Snowboarding
Thanks for joining us!
This episode was written by Jean and voiced by Kara and T.
Episode art was created by Jean.
It was originally released in February 2024.
— Snowboarding Episode Summary —
Swoosh, swoosh – let’s go snowboarding! —
When there’s lots of snow on the ground, people enjoy finding ways to be on top of it, like snowshoeing, skiing, and snowboarding.
Snowboarding is a fairly new invention. A man named Jake Burton Carpenter loved to be in the snow and loved surfing in the ocean and wondered if he could combine the two. After many years of developing a board, he gave it to other people to try. Thus, modern day snowboarding and Burton Snowboards were invented!
How do snowboards work? —
Snowboards are mostly flat, with a smooth bottom called a base that slides over the snow. The top part where your feet go is called the deck and the edges have a strip of metal called the rail, that’s especially helpful for stopping and turning.
The front of a snowboard is called the nose and the back is called the tail.
The size of a snowboard relates to the size of the rider – boards for kids are shorter than those for adults.
You ride turned to the side, with one foot ahead of the other. If your right foot is in front it’s called regular style and if your left food is in front it’s called goofy.
To go down the mountain, you need to first balance your weight, then lean your weight towards the edge of the board, and bend your knees. As your get going down, you pivot by pushing side to side. And to stop, you lean your weight against the metal edge and dig it into the snow.
Where do you go snowboarding? —
You need to be on a snowy mountain, high up so that it’s cold, and on a slope – a surface that has one end higher than the other. (There are slopes all around us in everyday life!)
We stay on the mountain as we’re going down the slope thanks to gravity, an invisible force that keeps things on Earth.
You have a board and a mountain, now what? —
You need the right clothing and gear! A sturdy helmet made for snowboarding, goggles to help protect eyes from the bright snow. Warm jackets, snow pants, and warm gloves are a must. And some also wear wrist guards to protect you when you fall.
And you WILL FALL! Everyone falls when they’re snowboarding. A lot. It’s part of it and that’s ok.
Snowboarders do it for fun and some also compete in the sport! —
Some compete by sliding up a curved hill (called a half-pipe) and doing flips and spins in the air. Some freestyle boarders do jumps and tricks as they quickly go down the slop. And some go super fast down a curvy, steep mountain to see who is the fastest.
Snowboarders have lots of fun with words. An ollie is a way to jump up. A nollie is a way to push into a jump. When you travel down a half-pipe, a boarder might do an alley-oop, a McEgg or a flying squirrel. Powdery snow is called pow. A fast ride is to shred. A good ride is called gnarly. When they fail it’s called a bail. A high jump is big air.
Learning a new sport can take time, and may even be frustrating at first. After some practice, you’ll find it can be a lot of fun to go snowboarding down a mountain!
— Check out these links —
Snowboarding in Action (Sports in Action) book by John Crossingham & Bobbie Kalman
