Privileged Athletes Part 2.

We see it everywhere these days professional athletes, celebrates, and millionaires getting special treatment because they are famous and have money, getting away with violent crimes while others (non-elite) are convicted of the same crimes. Although this topic isn't centered on the sport of snowboarding, I am still choosing to write on this topic because it hit close to home. Growing up in a snowboarding town I was able to witness the privileges that professional snowboarder and skiers would receive, and what they got away with.

In my experience with professional snowboarders and skiers they already have a cocky attitude and consider themselves about the law as I’m sure many professional athletes do, but when they are under the influences of alcohol they tend to take it too far and have cause a great deal of damage. I have experienced many professional athletes, trash hotel rooms, destroy houses at parties, steal snowboards & gear, and even raped one of my classmates in high school. Never being charged or held responsible for their actions, professional athletes’ pushed the limits even further the next time. My classmate never reported the rape. I'm not sure as to why she didn't press charges against him, and unfortunately he and his friends treated it like a joke because he was never charged for the rape, he never realized the consequences of his action and the affect it had on my classmate, leading him to believe that he was above the law.

This experience is just one of the many examples of professional athletes getting away with violent crimes. In the same book by Bergen, that I mentioned in my previous post about this same topic she states that in "our examination of 217 felony sexual assault complaints against athlete’s reveals that, compared with a national sample, athletes are more likely to be arrested and indicted. However, despite aggressive actions by law enforcement officials when charged with sexual assault these same athletes are far less likely to be convicted." The question then come up, who is responsible for these elite athletes getting let off the hook? If the police are doing their job and arresting them, why does society keep letting them get away with their crimes?

Its cases, such as the one with my classmate, professional athletes are committing violent crimes and getting away with them, which has lead to this blog post. It’s terrible that we as a society are almost willing to look the other way and let them get away with these crimes because of their influences in our society. Children looking up to these professional athletes thinking how they want to grow up and be just like them one day, we don't want them to see their favorite soccer play/ football player/ snowboarder go to jail for rape or other crimes; however, these athletes just like other citizens should be held responsible for their actions. 

Favorite Snowboarders!

When talking about sports everyone always has their favorite teams and team players. Well when it comes to snowboarding it’s no different. One of my favorite snowboarders it Louie Vito! He is my favorite rider because he is a consistent rider who loves the sport and is always pushing himself to get better. Louie was born on March 20, 1988 and is a goofy rider- riding with his right forward oppose to the opposite of being a regular rider which is riding with your left foot forward. I am personally a goofy rider in a sea of regular riders, so I love to route for other goofy riders. Back in 2009 he was the first professional athlete to land a front-side double cork 1080 in a half-pipe competition, pretty big deal. This year he has improved greatly, earned an unheard-of amount of podium positions between the 2010 Olympics and autumn 2011. He won 12 out of the world's 14 major snowboarding contest, including three consecutive X games

Privileged Athletes?

I recently read part of this book called "Sports in contemporary Society" by Stanley Eitzen, in the section of the book that I was able to read, it talked about current issues going on with athletes and rape. In the book it talked about how athletes are hardly ever charged with rape if a girl accuses them. Male athletes use lines and excuses such as "she was asking for it" or "she wanted it," because of this the jury and judge usually drops the charges against the young athletes believing them over the women. Rape is a touchy subject to write about, statistics have show that 1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, and only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. (Facts taken from http://www.endthebacklog.org/whatisthebacklog.htm) From another website I found that 54% of sexual assaults are never even reported to the police. -http://www.rainn.org/statistics

Reading this article made me start to think about all the crimes that privileged athletes have committed and they have got away with, either not charged at all or found not guilty in court. A prime example of elites getting away with crimes, is the trial case of O.J. Simpson, he was charged with the murder for his recently divorced wife, Nicole Brown, and Ronald Goldman; however, even though much of the evidence pointed to him and the fact that he had a history of abuse towards her, he was found not guilty. Is this because society doesn't want to believe that elites could be capable of such crimes or just ignorant to the facts? Either way it seems that athletes have started to get a reputation for pushing the limits of the law.

