In this article, I’d like to tackle an unusual and probably unknown to many of you topic. When most people think about skiing or snowboarding, they see a top-notch freshly groomed beautiful white piste. However, what I see is, well, a snowpark with rails and giant kickers. In this text, I’d like to share and maybe pass on my passion for… freestyle snowboarding!
Since at the time that I am writing this, most pistes are closed and unavailable to amateur athletes, there is no better time to plan your next winter break or a trip to the mountains than right now. I can guarantee you that after reading this article you’ll broaden your horizons at least a bit and perhaps discover your future hobby.
First of all, performing any trick on a snowboard is considered freestyle snowboarding. Four general styles/categories are commonly counted among freestyle: Big-air, Slopestyle, Half-pipe and Freeride.
Big-air
Big-air is a freestyle competition in which snowboarders perform a trick in the air after popping (jumping) of a single kicker (jump). There are different ways of judging big-air competitions. The most common one is a 2-grade system where a snowboarder performs three jumps. Two of his best jumps’ scores are added up to create his final score. Usually, 4 factors affect each jump’s score: difficulty,
execution, amplitude and landing. Big-air on a professional level looks simply amazing! 80 feet jumps are really impressive. Athletes that participate in this competition really have no brake pedals! I haven’t yet reached a level where I can jump such huge obstacles (obviously just a matter of time:)), but the feeling of being airborne is something I can definitely relate to and I have to say it is GREAT.
Slopestyle
Slopestyle is a freestyle competition in which the athletes perform tricks on a dedicated course. The course is usually a mix of jibs, transitions and kickers (jumps). Jibs are mostly metal rails. They look similar to handrails that you can find next to staircases. Depending on the snowpark you can pick from beginner, mid and advanced obstacles. Most snowparks in Europe offer something for everyone so all snowboarders can practice. However, the jibs at events like the X Games are nothing like obstacles in the park. They are simply enormous, usually put tightly in a relatively small area with a big gap from the ground, taking these obstacles to the next level. The course requires the snowboarders to be extremely concentrated and 100% committed. Transitions are large masses of snow shaped into obstacles from which the competitors jump off while performing a trick in the air. The most common transition is a “shark fin”. It is a carved wall parallel to the direction of the course. Kickers are the same obstacles that appear in big-air. They’re usually just a bit smaller and there are 2-3 of them in the course. The course always offers a choice of different obstacles to ride on. In slopestyle there are many more factors that affect the overall score. One of them is the “overall impression”, meaning how well the snowboarder performs. Was his riding confident, was it stylish and so on… Usually each rider has three runs. Best one counts. What I personally admire the riders in this competition for is their strength and concentration throughout an 8 hit course! This discipline is my favourite. You can never possibly get bored in a diverse snowpark. Depending on the mood I’m in I can challenge myself to shred the longest rail in the whole park, or try to jump an obstacle from the side, contrary to its original purpose, try to ride an entire carved rail or simply mess around on the easiest obstacles on the course. When it comes to taking part in competitions, I still have a lot of freedom in riding the park. The judges also value creativity and thinking outside the box, which makes the competition way more fun and exciting!
Half-pipe
Half-pipe is a freestyle competition and, at the same time, the name of the obstacle on which it takes place. A half-pipe is a long tunnel carved into the snow. It has two huge walls (22 feet!) from which athletes jump off and land back in the pipe. Then they carve to the opposite wall and jump of it again. They carry on until they reach the bottom of the halfpipe. Usually, a competitor takes around 5 hits (jumps) during one run. Similar factors to the big-air event affect the overall score in a pipe - best run wins.
These three competitions make up the “park” events. All of them are actually official winter Olympic disciples! Half-pipe was first introduced to the great event in Nagano in the year 1998. In 2014 Slopestyle also made its first appearance and finally, in 2018 big-air joined the club. However, there is a whole other area of freestyle snowboarding called freeride that is not an Olympic discipline, at least not yet. All snowboarding that takes place off the mountain pistes and marked routes is freeride snowboarding.
Freeride
Freeride snowboarding is more of a recreational type of sport, although there are a few freeride competitions like the Natural Selection. Freeride snowboarding usually relies on descending a natural unprepared terrain and performing tricks while being at it. An “under-style” of freeride snowboarding derives from this discipline; it is called backcountry riding. Backcountry riding is mostly about building your own jumps on a wild natural terrain. A snowboarder’s performance in the backcountry is also very much affected by their experience. They have to be able to pick the right place to build the jump as well as correctly build the jump itself. It takes a lot of patience and work to do backcountry, some jump builds take up to 1 week. Even when it is done the weather conditions might be too difficult to jump it and the rider has to wait for a “weather window”. It’s all really about living in peace with nature. These days, to ride backcountry on a professional level you have to first grow a big bag of tricks in the park. Secondly, you definitely need a “mentor” who will show you around the mountain, teach you how to drive your sled and pick the right spots. With a cool group of friends and the right attitude, it becomes a pure pleasure rather than another “theoretical lesson”.
Urban Riding
There is one more type of freestyle snowboarding that I would like to single out, urban riding. As the name hints it is snowboarding outside the resort in the urban area. Snowboarders find obstacles like handrails, roofs, drops, tunnels, or even trashcans, anything that can be shredded (ridden). Urban riding holds a special place in my heart, because it is more of a cultural and artistic area. In the streets what matters most is your style and creativity, certainly not the biggest trick. Filming also plays a big role in urban snowboarding. Talented snowboarders team up with great cinematographers to create projects, video parts or short videos that inspire others amongst our community. I personally consider creating video parts an art. Combining great tricks in original, stunning angles, crazy locations and mind-blowing spots with great music is most definitely a way of expression to me. In 2016 a competition for urban or street (as street riding, as a term has become more popular) riders has been hosted. It is called X Games Real Snow. Invited, selected competitors spend a season collecting clips together with one main film maker. They create a 1-minute video part that is judged by a team of retired pro snowboarders. A fan favourite is also chosen among the riders by the snowboard community through online voting. It is crucial that the rider and the film maker understand each other very well and can communicate with each other. In the end, it is a team effort and the riders' perspectives and ideas can sometimes help the film maker in the brainstorming process. Someday, I wish to take part in this crazy competition. I’d like to go on a trip of a lifetime, travel to Norway or the US, have the best time possible with a great crew, film great clips and finish with a video part that I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life.
All of these styles are really cool. Most snowboarders find freeriding very enjoyable. The experience of riding fresh powder (snow) is very similar to riding a perfect azure blue wave. It’s pure pleasure. Street riding on the other hand isn’t just a piece of cake. Streets are hard and unforgiving. You always have to build your spot well and assess your skills wisely. However, in the end, getting a trick on the street is also very rewarding and when filmed well, extremely satisfying. Slopestyle also gives the rider lots of freedom among the park disciplines. There are so many different approaches to take on a slopestyle course. Big-air is also really great. Mid-air you almost feel like a flying bird. Last and final, the half-pipe looks very professional and feels great to ride.
I hoped you liked my article and maybe even felt a bit of an adrenaline rush. Let me know if my article inspired you to try freestyle snowboarding. Until next time, peace out!
Bruno Bugla
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