History
At the Olympics
Schedule
Snowboarders To Watch
FAST Facts
Snowboarding and YOU!
Getting in Shape
Safety Tips
Clothing
Equipment
Snowboarding Basics
Where To Go Snowboarding
Glossary
Resources
Credits/References

Information on this sport's history, Olympic history and events, and the sports terms and glossary has been provided by www.NBCOlympics.com and www.Olympics.com.

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[Winter Sports] [Figure Skating] [Cross Country Skiing]
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HISTORY

Race 1: 1 vs.16, Race 2: 2 vs. 15, Race 3: 3 vs. 14, Race 4: 4 vs. 13, Race 5: 5 vs. 12, Race 6: 6 vs. 11, Race 7: 7 vs. 10, Race 8: 8 vs. 9.

Race 9: Winner of Race 1 vs. Winner of Race 8, Race 10: Winner of Race 2 vs. Winner of Race 7, Race 11: Winner of Race 3 vs. Winner of Race 6, Race 12: Winner of Race 4 vs. Winner of Race 5.

For the semifinals, the matchups take place as follows:

Semifinal 1: Winner of Race 9 vs. Winner of Race 12, Semifinal 2: Winner of Race 10 vs. Winner of Race 11. The winners of the two semifinals race for the gold medal. The losers race for the bronze medal.

The following link will take you to the schedule page for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, where you can view Olympic schedules by date, by individual sport or by sports venue:

Olympic Schedule (or click here for a printable schedule of the Olympic Games)

Olympic Television Schedule

SNOWBOARDERS TO WATCH AT THE OLYMPICS

Name: Tommy Czeshin, DOB: 6/15/79, Hometown: Mammoth Lakes, CA, Notes: Finished 2001 #6 in Halfpipe World Cup Standings

Name: Ross Powers, DOB: 2/10/79, Hometown: S. Londonderry, VT, Notes: Finished 2001 #29 in Halfpipe World Cup Standings

Top World Athletes

Name: Magnus Sterner (Sweden), DOB: 10/1/79, Hometown: Leksand, Sweden, Notes: Finished 2001 #1 in Halfpipe World Cup Standings

Men: Parallel Slalom

Name: Christopher J. Klug, DOB: 11/18/72, Hometown: Aspen, Col., Notes: Finished 2001 #11 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings

Name: Jeff Greenwood, DOB: 5/15/75, Hometown: Grandby, Conn., Notes: Finished 2001 #21 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings

Top World Athletes

Name: Mathieu Bozzetto (France), DOB: 11/16/73, Hometown: Val D'Isere, France, Notes: Finished 2001 #1 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings

Women: Halfpipe

Name: Kelly Clark, DOB: 7/26/83, Hometown: Mount Snow, Vt., Notes: Finished 2001 #10 in Halfpipe World Cup Standings

Name: Tricia Byrnes, DOB: 11/18/74, Hometown: Stratton Mountain, Vt., Notes: Finished 2001 #21 in Halfpipe World Cup Standings

Top World Athletes

Name: Sabine WehrHasler (Germany), DOB: 7/8/67, Hometown: Offenbach, Germany, Notes: Finished 2001 #1 in Halfpipe World Cup Standings

Women: Parallel Slalom

Name: Rosey Fletcher, DOB: 11/30/75, Hometown: Girdwood, Ak., Notes: Finished 2001 #3 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings

Name: Sondra Van Ert, DOB: 3/9/64, Hometown: Ketchum, Id., Notes: Finished 2001 #23 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings

Name: Lisa D. Kosglow, DOB: 10/18/73, Hometown: Boulder, Col., Notes: Finished 2001 #28 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings Top World Athletes

Top World Athletes

Name: Carmen Ranigler (Italy), DOB: 8/17/76, Hometown: Levante, Italy, Notes: Finished 2001 #1 in Parallel Slalom World Cup Standings

SNOWBOARDING FAST FACTS

Learning snowboarding can be humbling but fun. It's sometimes said that "snowboarding is hard to learn but easy to master, and skiing is easy to learn but hard to master." Snowboarding requires more balance than skiing in the beginning.  Just remember — you have to learn to walk before you run.

