Snowboarding Events at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

In the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver, there will be many sports events and many athletes competing in the most exciting sports exhibition in the world. One of the most exciting sports events to watch in the Winter Olympics is Snowboarding. There will be three snowboarding events in the 2010 Olympics: Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom (PGS), and Snowboard Cross (SBX).

Snowboarding is a fairly new sport. The sport has origins in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Snowboarding made its Olympic debut in 1998 at Nagano. The first snowboarding events at the Olympics were halfpipe and individual giant slalom. In 2002, parallel giant slalom replaced the individual giant slalom. In 2006 at Park City, snowboard cross was added to the Olympic ranks. Some events that have not made it to the Olympics yet, are: Slopestyle, Big Air, and Quarterpipe.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Men's Snowboard Cross

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Ladies' Snowboard Cross

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Men's Halfpipe

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Ladies' Halfpipe

Friday, February 26, 2010

Ladies' Parallel Giant Slalom

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Men's Parallel Giant Slalom

Read below to learn more about the individual snowboarding events in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In Halfpipe, one snowboarder rides at a time. The rider traverses back and forth down the pipe, pumping out his best tricks each time he flies off the lip of the pipe (the top edge). The judges take into account the quality and skill of the tricks as well as the altitude that is reached.

The half pipe originated back in the day with teenage skateboarders living in Encinitas, California. In 1975, Tom Stewart built the first skating halfpipe with the help of his architect brother Mike. Tom and his friends had been skating actual 24-foot water pipes out in the desert, but Tom wanted to bring it closer to home. So he built his own in the front yard. Tom’s creation was an instant hit and has transformed the sport of skateboarding.

Snowboarders (who are basically skateboarders in the winter) used to ride natural halfpipes that were created because of the shape of the terrain. In 1979, when snowboarding used to be prohibited by resorts, riders looking for new placed to ride discovered a natural pipe at the city dump. They named it Tahoe City Pipe. In 1983, a man-made half pipe was built at Soda Springs, California. These first pipes were primitive and very basic, but over the years, the halfpipe has evolved into a professionally-made component found in many snowboard parks.

A snowboarding halfpipe is made out of snow (obviously). It is built with heavy machinery on a slight slope so that riders can take advantage of gravity. The halfpipe has evolved so that the bottom of the pipe is now flat, allowing for recovery time.

In Parallel Giant Slalom, two snowboaders compete at a time. They race down a course and must pass though gates made out of red and blue flags. Each rider must clear each gate or he will be disqualified. Racing head to head, the winner of each race moves on to the next round. At the end, the finalists will have made nine total runs.

Speed is the most important aspect of PGS. The riders must have strong legs and a strong core as well as agility. No tricks are involved, and the riders must keep their balance while rushing down the mountain at top speed. PGS boots are hard compared to those used in halfpipe. The rigidity supplies faster edge response.

In Snowboard Cross, four riders compete at a time. They race down the mountain, and the fastest two riders move on to the next round. The snowboard cross course is far from a smooth ride. The narrow run is full of bumps and jumps and drops. The number of riders at one time adds an extra dimension of needed skill. Collisions are a regular occurrence.

Snowboard Cross is a sport of many names: Snowboarder X, Boardercross, Boarder-X, BX, SBX. The sport originated in the early 1990’s and has many similarities to Motocross, which is all-terrain motorcycle racing. The riders are completely padded to guard against injuries. In addition to training their lower body, they must be strong in their upper body to pull out of the starting gate as fast as possible.