In another book that I recently read by Raquel Kennedy Bergen called "Issues in intimate violence" she talked about athletes and their aggression and how it compares to non athletes. She states in one of her chapters called, Arrest and Conviction Rates for athletes accused of Sexual Assault, that "settings most correlated with sexual aggression showed that while non athletes factors such as alcohol consumption were most highly correlated with sexual aggression, being an athlete also was a positive associated." From this quote it is easy to see that athletes have a tendency to be more aggressive than non athletes, but what happens when athletes drink? From this quote we can assume that when athletes drink they are twice as aggressive then non- athletes. In my personal experience I have also found that this statement is true. 

Snowboarding crashes

When participating in almost any sport, one stands the chance of getting hurt. So why do people still do these sports? Is the reward of scoring a goal worth the chance that you might sprain an ankle in the process? Is the chance that you might not land the jump when snowboarding still worth trying the jump out? For me I can easily say yes the reward is worth it, while others may not agree. It’s up to each specific person. 

In this video posted above it shows numerous snowboarding crashes. 

After watching this video I don't even want to go snowboarding! All the crashes look so painful I can't even imagine how the rider must feel. So why is it that even after all these crashes the rider still goes riding? I would/ do feel so discouraged sometimes after crashing. My body hurts so badly sometimes the next day I can hardly get out of bed. Most the time however, I am able to shake it off and get back up and ride, well as long as I didn't crash too hard. It’s hard crashing, but its part of the sport. It’s that risk factor that engages people, asking yourself will I land this jump will I crash? who cares I’m still going to try because the reward of landing a jump often overrides the many times that you have crashed on that jump. When looking back on my history with snowboarding, I can clearly remember all the times I have landed a jump or perfected a new trick, but have a harder time remembering the MANY times I have fallen. This could possibly be because I have tried to block them out. I have fallen so many times I couldn't even count them if I wanted to. But I do feel that I remember landing the tricks more because of that amazing sensation I get when I land it, I’m pumped up, excited, adrenalin pumping, and stoked of life. It seems silly but I LOVE IT. It’s that feeling that I get, as I’m sure other riders do also, that keeps me motivated and willing to try new tricks, jumps, rails, etc. even when we crash a few times first. We know that the risk that we are taking will eventually be worth the reward; it just may take a couple of times to get it right. 

Generation Vs. Generation

New generations of snowboarders pushing limits!

 It happens as sports develop over time. So do the people participating in it, pushing new limits exploring new ideas/ tricks. What was once considered outrageous is now the new norm.    

------> http://youtube/1zP8Tn0XCCk

The video link above is Shaun Whites winning run for the 2010 Winter Olympic. This video is the prime example of young up and coming snowboarders trying new tricks, getting more air, and setting higher standards for other snowboarder to follow. 

          Older generations are the OG’s (original gangsters, the masters) of snowboarding. Experiencing the sport when it was in a prime developmental stage. Focusing on better equipment, new tricks, and teaching younger generations to love the sport as they do. Their norms and comfort levels have rubbed off on younger generations, making younger generations have a higher comfort level with a trick that an older rider might have been more timid to do. For example, back in the 1960's when the sport first came around they probably weren't flying through the air performing crazy tricks like the ones in the video posted above. The sport takes time to develop, as do the people, starting off small then seeing how far they can push themselves.

Dare Devils: reckless, daring, and adventurous! Dare Devils are willing to take risk push new limits to get that rush of adrenaline. When participating in any sport one must have a sense of adventure, a desire to be pushed out of their comfort zone. When talking about the sport of snowboarding, it’s easy to see that there are different levels of adventurism. Snowboarders who can't get enough of the jumps and rails, and find it exhilarating to fly off a 50 foot jump and go flying through the air, while others might get their kicks from snowboarding down the hardest run on the mountain. Personally I can't find anything better than going through the trees in search of fresh powder! It’s exhilarating having to watch out for constant obstacles, watching our for trees and being able to make quick adjustments and sharp turns on command. Riding through powder feels like you are soaring through the sky on a cloud, there is no better feeling!

