Canada's Alexa Loo competes in the ladies parallel giant snowboarding slalom, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine. Loo placed third. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) Once considered a reckless past time for outlaws of the slopes, snowboarding will have six events at this year's Vancouver Winter Games.
Snowboard cross, parallel giant slalom, and the halfpipe events will take place at Cyprus Mountain, a 30-minute drive from the athlete's village in downtown Vancouver.
With less than 10 years of world competitions and zero demonstration appearances, the IOC introduced snowboarding to the Olympics at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games in an attempt to expand it's program and attract a more youthful audience.
The appeal of the sport lies in its rebellious nature, and the increasing popularity of extreme sports in North America. The atmosphere of competitions often resembles a rock concert with loud music blaring from speakers and a noticeably younger, rowdier crowd.
The Halfpipe event is a notorious fan favourite at the Winter Games. Snowboarders wow the crowd with dangerous acrobatic routines that include tricks with names like backside double-grabs, wet cats, and ho ho's.
In parallel giant slalom, competitors race in courses side by side as they carve past gates and push themselves through several qualifying rounds before the final.
Racers in snowboard cross burst from the starting gates alongside three other riders and furiously navigate jumps, bumps twists and turns on the way to the finish.
Organizers at Cyprus are bracing themselves for the crowds that the events will bring.
Two 12 thousand seat-viewing areas for audiences have been constructed in preparation for the turnout.
Halfpipe
Canada's Sarah Conrad competes in the ladies's half-pipe competition at the FIS snowboarding World Cup last year. She placed second. (Clement Allard/The Canadian Press) The halfpipe event is one of the most exciting and crowd-pleasing spectacles to watch. Riders launch themselves as high as possible off the edge of the course, spinning, flipping and grabbing their board. The goal is to perform a routine of difficult tricks in perfect form.
Event Organization
Athletes perform their routine for the judges on a standard half-cylinder shaped course from which the event earns its name. Dug five metres into the mountain, the pipe at Cyprus Mountain is 150m long and 18m wide. The course has been referred to by many as a "superpipe" because it exceeds the FIS recommended length of 140m, and barely fits within the 18m-width recommendation.
The start order of the competition is determined by points on the FIS ranking list. The top 16 athletes on the list are grouped together and the order is determined by a computerized random draw. The remaining competitors are also randomly drawn to fill the left over spots.
Each snowboarder is allotted two preliminary runs. The scores of those runs determine the top 12 competitors who will move on to the final. The finalists compete in two more runs with the best scored run of the two counting towards the final result. The snowboarder with the highest score is declared halfpipe champion.
Scoring
Judges look for the whole package when assessing a halfpipe routine. Riders receive marks out of 10 by five judges on three areas: variety, difficulty and execution. Variety in a routine shows a high mastery of the sport as athletes performing a large number of different tricks are far more impressive to judges than someone who can only do a few.
Difficulty of the trick depends on how many technical elements are required to perform it. Judges look for riders who can perform 900 or 1080 spins, which is turning 2.5-3 times mid-air. Those competitors who can only perform a 520 or 700 degree spin is only turning 1.5-2 times, thus receiving a lower mark.
Execution refers to the technical skill of each competitor as they perform each trick. Judges look for how high a snowboarder soars into the air when performing, if their legs are bent or straight depending on the trick, and how they land. Scores are posted on large display screens at the start and finish of the halfpipe course.
Deductions in judging are routine, and officials determine the severity on a minor to major scale. Minor infractions include flat or shaky landings after a jump, and using hands for stability. A major deduction would include falls, body contact with the snow and any complete stop.
Shaun White, a 23-year-old American skateboarder and snowboarder, dominated the halfpipe event in 2006. White was 19 at the time and wowed the crowd with two 1080 turns, a Caballerial 1080 and a McTwist spin during his gold-medal routine. Judges loved the clean tricks, solid landings and lingering board grabs, scoring him 46.8 out of 50. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Uc3dg0nQM&feature=related
Equipment
The FIS strongly recommends protection to minimize injuries in the halfpipe. Landing the wrong way midair can result in broken bones, and injuries that are potentially career-ending. Halfpipe snowboarders often wear specially designed gloves that have built-in wrist protection and special grips on the palms and fingers for traction and board grabs. Some riders wear back support plates to protect their spine.
Boots are soft and pliable, allowing movement at the ankles when executing different manoeuvres. The rubber and urethane part of the boot absorbs any shock. The boots are also the choice for recreational riders.
Competitors are allowed to customize the shape and length of their board depending on the event, and one's own height and weight. A general rule of thumb states the taller the athlete, the longer the snowboard.
For a board less than 135 centimetres in length, the width must be a minimum of 14cm, while a board longer than 135cm must have a width of at least 16cm. Halfpipe boards are short, fat and flexible in order for the board to adapt to the curves of the course.
Parallel Giant Slalom
Parallel Giant Slalom is an exciting new take on the common alpine skiing disciplines. It is a head-to-head sudden death race initially introduced to the Winter Olympic platform at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games known as the giant slalom. Competitors in the giant slalom raced against the clock to determine a winner by the best time. In 2002, the event was redesigned so that two riders race side by side in parallel-gated courses to avoid elimination.
Event Organization
The start order of the race is determined by an athlete's World Cup points on the FIS ranking list. The top 16 athletes on the list are grouped and drawn at random. The remaining athletes are slotted into the remaining spots based on their ranking on the points list.
Athletes are mindful that endurance plays a vital role to their success. Riders compete in upwards of nine rounds on the road to the finals. The winner of each race moves through the quarter-finals, semifinals and finals round while the losers are eliminated.