GETTING IN SHAPE FOR SNOWBOARDING

Watching Olympic athletes often motivates people to want to try their hand at a new sport or reclaim a sport from the past.  The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports encourages participation in a wide variety of activities, including the sports of the Winter Olympics, to enhance health and fitness.  Since there are risks involved with sports, before going snowboarding, be sure to consult these links, which offer basic information about getting in shape and protecting yourself from cold-related stress and illness:

Getting in Shape for Winter Sports

Safety Tips: Cold Related Stress and Illness

WEARING THE RIGHT CLOTHING

Wearing the right clothing is extremely important when participating in cold weather  sports. Dress in layers, wearing warm, waterproof/resistant clothing. Clothing for snowboarding should protect the participant from cold, wind, and precipitation and should also provide ventilation — be "breathable." To reduce wind resistance, the clothing should fit snugly to the body. Pay special attention to protecting feet, hands, face and head. Up to 40 percent of body heat can be lost when the head is exposed. Footgear should be insulated to protect against cold and dampness.

Wear at least three layers of clothing

! A water-resistant outer layer to break the wind and allow some ventilation (nylon or other water-resistant synthetic fabric)

! A middle layer of wool or wool-like synthetic fabric to absorb sweat and retain insulation 

! An inner layer close to the skin. It's important to keep moisture away from your skin — avoid cotton, which clings to perspiration. Synthetic materials such as supplex and coolmax are ideal because they keep you warm and dry.

EQUIPMENT

! Helmet. A hard plastic helmet is essential to prevent head injuries; helmets manufactured for ski sports are required for snowboarding competition.

! Board. For the halfpipe, a wide flexible board; for the parallel giant slalom, a stiff, narrower board to allow for turns and high speed.

! Boots. For the halfpipe, most participants use soft boots with foot and ankle support and lace-up inner boots; for the parallel giant slalom, you'll need alpine boots with a hard plastic exterior for extensive foot and ankle support, similar to alpine ski boots.

SNOWBOARDING BASICS

When you're ready to head for the snow, the best way to get started is to sign up for snowboarding lessons at a ski resort. Classes exist for all ages and styles, from the free rider, who just wants to whoosh down the hill, to the freestyle artist, who wants to perform the dangerous jumps to thrill the audience below. Keep your expecta- tions realistic the first day or two.  Pace yourself, and commit to keep trying to learn snowboarding for at least three days. Then you'll start to gain confidence and feel more control.  Once you are comfortable with momentum and controlling speed, it becomes easier to balance.

! Turns. Turns are made by leaning forwards or backward and from side to side, using the toe edge (front) and the heel edge (back) of the board for steering and speed control. Similar to rollerblading, the back of your board will slow you down if you press it into the snow.  Many new riders find it disconcerting to travel facing the trees or the side of the slope while going down the mountain, but after a few gentle turns and twists you'll be thrilled as you gingerly pick up speed and enjoy the powder under your feet.

! Stopping. Stopping a snowboard is much like coming to a stop on ice skates — bring both feet perpendicular to the slope, then scrape to a stop. Be prepared to fall more than a few times while learning this skill. Just as in ice skating, you have to learn how to balance your weight to scrape the snow/ice just enough to stop but not so much that you upset your position and fall. These maneuvers will take time and practice to learn, but they are necessary skills to acquire and are fun once you master them.

WHERE TO GO SNOWBOARDING

Snowboarding is usually done on the snowy slopes and hills of ski resorts. Opportunities to enjoy snowboarding are available at many winter resorts and ski areas. In the United States, winter resorts are plentiful in the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and Western states. Canada and Europe also have many resorts featuring winter sports. Some states have snowboarding available at park and recreation areas. You can call your travel agent or search the Internet (search under "snowboarding") for packages and special travel fares. There is an abundance of information on the web. Of course you'll want to check snow conditions at your chosen location. Some resorts keep their slopes snow-covered with snow machines. In addition to the cost of staying at a resort, the main expense for snowboarding is buying or renting equipment and clothing (board, helmet, boots, clothing) and purchase of lift tickets.

