The fans of other similar sports often appreciate freestyle snowboarding too, and that might by why the sport is so popular. It is a sport for people who love the excitement, and the pleasure of speeds and flying through the air.
The following is an alphabetized list of some of the key terms that you might hear if you listen to fans talking about snowboarding, or if you watch an event on television:
Air refers to the length of time, and the distance off the ground. Most times this is associated with the number of stunts that are performed while off the ground.
Bonk refers to when you slide over some object and slap it with your hand. There is usually a little air involved in this. Most likely the name comes from the sound made by the board hitting the bump, or by the slap.
Duck stance refers to the position with both feet on the board at once. This is the regular position of just standing up, but it is a little difficult while in the air, or while sliding down a hill.
Edges are the strips of metal that run along the edges of the board. Snowboarders use this part of the board to change direction, or to apply brake, or to make a pattern in the snow. The edges are what you use to maneuver the board in the desired direction. This is done by shifting one's weight to the toes or heels.
A fall line is a straight line down the mountain. This is the line where the snowboard would travel fastest, since the force of gravity acts directly and the force of friction is lowest. The concept behind this name is that going straight down the mountain this way feels so fast it's like free fall.
A garland means that the boarder is going across the slope. They need to build up speed going down, and then shift direction suddenly.
A half pipe is used for stunts. They go from one side to the other, in a funnel shaped area that is specially built for doing fancy stunts.
A kicker is a little jump that helps snowboarders to get as much air as possible, which allows them to perform many tricks in the air. The lip is the edge of a pipe, or some other area where you can take off into the air to begin a stunt.
When a rider turns, he may create a bump called a mogul. When you watch snowboarding events on television, or out in the real world, there are several events. There is the half pipe, where pros compete to see who can do the best stunts while in the air over a pipe. In a jump contest pros speed down the free line of a hill, to gather up as much momentum as possible.
They then hurl themselves off a lip at the end of the line, and into the air. The object is to do as many difficult tricks as possible while in the air. In power snow driving you start at the top of a hill and go straight down to the bottom, making as many fancy turns and tricks and small jumps as you can in between. This is a great favorite among freestyle fans.
Boarder Cross has several boarders who go down a hill together, navigating a series of jumps, twists, and obstacles in a race to the bottom. This is a great and wonderful sport that is worth the time to learn about, even if you just want to watch.
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