The finals consist of a "big final" determining which athletes place first and second, and a "small final" ranking riders third and fourth.
Rhythm and speed are essential when navigating the gates placed throughout the giant slalom course. Similar to its alpine cousin, courses range in length from 400- 700 metres. The two runs are spaced at least nine metres apart on the mountain, with riders carving past slalom gates spaced at 20-27m intervals. The gates should be far enough apart that turns are smooth and wide, allowing for optimal speed.
Gates are set down the mountain in a way to test the carving skills of each racer. The courses are exact replicas of each other to ensure that one rider does not have an advantage over the other due to different gate patterns down the hill. The course designer pays special attention to the flow of the gates along the fall line and avoiding any sharp turns that prevents riders from achieving top speed.
Two representatives from competing GS countries, usually coaches, set the two Olympic GS runs. The nationality of the course-setters is chosen by a random draw of countries with GS racers in the top-15 of the World Cup start list points. The final step is obtaining a stamp of approval by the chief race director.
Training
In order to allow the athletes a chance to prepare for the races, inspection runs are scheduled for the day before competition. Athletes are given the chance to examine the course and its final setting by sliding down the run beside the gates to study the setup.
Boarding through the gates or practising turns beside the set gates allows for an unfair advantage and is forbidden by officials. On the day of the competition, a practice course is constructed close by so that athletes can train and prepare before their race.
Equipment
When snowboarders fall, they most often land on their arms, shoulders, butt, or head. Because of this, helmets are a requirement for all snowboarding events, including inspection, training and formal competition. Shin guards are also recommended for parallel giant slalom racers. Clipping the control gates during turns is common but painful for the athletes, so many attach plastic shin plates to protect their legs.
Parallel giant slalom snowboards are designed for speed. Riders most often have a stiff and narrow board that is good for turning. The same goes for a rider's boots. Unlike soft half pipe boots that allow room and movement in the feet and legs, giant slalom boots are hard and stiff. The hard boots provide racers with the structure and support needed for the precise turns.
Snowboard Cross
Left to right, Emanual Perathoner, of Italy; Drew Nielson, of Canada; David Speiser, of Germany, and Francois Boivin, of Canada, compete in the men's snowboarding World Cup snowboardcross event, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009, in Newry, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) Versatility and fearlessness are key factors to succeeding in a rough and tumble event where speed and agility make or break a competitor. Snowboard cross is about thinking on your feet when a jump or turn appears while also being able to execute that jump or turn at a record-setting pace.
Event Organization
Each snowboard cross race is divided into four heats. Competitors are grouped based a random draw along with their ranking on the FIS points list. The event is organized so that the top two riders of each race move to the following round, competing in the quarter-finals, semifinals and final races. The finals consist of a "big final" determining which athletes place first to fourth, and a "small final" ranking riders five to eight.
Athletes begin the race in a mass start formation, pushing out of the starting gate trying to gain as much speed as possible. The initial 100 metres of the course are crucial for competitors, a time that gives them a chance to separate from the pack and gain a lead. Riders have to be careful not to fall when jostling for first position as it's extremely difficult to overcome a wipe-out or regain momentum after the first turn.
The course is designed to be wide enough so that competitors can ride side by side if need be, but also narrow enough that passing requires skill and strategy. FIS regulations state that the course should have a 100-240m vertical drop, and a length between 500 and 900m. Runs can last anywhere from 40 to 70 seconds, incorporating several terrain features aimed at challenging the rider, making for a fast-paced and entertaining race.
Course designers have a variety of features to choose from when setting the run. These typically include banks and double banks; single, double and triple jumps rollers; step-up jumps; spines and double spines; table top jumps and wide turns. The snowboard and ski cross athletes compete on the same run but several days apart so that course setters can change and update gates and terrain.
Along the course, competitors pass through brightly coloured gates that flank the length of the run. Gates are a minimum of five metres apart and help direct skiers down the run while drawing their attention to any upcoming jumps, rolls or changes in terrain. At times, a single standalone gate can be used to signal an upcoming turn to racers.
Contact with other riders is common and even expected when there are no designated race lanes, but competitors have to be careful not to block or interfere with others. Intentionally pushing or holding the arm or leg of a fellow competitor, or blocking a rider so they are unable to pass is grounds for immediate disqualification.
Two representatives from competing countries, usually coaches, set the runs. The nationality of the course-setters is chosen by a random draw of countries with racers in the top-15 of the World Cup Start List (WCSL) points. In all Olympic Games, the setters must obtain approval by the chief race director.
Training
Athletes are allowed to inspect the course a few days prior to the event. By sliding down alongside or through the run, competitors take note of the dips and divots. A full mandatory training day is scheduled the day before formal competition and usually lasts one or two hours. Each athlete is given one chance to get a feel for the course at full speed before they race, and scope out how they compare to the competition.
Equipment
Unlike parallel giant slalom, fitted alpine racing suits are not permitted for snowboard cross. Keeping with the relaxed free-riding ideology of snowboarding, suits must be two piece, with plenty of room in the arms and legs. Similar to ski cross, there must be at least eight centimetres of space between the athlete's legs and the pants, and six cm of room from the arms to the jacket. Suits must not be synthetic fabrics such as lycra, rubber, plastic, neoprene, leather, vinyl or any other materials that would increase aerodynamics.
The boards used are a cross between parallel giant slalom and halfpipe boards. They are longer and stiffer for stability and racing, but with curved tips similar to the halfpipe freestyle boards to tolerate bumps and obstacles.
Snowboard cross riders wear boots that are also a hybrid of halfpipe and parallel giant slalom. They are stiffer than halfpipe boots, but not as hard as race boots, although some choose to wear hard racing boots.
