Snowboarders juggle trick progression, style and popularity
By Jimmie Braley
jbraley@mscd.edu
   A growing debate in the snowboarding community revolves around trick progression and style in the midst of skyrocketing popularity with the recent success of the U.S. teams in the Winter Olympics.
   Shaun White, U.S. Olympic snowboarder won gold in the men’s half-pipe event, showcasing his skills by launching himself 25 feet out of the pipe on his first hit. He also managed to nail two 1080s and two 900s, all in the same run, landing a score of 46.8 of a possible 50; a nearly flawless run even by Olympic snowboarding standards.
   Immediately afterward, many professional snowboarders said that since multiple 1080s were landed in competition, it’s now an average trick. Now, a perfect and stylish 1260 is the goal.
   The U.S. men and women’s snowboarding teams pushed the progressive limits and won both gold and silver medals in both men and women’s half-pipe events.
   Progression is commonly associated with riders such as Shaun White, who are continuously pushing the boundaries of exactly how many rotations a human being can spin on a snowboard and still land cleanly.
“ Shaun White is super human, and the rest of us have to try and pick up from where he has left off,” said James Proctor, a Vail    Resorts employee who has been snowboarding for eight years.
   This has become a very heated topic in the snowboarding world, with the question lingering of whether progression or style is more important to the sport’s development.
   While popularity grows for competitions such as the snowboard cross and the parallel giant slalom, which emphasize the need for advanced riding and carving ability to exist, none get as much publicity or interest as the half-pipe does, even though the U.S. team won gold in the men’s snowboard cross and the U.S. women took silver.
   Riders argue publicity has increased interest in the sensationalism of snowboarding, which ignores true riding ability.
   “ There are guys on the mountain who constantly go to the terrain park, but can’t even ride down the mountain cleanly,” said Metro student Matthew Marsh, shipping manager for Drater Skateboards.
   Marsh also said that style comes automatically as progression strengthens.
   “ Style follows progression. You have to ride for yourself and not for others,” Marsh said.
   “If snowboarders focused primarily on style, competitions would be filled with people landing smooth 360s rather than people being able to spin three full rotations and land.”
   Marsh said he’d rather see someone carve down the mountain at high speeds than doing tricks at the terrain parks.
“ (Terrain parks) are a fad that will die out along with all of the fashion statements people try to make to account for their lack of riding ability,” Marsh said.
   Others, however, see style as something more than the way someone approaches their riding.
   “ Snowboarding has become a style sport,” Proctor said. “There are people walking around college campuses wearing Burton gear when they probably have never even been snowboarding. Even the gear we wear has left the boundaries of snowboarding and become mainstream fashion.”
   Several snowboarding companies have invested their assets to cater to a more fashion-oriented crowd. Skeptics claim this crowd cares more about style than riding skills.
   “ Some kids are too scared to try and learn new tricks for fear that they will be put down afterwards by the guys in the stylish gear who can do it better,” Marsh explained.
   The Outdoor Adventure Center at Metro sponsors ski-van trips to Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Copper Mountain. The OA sells roundtrip rides in the van for $12. For an additional price, season passes and ski packages, which include rentals, lessons and lift tickets, can also be purchased.
   The discussion of progression versus style continues while some riders remember what snowboarding is all about.
   “ Whether you are a park rider, powder junkie, or just enjoy the atmosphere, the mountain doesn’t discriminate,” Proctor said.

“So forget about everything else and just try to have some fun before global warming takes all of it away.”