SNOWBOARDING GLOSSARY

Air to fakie. Any trick in the halfpipe in which a rider approaches the wall riding forward, no rotation is made, and the rider lands riding backwards.

Alley-oop. Any maneuver in the halfpipe in which the rider rotates 180 degrees or more in the uphill direction.

Andrecht. A handplant using the rear hand while grabbing the board with the other (front) hand.

Backside. The side of the snowboard on which the athlete's heels rest; the side of the snowboard to which the athlete's back faces.

Backside air. Any air performed on the backside wall of the halfpipe.

Backside handplant. A maneuver where the rider places both hands or the rear hand on the rim of the halfpipe and rotates 180 degrees in the backside direction.

Backside rotation. Rotating clockwise for a regular-footed snowboarder or rotating counter-clockwise for a goofy-footed snowboarder.

Backside wall. If a snowboarder rides straight down the halfpipe, the side of the halfpipe that is behind the rider.

Bevel. The angle to which the edges of the snowboard are tuned. Freestyle boards have greater base-edge bevels than an alpine board; however, alpine boards have greater edge bevels.

Blindside. Any rotation in which the snowboarder has oriented himself "blind" to his takeoff or landing and must stretch to look over his shoulder.

Bone. To straighten out one or both legs.

Bonk. Hitting an object while riding a snowboard.

Cab. Short for caballerial.

Caballerial. A halfpipe trick where the athlete begins a fakie (or backwards), rotates 360 degrees and lands riding forward. It is named after skateboarding guru Steve Caballero.

Canadian bacon air. A move in which the rear hand reaches behind the rear leg to grab the toe edge between the bindings while the rear leg is straightened.

Chicken salad air. A aerial maneuver in which the rear hand reaches between the leg and grabs the heel edge between the bindings while the front is straightened.

Corkscrew. Sideways rotation.

Crail air. An aerial maneuver in which the rear hand grabs the toe edge in front of the front foot while the rear leg is straightened.

Crippler air. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboarder performs a 180-degree flip. The athlete approaches the wall of the halfpipe riding forward and lands riding forward.

Detune. To slightly dull the edges of the snowboard.

Double grab. Performing two separate grab tricks on one aerial.

Double-handed grab. Grabbing the snowboard with both hands on an aerial maneuver.

Duckfoot. A snowboard stance in which the toes point outward.

Effective edge. The part of the edge of the snowboard that is in contact with the snow; does not include the edges of the tip and tail.

Eggplant. A one-handed 180-degree backside rotated invert in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the halfpipe wall.

Elgeurial. An invert in which the halfpipe wall is approached fakie, the rear hand is planted, a 360-degree backside rotation is made, and the rider lands going forward.

Fakie. Riding backwards.

Fall line. An imaginary line that combines the steepest pitch and most direct line, from top to bottom, of any slope.

Flat bottom. The area in the halfpipe between the two walls.

Flatground. Tricks performed on a flat slope.

Flex. The stiffness of the snowboard.

Freeriding. Snowboarding for fun, not in a competition.

Freestyle snowboarding. The type of snowboarding that includes tricks; halfpipe is a type of freestyle snowboarding.

Front foot. The foot closest to the front of the snowboard.

Front hand. The hand closest to the front of the snowboard.

Frontside. The side of the snowboard on which the toes rest; the side of the snowboard the athlete's chest faces.

Frontside air. Technically, a frontside air is an aerial performed on the frontside wall with an Indy grab. The term also is used to describe an aerial on the frontside wall.

Frontside handplant. A maneuver in which the rider places the front hand on the lip of the halfpipe and rotates 180 degrees in the frontside direction.

Frontside rotation. Rotating counter-clockwise for a regular-footed snowboarder or rotating clockwise for a goofy-footed snowboarder.

Frontside wall. If a snowboarder rides straight down the halfpipe, the side of the halfpipe that is in front of the rider.