Snowboarders these days are mostly thought of as dare devils who are constantly flying off jumps, hitting rails, and going too fast; however, when the sport first came about that generation of snowboarders were also seen as crazy hooligans riding on only one board (instead of two like skiers) going too fast and push new limits. The comfort level has changed and so has the sport. At first I thought it was a competition between skiers and snowboarders, but now see that it is a clash of generations. As people get older, in most cases, they tend to be more conservative; thus, looking at younger generations as crazy and out of control. But is that really true? Yes younger generations are breaking down new boundaries, but older generations seem to forget that they were once those crazy young kids pushing the limits and getting on others nerves. 

Safety on the Hill

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE! - Be aware of your surroundings! It important to know who is around you at all times. People are constantly pass you by, or your passing them, knowing who is on either side of you, in front of you and who’s coming up behind you will help you avoid collisions with other riders. Be safe on the hill and staying in control. An out of control riding, someone going to fast or an inexperienced rider who may not know how to stop, is an extremely dangerous situation that unfortunately occurs too often. Knowing who is around you is also important but it is also important to know the terrain. Which ski trial you want to take? Do they merge with other ski trials? Will you be able to get back to your original starting location? Knowing the terrain is as simple as learning the maps, almost every ski area hands maps out when you purchase your tickets. In addition on the mountains they have trail headings that help guide you to your desired location. Knowing which trails to take is also important so you don't go into the park areas- areas with jumps and rails, this can be dangerous because they are often lined up in desired spots for the riders to hit them properly. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed a rider trying to hit a jump but end up crashing because another unaware rider got in his way.

Mountain High Map

North Star Map 

Big Bear Map

Mammoth Mountain Map

Another important rule is to always ski with a buddy in case one of you gets hurts or lost. Riding with a buddy is especially important if you are going through powder. My friends and I have worked out a system; if we are riding through the powder/trees we will take one headphone out and yell if we fall. We take this precaution because when falling in powder there are two main concerns, one: falling into a tree wells.This can be extremely dangerous because a tree well is when the snow is high enough that it covers the top branches of the tree, giving the illusion that there is snow underneath, when in fact there is nothing but other branches. Therefore, if you ride over this area you may fall into the tree-well. This is a scary situation and unfortunately people have died from being stuck in a tree-well. Stick together! The other main concern when falling into powder is not being able to get back up and loosing track of you friends who may be far ahead of you. Numerous times i have fallen in powder and have to sit there and pack the snow down so i can push off of it to raise myself back up. This is an intense work out for your arms because after while they  get extremely sore from trying to push yourself up from snow that just sinks underneath you. In addition bringing a cellphone with you is also important in case of emergencies; however, do be cautious with your cellphone. For example make sure you put it in your jacket pocket rather than pants, saving you a cracked screen, or water damage.

Another important rule is to make sure you stay in control of yourself as well as your skies or snowboard. If equipment gets loose on a run, it could fly down and hit other skiers or snowboarders. Furthermore it’s important to pay attention to the warning signs, as well as SLOW signs. They are put there for your safety. An example of a warning sign may be a sign about merging trial or avalanche warnings. Paying attention to train signs is also important. 

With all this said it is also important to know the basics of skiing or snowboarding before loading the chairlift and heading out on the run, this is why in my previous post I mentioned that beginners should take a lesson for their first time. The lesson will start beginners off on a magic carpet, a device that will bring people up a small hill, they can then practice stopping down a small slope away from the crowds. This small step of learning the basics helps keep yourself and others safe on the hill.  Learning to stop is crucial for your safety and especially others around you. I can't even recall how many times a new snowboarder has run into me or one of my friends because they haven't learned to stop!

Buying a Snowboard?!

Here are some tips when taking the plug and deciding to buy a snowboard! 

First off buy the snowboard in a local area, or at least an area where you will be riding a lot. I cannot stress the importance of this step! This is important because if you are buying a board for your first time, you will need the help of the employees at the shop to help you make the best decision for you, they will help with the fitting of the board, boots, and bindings. It's also really important to buy locally because if something doesn't fit right after trying them out they will usually let you exchange it. This is better than just going online and basing you decision of the coolest or prettiest designs. However contradictory to that comment I bought my snowboard online. My reason for doing this is simple because I knew the size of the board I needed, the type of riding I wanted to do on it and was offered a discount on a forum board- Forum is a snowboard brand. 

 *The picture above is the snowboard that I purchase two years ago; unfortunately I wasn't able to find any picture where you could clearly see it. 

