Isn't Snowboarding a Little Extreme?

Is snowboarding an "extreme sport?"

Think about it this way: Is driving a car a sport, extreme or otherwise? It depends. Are you driving a Honda Accord down a suburban street, or are you driving a Formula 1 car through the streets?

Got the picture? It all depends on what you're doing with the equipment.

If you're cruising down groomed blue trails, that's not extreme. If you're riding off cliffs and dropping 50 feet, that's extreme.

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "extreme" as "of, relating to, or being an outdoor activity or a form of a sport (as skiing) that involves an unusually high degree of physical risk."

Writing in the Tampa Tribune, Eric E. Coris, M.D., wonders if today's kids are a little too interested in extreme sports. "What," he asks, "is this infatuation with going faster, higher and more dangerously than ever before?"

Participation in traditional sports such as baseball and basketball are down; participation in skateboarding and snowboarding is up. ("Snowboarding now claims 7.2 million participants, up 51 percent from 1999," he says.)

Dr. Coris, who serves on the faculty of the University of South Florida, has stitched up patients after skateboarding accidents, asks if it has all gotten out of hand.

His response? No.

"Extreme sports offer an opportunity to challenge and express yourself. There exists an air of cooperation, without specific winning and losing that may help some children's development of self-esteem. There is little organization into teams or leagues, and no overzealous parents screaming at their kids through the backstop fence."

Another reason: injury rates for most so-called extreme sports are low.

Sensibly enough, the good doctor, who describes himself as "a very bad snowboarder" and "a slightly better downhill skier," advises helmet use.

("Are Extreme Sports a Good Thing?, Tampa Tribune, May 9, 2008)

Shopping Notes: Sierra Snowboard

If you will need or want a new snowboard, bindings, or boots for next season, this might be a good time to go shopping. You can save a lot of money off retail.

One place that may be worthwhile is Sierra Snowboard. I've never bought anything from them, but their site has several features that could be useful. There are user forums, a Wiki, a chat, and helpful videos, to start with.

There are many places where you can buy snowboards, so look around.

3-D Ski Maps

Do you like to study the landscape of a ski area before you visit? Looking at the trail map and reading descriptions (online sites, guidebooks, etc.) can help.

But maps are flat, and sliding on the snow requires, by definition, ground that is not flat.

At least one company, 3D Ski Maps, offers color-coded maps for a a number of mountains in North America. These include Squaw Valley, Aspen Highlands and Ajax; Vail and Beaver Creek; SugarLoaf USA, and Okemo.

You can look at static maps or Java-enabled ones that let you you rotate, scan and pan the map. The Java maps take a bit of work to maneuver, however.

Though the selection is limited, the site is worth a visit.

Montezuma Bowl Expansion Causes Parking Troubles at A-Basin

Arapahoe Basin expanded their terrain this season with the Montezuma Bowl. According to the Summit Daily News, success causes problems:

A-Basin is headed for a record skier-visit season, said spokesperson Leigh Hierholzer. March was a record month for A-the ski area in terms of skier numbers, she said.

There have already been several weekends this season when the available parking at A-Basin filled up completely, leading to traffic backups on Highway 6. Historically, the parking crunch peaks in the spring when the rest of Summit County's ski areas close down.

In the works are plans for a new parking lot to add more parking space, a pedestrian tunnel to go under US 6, and a shuttle service to nearby Keystone.

Later Opening Date, Later Closing Time

Since we're in the days when just a few lift-served areas are open, I'm sympathetic to the argument advanced by Scott Willoughby in today's Denver Post.

He notes that most ski areas in Colorado are now closed, despite having record snowfall. For example, "Despite ample remains of the second-snowiest winter of all time in Vail and the deepest ever next door at Beaver Creek, those two areas are shut down until summer, with resort officials citing a lack of staff and interest to keep lifts running even on weekends."

I suppose if you've had the opportunity to ride and ski all winter, and especially if you live within driving distance of the mountains, you're going to say after a while "No, I think I'll go golfing today," no matter how much snow is left on the mountains. For you see, feeble customer demand closes many lifts before lack of snow cover does. For those of us who travel to the mountains for a visit, that is an especially sad state of affairs.

