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Snowboard Racing
What is it?
Fast! Snowboard Racing is awesome. I started out racing, first on skis when I was 11, then on snowboards when I was 13. I used to spend hours lapping the 50 cent Marlboro course at Winter Park. It was kind of an open slalom course and I would try and keep beating my time for like 6 runs in a row. It was so fun. Not just the racing, but the riding. I had this Burton Safari 165 with the high tech Burton 3 strap alpine binding. I was a real zoomer. Of course then I would go get my Sims Pocketknife 1410 and go shred some bumps and throw a Palmer method off any bank I could find. HaHa, I’m laughing as I write this.
Today, the snowboard racing and the racers have come a long way. Most events are Giant Slalom or Parallel Giant Slalom, known as GS & PGS on the race circuit. There are still Slalom and Super Giant Slalom Events here and there, but I believe the GS is the focus. A high level PGS is fun to watch, dang. Head to head heated competition between carving and racing masters.
One thing that has not changed is the postive result that racing and practicing carving has on any riders all-around ability. Many of the best freestylers and of coarse BoarderCrossers on the planet started out racing gates. Fo Real!
What does the Racing Venue consist of?
- Closure Fencing – You don’t want someone cutting across your course when your hauling ass.
- Start area with a timing wand to start the clock for each course used in the event.
- Starter and organizer to organize riders and get them lined up fir their start.
- Riders, coaches and wax techs making their boards as fast as possible.
- Of coarse, the race course.
- Finish Line – with the timing lights to break when you cross the line to stop the clock.
- Scoreboard with racer times and a staffer posted there with a radio
- Announcer and sometimes a DJ
How do you win, or lose?
In a single course race, it is most often just the combination of 2 runs that are back to back with a reset between them. Fairly basic.
In dual events, they will do a time trial and a cut, kind of like in Boardercross. Those who advance into the brackets are set up into a head to head format where each round takes 2 runs. While the brackets are being set up the head to head course will be prepped for racing. Each round takes 2 runs because each rider must run both courses to keep it fair. After the first of the 2 runs, there is a differential announced between the 2 riders and the rider that is behind must win the second run by more than the differential in order to advance or win the round.
Keys to Competing Well
Lots of guts, Aggression, Talent, Practice, Training, Mental Preparation and good tuning and maintenance of equipment
Snowboard Racing - Most Important Events
Olympics, World Cup
Olympic Outlook
Racing is in and even though it is not the spectator sensation of Halfpipe or Boardercross, It is entertaining
and has found it’s place at the winter games.
Snowboards
Bags
Bindings
Boots
Gloves
Goggles
Helmets
Jackets
Pants
From Snowboard Racing
check out the Alpine Snowboarding Page
or
Go Back to the Competition Page
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