The Introduction of the Snowboard at X-Games

Added: 02/27/2006

The snowboard developed from early revolutionary work by people such as Tom Sims, Sherman Poppen, and Jake Burton. The last is the originator of Burton Snowboards, possibly the largest and most well-known snowboard companies worldwide. Learn more about the most prestigious snowboard competitions including Winter Olympics, U.S. and European Open as well as about the snowboard at X-Games.

The X-Games are a yearly multi-sport event focusing largely on extreme sports. The X-Games are broadcasted on ESPN (with irregular additional coverage on ABC), and are divided into seasons: the Summer X-Games typically run in August, and the Winter X-Games traditionally organized in January or February. The Games are carried out in a different venue every few years with the events subject to alteration with years.

Contestant complete in many different styles and categories, striving to win three types of medals: bronze, silver, and gold. The event has helped to gain the popularity to the extreme sports. Additionally, due to the status of the games and the eminence of the participants, the X-Games are over and over again the display case for new records and tricks never seen before (for instance, the "body variable" in MotoX, and the "900" in skateboarding).

The X-Games also feature a festival-like environment by inviting the bands at live venues.

Winter X-Games Disciplines:
1) Skiing
a. Skier X (Men's, Women's)
b. Slopestyle
c. SuperPipe
2) MotoX
a. Best Trick
b. Big Air
3) Snowboarding
a. Big Air (ceased to be held)
b. Snowboard slopestyle (Men's, Women's)
c. Snowboarder X (Men's, Women's)
d. SuperPipe (Men's, Women's)
4) Snowmobile
a. HillCross
b. SnoCross
c. Junior SnoCross
d. UltraCross

Summer X-Games Disciplines:

1) BMX
a. Stunt Vert
b. Stunt Park
c. Stunt Dirt
d. Stunt Flatland

2) Aggressive In-Line Skate
a. Vert
b. Downhill (Men's, Women's)
c. Street (Men's, Women's)
d. Vert Triples

3) MotoX
a. Best Trick
b. Freestyle
c. Step Up
d. Supermoto

4) Skateboard
a. Big Air
b. Street
c. Vert (Men's, Women's, Best Trick)
d. Vert Doubles

5) Surfing
a. The Game
6) Wakeboarding (Men's, Women's).

Since the focal point of this article is snowboard at X-Games, let's shed some light on the snowboarding sport.
Snowboarding is a board sport on snow resembling skiing, but inspired by skateboarding and surfing. Snowboarding is a more and more common winter sport all the way through the world.

Equipment for snowboard comprises a snowboard, special snowboarding boots, and bindings to connect boots to the board, on top of snowboard-specific winter clothing. In 1998 snowboarding became a medal-eligible sport at Winter Olympic Games. Snowboard at X-Games, U.S. and European Open Snowboarding Championships are other notable events that make an accent on snowboarding. These competitions are hosted by a variety of winter resorts in Canada, the United States and Europe.

Snowboard at X-Games is currently represented by three disciplines one of which is Snowboard Cross that has been a discipline in every X-Games edition since their inception in 1997. Snowboard Cross is a snowboard contest in which a grouping of racers (as a rule, four or more) starts all together at the top of an inclined course and then tries to get to the end of the distance first.

The track is usually quite narrow and consists of gap jumps, cambered turns, drops, beams, and flat and steep sections designed to test the ability of riders to keep in control. At snowboard at X-Games it is not common for racers to run into each other. Some viewers have compared the discipline to speed skating at short tracks on account of the amount of contact seen.

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