Though he may be--to toss in a summer metaphor--swimming upstream, he suggests that ski areas address their staffing problems by starting their seasons later, and running the lifts later in the spring.

"If," he says, "the large ski resorts are in such a bind to find even a skeleton crew to man the mountains while there still is so much snow on the slopes, they should consider providing what most ski resort employees seek in the first place — more skiing, not less."

The problem, he says, is that the calendar is out of whack.

"Ultimately, it amounts to timing, and a bit more flexibility on the corporate skiing front. As it now stands, the big-league resorts are all about opening days surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday — when snow is unreliable at best. It makes more sense to push the opener back into December — as Mother Nature forced many to do this season — and target a conditions-warranted closing date for at least a few lifts of, say, Cinco de Mayo, that will send employees off to mud season in Mexico with a bona fide fiesta. If the snow arrives early, skiers and staff will only be champing at the bit."

I detect an anti-corporate feel to the article, which highlights the love/hate relationship that is easy for riders and skiers to have: deep pockets such as Intrawest and Vail Resorts install plenty of high-speed lifts to get us to the top of the mountains, but the accounting department rules the roost: not enough profit? Shut down the lifts.

Should there be a calendar shift? I'd like to see it. But unless "the market"--that is, the collective decisions of millions of riders and skiers--expresses an interest and more importantly buys the late-season tickets that are available, it won't happen.

Late Season Riding

Think it's too late in the year to go snowboarding? Not if you know where to look.

As of today, 38 ski areas tracked by the site Snocountry.com are still open.

A good number of those are in Europe, but in North America, riders still have 14 choices for riding, ranging from Sugarloaf in Maine to Whistler in British Columbia.



I haven't checked the anticipated closing dates of each of these areas, but do your homework and you should find somewhere to ride for at least another month. Granted, spring conditions require a different attitude and challenge your skills in ways that, say, late January snow does not. But late-season riding is another way to grow as a snowboarder.

An Incredible Descent

Think you're been on some steep slopes?

Terje Haakonsen, a legendary snowboarder, puts the "extreme" into "extreme sports." Here's a 3-minute clip of him riding down an ultra-steep slope in Alaska. Click and be amazed.

Snowboarding in Japan

With my own riding in the Midwest over, it's time to travel to other places for some snowboarding. And if that doesn't pan out, at least think about snowboarding somewhere else.

That somewhere else lately has been Japan. No, I've never been there, but it offers riders plenty of opportunities. Lots of resorts. Lots of snow. And lots of options.

So where do you start reading about what's out there? One place is Snow Japan. It's a hobby site that has grown a lot over the years, with forums, maps and other features I have yet to explore.

Snowboarding and Golf in the Same Day

This year I didn't get the chance to snowboard and golf in the same day. But one ski area in Pennsylvania offered customers the chance to do both.

Larry Walsh wrote for the Pittsburgh Press-Gazette on April 4:

Hidden Valley and Seven Springs are offering snow sports and golf at reduced rates today and tomorrow. Guests can hit the slopes in the morning and the links in the afternoon. [snip]

A round of golf at Seven Springs 18 hole, par 71 public course will cost $32 this weekend, including cart. Skiers and snowboarders who present their lift ticket or season pass will receive a $10 discount for the 6,560 yard course.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to experience great skiing, snowboarding and golf on the same day or the same weekend," said Dick Barron, the resort's director of ski and snowboard operations.

Sounds good to me!

Ski Museums and the History of Snowboarding

Some chip-on-my-shoulders snowboard riders don't like to be lumped in with skiers. Even so, snowboarding is a cousin of skiing, which has a much longer history than snowboarding. A few museums around the country keep track of that history.

These museums include the New England Ski Museum, the Colorado Ski [and Snowboard!] Museum, the Mammoth Ski Museum, and the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, which is, can you guess? Ishpeming, Michigan.

There's a new page on ski museums on the GraysOnTrays web site. At this point it doesn't have much more than some commentary on the sites listed above, but there may be more in the future.