Goofy-footed. Riding a snowboard with the right foot forward.

Haaken flip. An inverted aerial in which the rider approaches the wall of the halfpipe riding backwards. At the lip of the halfpipe, the rider flips backwards into the pipe and rotates 720 degrees, landing forward down in the pipe. Named for its originator, Terje Haaken.

Halfpipe. The snow structure on which the halfpipe competition is contested. It is made up of two walls of the same height and size and a transition area in between.

Hard boots. The boots designed for parallel giant slalom and the other alpine events. The boots are stiff and provide good support.

Heel edge. The edge of the snowboard closest to the heels.

Ho ho. Any two-hand handplant.

Indy air. An aerial maneuver performed in the backside direction with the rear hand grabbing the board between the bindings. "Indy" also can be used to describe the location of the grab.

Invert. A trick in which the head is beneath the level of the board and the snowboarder balances on one or two hands.

Inverted aerial. A trick in which the rider is airborne and upside-down.

Inverted 180. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboarder performs a 180-degree flip. The athlete approaches the wall of the halfpipe riding forward and lands riding forward. Also know as a "crippler."

Japan air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grabs the toe edge in between the feet with his front hand and the front knee is pulled to the board.

J-Tear. Named for its originator, Mike Jacoby, an invert in which the athlete rotates roughly 540 degrees in a frontside direction while planting one or both hands on the lip of the wall.

Late. Incorporating a move into a trick just before the trick's completion.

Layback handplant. A maneuver in which the rider places the rear hand on the lip of the halfpipe and rotates 180 degrees in the frontside direction.

Lien air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grabs the heel edge with his front hand and leans over the nose of the board.

Lip. The top edge of the halfpipe wall.

Lip trick. Any trick performed on or near the lip of the wall.

McEgg. An invert in which the athlete plants the front hand on the wall, rotates 540 degrees in a backside direction and lands riding forward.

McTwist. An inverted aerial in which the snowboarder performs a 540-degree flip. The athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding forward, goes airborne, rotates 540 degrees in a backside direction while performing a front flip, and lands riding forward. Named after skateboarder Mike McGill.

Melonchollie air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider reaches behind the front leg with the front hand and grabs the heel edge between the bindings while the front leg is boned.

Method air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grabs the heel edge with the front hand, bends both knees, and pulls to the level of the head.

Michaelchuck. Named for its originator, Mike Michaelchuck, an invert done on the backside wall of the halfpipe in which the rider does a backflip with a 180-degree backside rotation.

Miller flip. An invert in which the halfpipe wall is approached riding forward, the front hand is planted, a 360-degree frontside rotation is made, and the rider lands riding fakie (or backwards).

Mosquito air. An aerial trick in which the athlete reaches behind the front leg with his front hand and grabs the heel edge between the bindings. The front knee is then bent to touch the board.

Mute air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grabs the toe edge with his front hand either between the bindings or at the front of the board.

Nollie. A method to obtain air without jumping. It is performed by first lifting the rear foot, then lifting the front foot as the rider springs off the nose.

Nose. The front tip of the snowboard.

Nose grab air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grabs the nose of the snowboard.

Nose poke air. Any maneuver in which you bone your front leg and "poke" the nose of the snowboard in a direction away from your body.

Nose slide. To slide along the ground solely on the nose of the snowboard.

Ollie. A method to obtain air without jumping. It is performed by first lifting the front foot, then lifting the rear foot as the rider springs off the tail.

Palmer air. Named for its originator, Shawn Palmer, an aerial maneuver in which the board is grabbed near the nose and pulled across the front of the body, and the nose is pointed downward.

Phillips 66. An invert in which the athlete approaches the halfpipe wall riding fakie (backwards), plants the rear hand on the lip of the halfpipe while doing a front flip, and lands in the transition area riding forward. Named after skateboarder Jeff Phillips.

Plate binding. A binding system in which hard boots are attached to the snowboard by a flat plate similar to ski bindings.

Pop tart. An aerial move in which the rider goes up fakie (backwards) and lands going forward, thus not rotating.

