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Monday, May 05, 2008

Snowboarding Jumps

Snowboarding Jumps

Why Everyone Loves The Sport Of Freestyle Snowboarding

By Gregg Hall
Freestyle snowboarding has grown in popularity over the last several years. Those that enjoy the sport enjoy many sports, and not just winter sports but sports of many seasons. Freestyle may be so popular because it combines skateboarding, surfing, and windsurfing. In this way it combines fans of all those sports as well. Many thrill seekers love to defy gravity and moving at top speeds and both of these things make this sport a huge success.

There are different freestyle categories:

Half pipe: this looks like a very large tube with the top cut off. It must be built on a hill and the snowboarder sails down through the half pipe. The athlete sails from one side to the other and from one end down to the other. As the athlete sails from side to side they jump at each side performing various tricks at the end of each side. They are scored based on difficulty of the jump, turns, flips, spins, etc.

Jump Contest: The athlete starts at the top of the hill, speeds down, and at the end there is a slope where the snowboarder jumps off the end and does a variety of spins, flips, and rotations being graded on difficulty etc. yet again.

Power Snow Driving: This may well be the favorite of those that enjoy freestyle because they start at the top of the steep hill that is covered in powdered snow and speed down carving your way down as fast as you can. This includes all the possible little jumps, curves, and turns along the way. The path, in essence is yours to choose.

Boarder Cross: Four or five snowboarders start at the top of this steep hill and there are a variety of ramps, jumps, turns, and other obstacles set up across the way for them to maneuver along the way. The first one across the finish line wins.

There are glaciers in France that freestyle snowboarders love to tackle with vertical drops and trails. The trails extend over three slopes with vertical drops. The 3,300 meter altitude help make it quite a buzz for these thrill seekers. They will spend from sun up until sun down on the glacier.

When watching the freestyle snowboarding on the Olympics have you ever been confused by what the announcer has been saying? The next time you watch maybe the following list of terms will help you understand:

Air: This happens when the snowboarder leaves the ground; usually it is combined with a trick or two as well.

Carve: When the snowboarders uses the edge of the snowboard to make a turn.

Bonk: Usually when the snowboarder rides over an object and they will usually slap the object when doing so as well.

Duck Stance: Describes the position of the snowboarder's feet on the board.

Edges: The metal strips on the sides of the snowboard. These cut into the snow and control the board to do turns, carve, or to a stop.

Fakie: This person can lead with either their left foot or their right foot.

Lip: Normally where a trick can begin to be formed, like at the top of the half pipe.

Fall Line: This refers to the direct route down the mountain, here they generate the most speed.

Garland: When the snowboarder goes across the slope. This is accomplished by aiming the board directly down the slope and then back across the slope without going in the other direction.

Half pipe: Manmade trench that the boarder uses to do tricks similar to those at skateparks.

Moguls are the bumps that have been formed in the snow by the other riders

Kicker: a small jump used to get more air and perform tricks

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as snowboarding gear at http://www.gearforboarding.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gregg_Hall http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Everyone-Loves-The-Sport-Of-Freestyle-Snowboarding&id=300369

Ski New Zealand

Ski New Zealand

Snowboard - New Zealand

New Zealand has a range of skifields across the country. The North Island of New Zealand fields can be found centrally on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand and there is one field located in the North Island on Mount Egmont in Taranaki, New Zealand. In the South Island, New Zealand the fields are located all along the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs downwards along the centre of the island. The Rainbow skifield is the northern most field. The next field is Mount Lyford and then Amuri is located not far from the popular resort of Hanmer Springs where you can relax after your skiing/snowboarding in the hot pools.

From there we go to the more intense areas with a number of skifields through the Arthurs Pass region in the centre of the South Island on the main route from Christchurch through to the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. In this area there are a series of club fields where clubs run the operation of the field as opposed to businesses. Close to Christchurch is the field that is renowned for some of the most reliable snow conditions in the country, the commercial Mount Hutt skifield with a season running from May through to late October in the average year. This field hosts a number of International events. From there all the way down there are skifields scattered through the mountains, too many fields to list here offering a range of different terrain and facilities.

Around Lake Tekapo is the Round Hill skifield an excellent field for beginners. Lake Ohau hosts the Ohau skifield popular with snowboarders.

Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand offers ski flights taking you up to ski the Tasman Glacier for something a little different and you will find heli-skiing and riding all along the Southern Alps.

Around Wanaka the two well known fields are Treble Cone and Cardrona. Opposite Cardrona you will find Snow Park, especially equipped for the snowboarder and not to be missed while boarding in New Zealand.

Queenstown has the Remarkables field and the more established Coronet Peak skifield is close nearby the Queenstown township.

In New Zealand you will find plenty of alpine snowboarding...