Winter is here and the season for winter sports is at its height. What better way to enjoy the new snow than to visit the slopes for ski season or attempt snowboarding? Biking on the trails has gained popularity as a new winter sport. Depending on your skill level there are sports for the beginner and for the pro. Snowboards are common for use by both adults and children. Some are specially designed for those who are expert at tricks and skilled exercises. Snowboarding can continue right until the month of March or beginning of April depending on the snowfall in the local mountain resort you are visiting. Even people living as far South as California have access to close by resorts where they can practice their snowboarding skills.
Skiing was always an international passion for diehard addicts of the slopes. Snowboarding is also gaining an international band of followers that visit slopes as far away as Argentina and Chile in the Americas or New Zealand and Australia for enthusiasts from the Pacific Rim. You can find the greatest destinations in the Southern Hemisphere to enjoy an off season skiing holiday. The Alps and Rockies are choc a bloc with fanatic skiers and snowboards enthusiasts in the Christmas holidays. Some environmentalists have indicated that the presence of winter sports enthusiasts on the ski slopes have placed an additional burden on the fragile ecosystems of mountains. Alpine slopes are in high demand as tourist destinations during the ski season. Skiing and snowboarding in some of the fancier European resorts has become exorbitant. Visitors and enthusiasts have to book way in advance to have access to some of the slopes in the peak season.
Use of snowboards has been a relatively new development that was invented in 1968 by Sherman Poppen. The end result was termed a ?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿsnurfer?ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ a term coined from the combination of snow and surfer. The modern snowboards that are in use today have been attributed to Tom Sims and Jake Burton Carpenter. French resorts took to popularizing snowboards in 1986. With every passing year, snowboarding reaches newer and higher peaks in popularity as a commercial sport. By 2008, the snowboarding industry was worth roughly $487 million in equipment alone. In the year 1998 it was recognized as a Winter Olympic Sport.
The three styles of snowboarding that have been recognized by the USASA (United States of America Snowboarding Association) include alpine, freestyle and boarder cross. For residents in the NJ area, there are many good sports stores that stock snowboards. Lacey Township residents can find a wide selection of gear and winter sports equipment in local stores.
Modern Snowboards
