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.