When deciding which board to buy you must also have an idea of what kind of riding you want to do. There are three main categories: 

1. Park riding- a short board would be best for this, a board that when stood up straight comes up to about your shoulders or neck

2. Natural terrain (powder board) - longer board, should be somewhere between your nose and forehead 

3. All mountain- combination of the two should be at your chin in height. 

After deciding which type of riding you will be doing most, you can move on to the next step. Another main component to choosing a board is your body type. How much you weigh and how tall you are.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llxum3uPlA8&feature=relmfu

This first link here is perfect for understanding how your body weight and height affect your snowboard type. He goes over the size chart posted above. This chart helps new riders understand the importance of buy a board that is the right size for you. 

This helpful video above is great to see the different types of riding out there and why it is so important to choose the right one for you. After choosing a board, you need to learn how to set it up properly. I have posted another video below that shows you step by step how to set up your board-put bindings on, at favorable angel, making your board specific to your preference. 

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G89SkpDksfI&feature=related

Best Deals for Vacation In the Snow.

When decided where to travel for a small vacation in the snow with your friends or family, there are two very important things to bring into play.

1. Group Size

2. Budget

(Weather report and snowfall are also important).

I pretended that I was taking a trip with three other people, starting off from San Francisco, by using a website called http://www.visitcalifornia.com I was able to find some of the best deals for a ski trip within California.

One of the best deals is out of Tahoe http://tahoeseasons.com/packages-ski.html. By clicking on this link it will take you to the website where you can begin planning you trip. This package deal above gives you the freedom of skiing at two different resorts, North Star and Heavenly, with the same ticket. These two ski resorts are both located out of Tahoe and are a short diving distance apart.

Another good deal that I found was out of Heavenly. http://www.skiheavenly.com/Plan-Your-Trip/Vacation-Deals-and-Packages/Offer-Details.aspx?ProductID=HVLY_2011-12_SFSF_VP&ExplorerFilters=Spring||Peak||EarlySeason||Holiday||  Their Ski free and Stay free deal. This deal allows you to  stay one night free and get a free day of skiing after stay three to ten nights.

This deal is good for families that want to go to the snow for spring break.

Also Mammoth Mountain offers great deals this time of years, http://www.mammothmountain.com/VacationPlanning/Deals/FreeFlights/  by traveling to Mammoth you can get four night weekDAY stay for $99 per person, each night, or three night weekEND stay for $129 a night. In addition to cheap flights!

Why take advantage of these deals now?

We all know that it has been a pretty dry year; snow resorts have been hit especially hard this year and are offering outrageous deals in attempts to have people come visit. On a positive note in the past couple of months the amount of snowfall has increase, most mountains have a solid base. With fresh snowfall it’s a great time to take advantage of some of these deals.

The ART of snowboarding.

When talking about art no one really connects it to snowboarding, however there has been a recent wave of artist coming out 

to collaborate with snowboarders. Sure there are artist that are paid to design the graphics on the board, but a new art gallery can be found on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain. I'm talking about the JLA Art Park. This was a new feature added to the mountain last season in tribute to Jeff Lin. Anderson (JLA), a pro snowboarder from Mammoth Lakes, CA who died back in 2003 at the young age of 23. The unique thing about this set of rail and jumps is the art work on the sides of the rails, its creative and eye catching and encourages on looks, as well as riders, to come check out this new park. This creative idea to connect two different hobbies together was thought up by JLA himself. The first art rail was designed by Jeff and brought to life for the US open. Not only is he a passionate snowboarder but was an artist as well. When talking about snowboarding and being a snowboarder I never thought of myself as an artist or the sport having art involved. After this new terrain park came out I realized that snowboarding is art, and everyone has their own creative spark to add to the sport and this gallery on the mountain is the best way to represent JLA and his contribution to the world of snowboarding. I love that this was made possible even after he left us. I believe that this is truly what he would have envisioned when he designed his first rail.

I had Jeff's mother as my eight grade teacher and I remember how excited she was that his dream was coming true, she worked very hard on this project as well as the Volcom Brother Skate Park, a skate park in memory or her son. She made shirts and stickers and gave it to everyone in the class. At the opening of the skate park she even got some of the guys from Jack*** (the movie) to show up. This park is more than just another terrain park at another mountain; this park has passion and motivation behind it and inspires many riders to follow in Jeff's footsteps. Many snowboarders live by this inspirational quote "I'm not new to this, I'm true to this" by JLA. My Friend/ Pro-snowboarder Tyler Flanagan even go this quote tattooed on his arm, as see in the picture. 