Rear foot. The foot mounted closest to the tail of the snowboard.

Rear hand. The trailing hand closest to the tail of the snowboard.

Regular-footed. Riding on a snowboard with the left foot forward.

Revert. To switch from riding fakie (backwards) to forward, or from forward to fakie.

Roast beef air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grads the heel edge between the bindings with the rear hand and the rear leg is straightened.

Rocket air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider grabs the toe edge in front of the front foot with the front hand and the back leg is straightened while the board points perpendicular to the ground.

Rodeo flip. An invert in which the rider rotates while flipping.

Rolling down the windows. A phrase used to describe when someone is caught off-balance and they rotate their arms wildly in the air to try to recover.

Sato flip. An invert done on the frontside wall of a halfpipe in which the rider does a front flip with a 180-degree rotation frontside.

Seatbelt air. An aerial maneuver in which the rider reaches across the body with the front hand and grabs the tail while the front leg is straightened.

Shifty air. An aerial maneuver in which the upper torso and lower body are twisted in opposite directions and then returned to normal. The front leg is usually straightened.

Sidecut radius. The measure of the circle's radius to which the sidecut of the snowboard corresponds. A small radius will make for tighter turning than a large radius.

Slob air. The athlete performs a mute grab with the front hand while the back leg is boned (straightened) and the board is kept parallel to the ground.

Soft boots. Boots designed for use in freestyle and freeride snowboarding. They are made soft and pliable to allow a large range of motion.

Stalefish air. An aerial maneuver in which the athlete grabs the heel edge behind the rear leg in between with the rear hand, while the rear leg is boned (straightened).

Stance.The position of the feet on the snowboard.

Step-in binding. Binding system in which no major manual adjustment is needed to attach and detach the boot from the binding.

Stiffy air. Any aerial in which both legs are bones (straightened) and a grab is done.

Switchstance. Performing a trick while riding backwards when the maneuver is performed exactly like it would be if you were riding forward.

Tail. The rear tip of the snowboard.

Tail grab air. The athlete grabs the tail of the snowboard with the rear hand.

Tail poke. Any maneuver in which you bone (straighten) your rear leg and "poke" the tail of the snowboard in a direction away from the body.

Tail slide. To slide along the ground solely on the tail of the snowboard.

Tail wheelie. To ride solely on the tail of the snowboard with the nose in the air.

Taipan air. An aerial maneuver in which the athlete reaches behind the front foot and grabs the toe edge between the bindings with the front hand. The front knee is then bent to touch the board.

Toe edge. The edge of the snowboard on which the toes rest.

Tranny. A slang term for transition.

Transition. The curved surface of the halfpipe walls between the flat section and the vertical portion of the wall.

Traverse. To ride perpendicular to the fall line; to ride across the halfpipe.

Tuck knee. A technique in which one knee is bent and the ankle is bent sideways to touch the knee to the snowboard between the bindings.

Twin tip. A type of snowboard used in freestyle. It has an identical tip and tail so the board can be ridden in either direction.

Vertical. The top portion of the wall in a halfpipe that allows the snowboard to fly straight up in the air.

Wet cat. An inverted aerial in which the athlete plants the front hand on the wall, rotates 900 degrees in a backside direction and lands riding forward. It is a 900-degree McTwist.

180 air. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboard rotates 180 degrees — a half of a spin.

360 air. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboard rotates 360 degrees — one full spin.

540 air. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboarder rotates 540 degrees — one and a half spins.

720 air. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboarder rotates 720 degrees — two full spins.

900 air. An aerial maneuver in which the snowboarder rotates 900 degrees — two and a half spins.

SNOWBOARDING WEBSITES

United States Ski & Snowboard Association
USA Snowboard Association
U.S. Deaf Ski & Snowboard Association
Valueseek - Snowboarding Tips
NBC Olympics.com
MSNBC - Olympics
CBS Sportsline - Snowboarding
USA Today - Olympics
Salt Lake 2002
United States Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee

REFERENCES

Snowboarding by Robert Reichenfeld and Anna Bruechert

Lodge photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com.

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