortunately I've inadvertently ignited the old skier-snowboarder debate... no, Geoff, I wasn't born when Stein was flipping and whatnot, but skiing as a sport owes a lot to snowboarding for modernizing it and bringing in the whole new wave of "twin-tippers" who do such crazy things in the terrain parks and the half pipes... otherwise people would still be flipping over their 220 GS skis... of course, snowboarding owes a lot to skiing, for obviously creating all these nice trails and resorts and things... It's sort of a symbiotic relationship, you know? I just think it's wrong to be saying to one does better tricks than the other, one does "crazier" big-mountain descents better... both are pushing the limits of "extreme" in both generes...

 

[dmc]

Snowboarding and skiing offer different thngs...
Both really fun!

Stien may've done flips in the 60's - but Mosely pulled the grab in the olympics..
And many people attribute new school tricks on skis to snowboarding...

I repect all who ride big mountains... Skis, board, telemark.... Each form brings something different to the table...

 

[snowmaker4191]

Issues I have with this article:
1. "Big air." Please, no one's said big air since 1991, and even those who still do certainly don't define it as "When a snowboarder rides up the side of a halfpipe or jump and goes airborne."

2. I don't agree with the fact that snowboarders don't need big mountains. While this may be true for some, there is a large snowboarding faction (such as myself) that would rather have a long, powder-laden tree run than a freshly groomed terrain park. There's a whole other side to snowboarding than just getting "big air," and the media it seems often fails to realize that.

3. They forgot Mad River. 8) Yes, I'm a snowboarder, but I have a lot of respect for Mad River and the vibe that exists there.

AMEN! :beer:

 

[catskills]

Correction

It looks like my words were a tad strong and kicked off the whole ski versus snowboard debate.

Ok let me change my statement from

Right now twin tips skis are kicking the snowboarders buts with the kind of tricks that can be performed in the terain parks.

to

Right now twin tips skiers are equally competitive with snowboarders.

Does this help cool things a bit?

 

[dmc]

Re: Correction

Right now twin tips skiers are equally competitive with snowboarders.

Does this help cool things a bit?

I think twintip skiers are great in the 1/4 pipe.. But boards still rule the 1/2 pipe...

 

[awf170]

Re: Correction

Right now twin tips skiers are equally competitive with snowboarders.

Does this help cool things a bit?

I think twintip skiers are great in the 1/4 pipe.. But boards still rule the 1/2 pipe...

ya, they is defiantly something arkward about going back up a half pipe wall and taking off backwards, or having to switch to forwards in the middle of the pipe. Skis just dont really seem right for the halfpipe...

 

[Strat]

Re: Correction

It looks like my words were a tad strong and kicked off the whole ski versus snowboard debate.

Ok let me change my statement from

Right now twin tips skis are kicking the snowboarders buts with the kind of tricks that can be performed in the terain parks.

to

Right now twin tips skiers are equally competitive with snowboarders.

Does this help cool things a bit?

Yes, quite a bit. 8)