 

Riding under the influence CDT

In my previous post I most focused on my experiences with riding while drinking, but what about the large stereotypes of snowboarders as stoners? A big reason why people link the two together is because of the 1998 winter Olympics where a young Canadian snowboard, Ross Rebagliati was tested positive for marijuana after winning the gold medal. The judges threaten to take is medal away but finally decided that it wouldn't be necessary after his claims of only testing positive because of his friends smoking around him. Other professional athletes have been know for smoking marijuana, one example being Michael Phelps, a gold medal Olympic swimmer who was caught smoking weed a couple for years back, Rebagliati incident has stuck around and made a stereotype of snowboards as stoners. In general snowboards are typically seen as more relaxed easy going people, at least from my perspective, so is that why people label them as stoners? I have grown up in a snowboarding world, so it is often hard for me to see what others may be able to see without my bias opinion.

The way I look at it, yes some snowboarders do smoke weed but there are also other who participate in the sport that do not. I believe that statement is true for almost any sport out there skateboarding, surfing, swimming, soccer, volleyball, and baseball. The list could go on for days, but why is it that sports like snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding are typically more labeled as marijuana smokers than others. Is it the sport itself? Is it the people who participate in the sport? Swimmers are not generally labeled as marijuana smokers because of Michael Phelps’ incident of photos being leaked to the media of him smoking marijuana. In my personally opinion I do see these sports as more laid back, freestyle types of exercise. I can see how these laid back types of sport attract that type of people. So when saying is it the sport in general or the people involved in the sport that gives them that stoner stereotype its clear to me that they go hand in hand. I think it’s a mistake to label skateboards, surfers, and snowboarders as marijuana smokers; although some may smoke marijuana the sport as a whole is not full of stoners despite the mislabeling of perhaps older generations, or others who strongly disagree with the use of cannabis 

Riding under the influences

After reading a recent article off of snowsphere.com about the issues and concerns of riding after smoking marijuana or after having a couple of beers it made me think about some of my own experiences with this issues. One time in particular stands out to me. My friends and I decided to go riding together one day. Me and two girls started off together then later met up with one of our guy friends. For the second or third run we decided to take the gondola- an enclosed chairlift- from the bottom all the way to the top, however once at the top our guy friend wanted to go around again one more time and ride the gondola all the way back down and then back up again. He had been drink the entire gondola ride, vodka and red bull to be exact.

Unaware of how much he had actually drinking we decided to ride the gondola around one more time. Once off at the top he realized that he was definitely drunker than we thought. When we saw him struggling to put his skis on we knew we were in for some trouble. I knew I should have insisted that he take the gondola back to the bottom; however, he convinced us that he was okay to ski down to the bottom.

However he quickly proved us wrong, he crashed three times one time taking out a gate that was placed there for merging trails and for people to slow down. He was out of control and almost hit several people. Unfortunately for us at the time, he just got a new pair of skis and decided to see how fast he could go bombing down the hill. He raced down to the bottom of the run loosing us along the way. Unable to find him for hours we decided to go home; later finding out that he made it down the hill safely but tripped down a long flight of stairs in the ski lodge had got driven home by security.

 Unfortunately he was an employee for the mountain, and lost his job. After this experience he has made me double think the dangers of riding and drinking, before this incident I hadn't given the issue much thought. I always saw people drink on the mountain, but just classified it as them just have a beer or two to help loosen them up and relax on their vacations. After this experience I have been largely against drinking while riding, it’s hard enough to ski and snowboard as it is, but with a drug like alcohol that throws off your balance it’s even more dangerous. Staying in control of your board and yourself on the mountain is one of the main safety concerns that many ski areas focus on, which I talk about in my post Safety on the Hill. This post is nothing but a mere story of my experience with drinking, posted in hopes that others will learn and refrain from drinking while snowboarding. Taking this subject lightly would only provide others with the chance to drink while snowboarding. A GREAT MISTAKE! 

