Snowboarding Championship – When To Consider The Option

Snowboarding is one of the recreational activities in which an individual needs to slide down the snow-covered slopes while standing on a snowboard attached to the feet. Snowboarding was primarily inspired by skiing, surfing, sledding, skateboarding, etc. It was developed in the year 1960 in the United States. This game is widely popular among people all over the world. The best snowboarding in the US includes Jackson Hole, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Alpine Meadows, etc.

The Snowboarding championship is now being held on an extensive scale. Few of the large snowboarding contests are inclusive of Japanese X-trail Jam, the European Air and Style, FIS World Championships, Shakedown, the annual FIS World Cup, Burton Global Open Series, Winter Dew Tour, the Winter X Games.

You can enjoy it to the fullest by taking part in the snowboarding championship. The United States of America Snowboarding Association boasts of three unique divisions, including boardercross, freestyle, and alpine.

Boardercross is also known as snowboard cross, SBX, boarder X, or BX. It is a competition among 4-6 snowboarders where they all have to go through an obstacle terrain or inclined planes simultaneously & they will race to reach the finish line. On the other hand, Freestyles consist of slopestyle and halfpipe. In this, the snowboarder performs some on-air and ground tricks while riding a snowboard. The Alpine comprises giant slalom, where the ability and agility of a snowboarder for making sharper turns are tested.

It is recognized to be an integral part of the Winter Olympics. It primarily comprises three unique types of competition. Here is a list of the types of snowboarding championship; you can consider taking participation in:

Types of Snowboarding Championship Events

Halfpipe

It has gained high popularity as the poster child event of snowboarding. A halfpipe is a U-shaped ramp that is specially designed for sports. This ramp is mainly used by the skateboarders and snowboarders to propel themselves into the air so that they can perform various flips, spins & on-air snowboarding tricks before landing on the surface. Players who take part in halfpipe snowboarding competitions should continue doing the same in the back and forth pattern.

Parallel giant slalom

It is recognized to be a speed race. You can consider taking participation in the game if you are capable of making through nine different rounds altogether. The competitor begins with different rounds. The racers are required to perform a race against the clock at ease. It is a side by side and head to head competition.

In the parallel giant slalom event, the riders have to navigate through the weaving down courses made up of offset poles and gates, protruding from the snow at the highest speed. In this snowboarding championship, the gates can be up to 105 feet. Each and every of such head to head rounds comprises dual runs. Once the first run is over, the racer should be swapping sides to ensure that everything is running fair. The run times are known to be combined. In this competition, the racer with the fastest time is the winner.

In case the snowboarder, participating in the competition falls, misses the gate or in case he fails to complete the first run, he is going to get the time penalty. After this, he will require bringing in a better time as compared to his opponents during the second run for moving on to the next round. In case the snowboarder experiences either of the faults on the second run, he will be losing the heat in an automated manner.

However, in case both the player falls while accomplishing the first run, they can get up and then continue the game. The snowboarder who will come first in the run is considered to be the winner. If both participants fall during the second run, then the one who crosses more number of the gates is recognized as the winner.

Snowboard cross

Snowboard cross or boardercross is an event where a group of 4-snowboarders races simultaneously over a course. The inclined courses are typically narrow and comprise of banked turns, ramps, jumps, berms, hills, drops, and other obstacles to test the rider's ability to balance and control the snowboarder at high speed. Though many snowboarders have the capability of performing tricks, too much of the tricks can result in the slow down.

Moreover, collisions among the competitors are common that lead to several common injuries during snowboarding, including an ankle injury, head injury, foot injury, etc. However, it has earned high popularity as the timed race. Players with the best two times can consider moving on to the next round.

The snowboarding championship has grown every year steadily over the last twenty years. Riders choose different snowboarding styles as per their skills. Without wasting much time, let's have a look at snowboarding styles.

Types of Snowboarding Styles

Slopestyle snowboarding

It is recognized to be one of the highly participated and widely popular events of snowboarding. It comprises 3-4 jib-style obstacles and 4-huge jumps made up of snow, specially designed to showcase the creativity and consistency of the rider. You can consider taking part in the game, especially if you have high fluidity in terms of the execution of the maneuvers, movement, and landing at the course.

Big Air

Big Air Snowboarding happens to be a popular event of the Winter Olympics in the year of 2018. Here, the snowboarders have to achieve the dizzying heights while performing airborne spins and flips before landing on the surface. Here, the snowboarders require sliding down the tall ramp, which is 49 meters in length. It curls up and shoots them towards the sky for a longer duration of time. A panel of judges chooses the winner by rating the tricks performed by the athlete when he/she was in the air, depending upon the difficulty level, execution.

Backcountry snowboarding competition

You can consider taking part in the backcountry snowboarding championship if you can snowboard on the natural terrain or powdered snow like an expert. This sport requires special protective gear for snowboarding and training as it is performed on unmarked or non-groomed terrains. If you are not an expert, then you shouldn't choose this style. However, if you are an expert at snowboarding and want to push your limits, then it has its own special thrills, including hidden caches of powders, cliffs to jump off, avalanches, remoteness, etc.

Conclusion

Different types of snowboard competitions are conducted. If you are planning to participate in the same, you require understanding whether you have the prerequisite skills to seek participation in the same. You require identifying your passion and define the focus in the athletic direction to win the championship.

The Snowboarding championship has hit the mainstream at present. It has earned a high reputation for the tricks and thrills of the sport. If you are planning to take part in the snowboarding competition, you need to identify your skills and how to get better at snowboarding at the same time.