Thank you to Lindsay Schultz for contributing information to this article.

Pipelines, shredding, jibbers, and boardercross are all part of the colorful trappings of what’s attracting winter sports lovers to the country’s newest and most popular pursuit of things-that-go-bump-in-the-snow. Otherwise known as snowboarding…..

Originally embraced by preteen and adolescent males who adapted ocean surfing and the fracture-prone sport of skate boarding to the more forgiving environs of powdered slopes, snowboarding has taken off wildly coast to coast. Though skiing, its more patrician Great Uncle, still rules, snowboarding — by its sheer exuberance and invitation to daring antics — is increasingly drawing new fans.

Some say the sport originated in Michigan in the mid-1960s when a dad joined two skis so his daughter could “surf” down a snow-covered hillside. Board designs evolved over the next two decades until adherents had spread across the country — often banned from ski resorts because of the excessive ‘enthusiasm’ displayed by its greatest fans, male teenagers. But snowboarding grew despite, or perhaps because of, its “bad boy” image. By the year 2000, a study on sports participation called it the country’s fastest growing recreation, followed by skateboarding. The study noted a 51.2% increase in participants from the previous year to a total of slightly more than 7.2 million advocates. In that same period, responses indicated, downhill skiers increased by only 6%, for a sum of 14.7 million enthusiasts.

Who Can Do It?

Individuals with mobility impairments often see gravity as a daily obstacle, but with these sports [skiing and snowboarding], gravity truly works in their favor.

Many people with disabilities struggle to find a true sense of freedom and independence. The feel of adrenaline and wind in your face draws many participants. After adaptations are made with equipment or technique, the playing field is leveled with able-bodied skiers and boarders. These sports allow easy access to fresh air and spectacular mountain scenery.

From gentle slopes to the most advanced, adaptive snowboarders have the potential to take on any hill they choose—if they can put in the practice time to get there.

You took the lessons, you conquered the beginner slopes and beyond, and you’re sore in places you didn’t know could get sore. Each time you set your boots to the board and let loose into the snow, that initial feeling comes back stronger— exhilaration, tension, satisfaction, and liberation. It’s a combination that pulls you to the mountain again and again.

In fact, you enjoy it so much that you start to wonder…what if? What if you tested your boundaries, learned more, and practiced harder? Could you experience the thrill of competition?

Full-time training programs and camps for adaptive snowboard competition are established or starting up in locations all over the country. The first step is to seek out proper coaching. A big mistake instructors versus coaches might make is bringing inexperienced riders to competition when they are not ready—opening them up to injury. Snowboarders should get professional insight from trained and experienced coaches before attempting to compete.

Oftentimes within the first few hours of being on a board, an individual can tell if it’s a new passion or something they enjoyed only trying the one time.

Next, if they want to continue to improve their skills and compete, they’ll be invited to participate in additional race development programs. Over the course of a year or two, they would be introduced to and encouraged to attend the full schedule of competitions to gain more experience. Then if they prove successful in competition, they’ll be invited to train with the Elite Team and coaches of Adaptive Action Sports.

Race boards and gear are very specific to competitive snowboarding. Like any sport, the more skilled you become the more crucial it is to have high performance gear that can keep up.

Paralympic Snowboarding

Para Snowboard – the name given to the competitive sport, which first appeared in the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Jardine is the U.S. Olympic Committee’s High Performance Director of Paralympic Alpine Skiing.

The surprise announcement on May 2, 2012, that para-snowboarding would be a Paralympic medal sport with men’s and women’s standing events, meant many adaptive snowboarders finally would have a chance to realize their dreams.

The announcement made history, and took a great deal of work to initiate. Support for the sport grew to include everyone from passionate adaptive snowboarders to gold-medal Olympians, and efforts included everything from a Change.org petition drive to an aggressive video titled “Dear Sochi” by Fiat Lux Productions LLC.

Paralympic Disciplines

Three disciplines exist in para snowboarding: snowboard-cross, banked slalom, and giant slalom; however, only snowboard-cross and banked slalom appear in the Paralympic Games.

Snowboard-Cross

Athletes race on a course with terrain that includes banks, berms, rollers, spines, jumps, wu-tang, etc. To qualify, each athlete completes two runs down the course with their best run determining the final order based on ascending time. Finals consist of 16 men and 8 women, with 2 competitors per heat or such other numbers as determined by the Jury. The first placed competitor from each heat advances from round to round. Any one of the two athletes whose body or snowboard crosses the finish line wins the race.

Banked Slalom

Competitors race on a course with banked turns, bumps, dips, and a U-shaped, natural valley. All competitors take three timed runs. The best timed run out of three timed runs determines the final results.

Giant Slalom

Competitors complete two runs down the course with the combined time determining the final order. The general characteristics and terrain of the course include a medium pitched slope, preferably with various grades and groomed, compacted snow.

World Para Snowboard’s website provides a great deal of information about the history of para snowboard and the various disciplines.

Classification

There are currently three classes for para snowboard.

Sport class SB-LL1: Athletes will have an significant impairment in one leg, for example an above knee amputation, or a significant combined impairment in two legs, for example significant muscle weakness or spasticity in both legs.

Sport class SB-LL2: Athletes will have an impairment in one or two legs with less activity limitation, such as a below knee amputation.

Sport Class SB-UL: Athletes will have an impairment to their upper limbs.

Click here for a list of snowboarding equipment.

Finding an Instructor Experts urge anyone with a disability to choose an instructor who’s certified in adaptive snowboarding. Adaptive instructors are trained to notice small details in a snowboarder’s stance or technique due to their individual disability that may be affecting their overall performance, and how to correct those details to improve the end result and experience.

The difference between an able-bodied instructor and one trained in adaptive snowboarding is specialty knowledge of prosthetics, modifications, boots and bindings, revised teaching techniques and drills, and the presence of other disabled riders as resources and encouragement to see that it can be done. He noted that improper setup of the bindings is perhaps the most common mistake of novice snowboard instructors.

Having someone that fully understands the aspects and demands of snowboarding, along with the available modifications for different physical needs, may make the difference between carving turns and sitting in the snow all day.

The First Lesson

• Complete a student intake form with details about the disability, activity level, medications, etc.

• Meet the private instructor and one of the program directors.

• Discuss personal goals, physical abilities, concerns, etc.

• Be fitted with equipment and a helmet, borrow any necessary cold weather gear, and move outside to the beginner terrain.

• Get comfortable with the equipment, flat terrain movement, and concepts of the sport.

• Move to a beginner chairlift on easy terrain.

• At any point throughout the lesson, make any necessary adjustments or modifications to the equipment.

• Take warm-up breaks and eat a meal when the student chooses.

Stance

A major decision is the choice of stance, how the feet are positioned on the snowboard. Stance involves the angle of feet to the board’s edge, the distance between the feet, and which foot is deemed in the lead. For best results, a stance should be comfortable and place balance equally over both feet. An aligned stance helps maintain stability while riding; a directional or race stance lets the student effectively use two outriggers; a duck stance points one foot forward and the other to the rear, keeping muscles relaxed; and the open stance, with each foot set at a different degree, is appropriate for beginners to intermediate riders.

Choice of a stance should relate to the student’s balance, or how far the body can move without losing stability. Retaining balance is accomplished by adjustments to the ankles, knees, hips, and entire body; consideration is also given as to whether the student uses the ankle or knee as the primary flexing joint.

Ready to try out snowboarding? Click here to find a location near you!