Essentials for your first time snowboarding!

When heading out on the snow for the first time there are a few things that you need to bring. First wear long socks, this will help keep your snowboard boots, or ski boots from rubbing and helping your boots fit more snug. Second thing would be to wear long underwear or sweats, or something comfortable to wear under your snow pants. This will give you more freedom in your movements and help keep you warm, a long shirt or sweatshirt is usually needed as well but it truly depends on the weather for that specific day. Once you have your layer underneath you can focus on the outer layer. Snow pants and a jacket are need almost every time you go up to snowboard, a good strong outer layer is usually ideal so no matter the weather you can stay warm. Water proof pants are essential especially when snowboarding for your first time, because people tend to fall a lot their first time. A good jacket is also very important; I usually look for jackets with lots of pockets because I tend to bring a lot of stuff with me up on the mountain., such as cell phone, ipod, a snack, and my pass. In addition I look for jackets that are a little longer so if I go riding on a powder day I stand a better chance of keeping the snow from out of my pants if I fall, which happens more with shorter jackets. Most jackets these days have a powder guard on them that helps with this as well. A powder guard it a piece of fabric that is on the inside of the jacket at the bottom that goes around the top of your pants you usually button it up on the days that you feel you will need it to keep the snow out, or just let it hang on the inside of your jacket on the days you don't.

Teaching my friends from sf how to snowboard!

Next comes the gloves, most common types of gloves are regular water proof gloves that separate each finger, however I really like mittens because they keep your fingers together, thus keeping them warmer. Moving up the body we come to the head, two main things would be goggles and a hat or helmet. For other colder days you may need a scarf of a turtle neck to help block the wind if the weather is especially brutal that day. Last but not least comes the snowboarding boots and snowboard. Snowboard boot can be kind of tricky sometimes when finding the right pair, I suggest renting a pair for your first time so the employees at the rental shop can help you pick on the right side and make sure they fit you correctly and don't irritate your ankles and cause too much rubbing. Once you have the boots on its time to go for the snowboard, once again I suggest renting it for your first time so you can get help setting it up to your specific needs. If renting it for your first time, they will help you figure out if you are regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward).

TIPS: It’s hard going out snowboarding for the first time, I suggest getting a first time beginners lesson, and although they may be a little expensive they are worth every penny. The instructors are great with first timers and help people learn the proper techniques. This is important because proper form in snowboarding is an easy way to avoid getting hurt. Such example of bending your knees, turning while keeping your back straight, little tips like these from the instructors will help develop your skills quicker. Another main idea to keep in mind after your first day of snowboarding is that everyone falls numerous times their first day, I know I did. I even quit snowboarding for awhile because I got so discouraged with falling all the time. After getting past that and working on my balance I have falling in LOVE with this sport and encourage others to take the plunge and go out and ride!

You gotta risk it to get the biscuit!

http://unofficialnetworks.com/msnbcs-rock-center-brian-williams-speaks-dr-robb-gaffney-sherry-mcconkey-risk-fatalities-sport-skiing-78051/

When talking about profession athletes, it’s like talking about superman. I always tend to look at them as if they are invincible and can do anything. Most the time that is because they are willing to anything, profession athlete break barriers and set the way for others to follow. Without these dare devils most sports would be considered safe; however, that is not the case. People are always pushing themselves to the limits and seeing how far they can take it, going to the extreme. The risk factor involved with extreme skiing and snowboarding is like a drug to most out there, they can’t seem to get enough of it, and once they have concurred one extreme it’s on to the next extreme out there. In this video several people question whether is the sponsors that are pushing these extreme athletes to their limits; however, the wife of Shane McConkey talks about her husband’s experience with extreme skiing and explains otherwise. In the video she elaborates on the dangers of her husband’s career and how they often talked about these risks involved, yet he still dared to continue on with this dangerous lifestyle that in the end took his life. Although people are blaming the sponsors she states that it was often her husband that came up with these dangerous ideas, and his sponsor, Red bull, followed along with it always keeping his safety in mind. 
The question still remains though, are people pushing themselves to these extremes just to get famous, or to get a million view of their YouTube video? Well the answer is probably yes. Although they may still do these extreme sports, the media aspect of it is still a big reason why people are doing such extremes. People are often trying to get more money, by doing these dangerous stunts they believe that they will get paid more, and if they don't do it some other professional skier or snowboarder will. In the world of extreme sports it’s a completion between all the athletes to beat the last guy and doing something more eye popping than anyone else would dare do. 

Snowboarding Vs. Skiing CTD

With this said many older skiers were not happy when mountains began to spend more time on the parks and jibs (rails) then improving the runs. However, soon after an increase interest in expanding the parks a new generation of skiers emerged that grew to love the jumps and other features in the parks. Many skiers are now seen to older crowds as annoying as all the snowboarding “park-rats.” A “park-rat” is a rider on the mountain, whether their skiing or snowboarding it doesn’t matter, that spends their entire day riding through the park hitting the different features, such as jumps of or rails, instead of going down the runs with no features on them. Today many mountains spend millions of dollars perfecting their terrain parks through snowmaking, park crew, and landscaping. For example North Star, a ski resort in Tahoe has spent a large sum of money this season to prepare their new half pipe for Olympian Shaun White.

When talking about skiing vs. snowboarding, it is hard to say what the right choice between the two is; they are both considered expensive sports. It’s still a contributing factor when trying to decide in the beginning, but not nearly as much as it use to be. In addition, both are energizing sports, that require lots of energy and a hearty breakfast, whether taking laps through the parks, or taking run on the backside of the mountain, they both are a great activity to stay in shape. Each person is different and it really comes down your level of adventurism, and comfort levels on the mountain. 

Snowboarding Vs. Skiing

It's a time old question when it comes to winter sport, which do you prefer: skiing or snowboarding?

But has this topic become more about your age, money, and generation differences then the actual love for the sport?

In this clip from Johnny Tsunami, a popular Disney Channel movie from the late 90's, we see a young athlete boy who wants "to get back on a board," after recently moved from Hawaii to Vermont, and is suffering from not being able to surf anymore. 

During the last minute and half of this clip we can see that there is a wealth issue between the two sports, which before snowboarding became popular in the 80, was a big issue when choosing between the two. After snowboarding became popular, many skiers’ looked down upon snowboarding because they looked at snowboarders with certain stereotypes of young reckless kids who look trashy and vandalizing the ski resorts. With this perception of snowboarder being a younger uncontrollable crowd, skiers slowly fell into the category of being an older crowd, with little tolerance for young snowboarders.

How to not be a "Gaper."

First off we need to clearly define what a “gaper” is, well this can be describes in one basic picture.

This picture shows a skier or snowboarder with a goggle gap--The gap between the rider’s goggles, and the helmet- this is where the term "gaper" comes from. However, don't confuse it with the next picture of the skier, who does this on purpose, whereas gaper's are unaware of their so called "dorky-ness." With a sport that involves covering yourself up head to toe in gear; it’s an essential as to dress for the sport. One of the main aspects of this sport is the clothing that people wear it’s all about the swag-- having the brightest jackets/ pants, nice goggles, and coolest beanies. When going up on the mountain it’s easy to tell from the way people dress whether they are locals, or tourist, experienced riders or newbie’s. Many of the locals are decked out in the best gear; one example may be having the new Oakley Splice goggles, as seen in picture. Locals are often the ones that participate in the sport the most, and thus have the most opportunities to set the new trends of styles, types of boards, and other types of gear. Whereas tourist who are often new to the sport and have hammy downs, or rented gear that doesn't fit them properly- truly not their fault.

Some recent changes in the snowboarding culture have come from clothing trends; for instances, about three years ago one of the main trends in snowboarding and skiing was having baggy pants, which was also very popular in the Hip-Hop scene, whereas now the new trend is to have tight pants, which is a big trend recently from hipsters, who wear tight pants. A big way that people judge you when on the mountain is your clothing, many younger generations dress in brighter clothing. While older generations might where bright colors too, but they are usually retro one pieces. Older generations often say that they wear bright colors so that others can see them better so others will not run into them, which can be an issue while snowboarding of skiing. So while younger kids on the mountains may wear bright clothing to show off to their friends, older generations might wear something bright but only to help with their safety on the mountains. This is just one small example of the culture of snowboarding, and the many aspects that come along with this sport.