Side-Hill Surfers Climbing Aboard
Like fresh powder after a storm, the numbers of snowboarders on local mountains keep piling up. Resorts have finally realized that this hybrid of surfing and skiing is not going away; in fact, snowboarding is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.
At Mountain High in Wrightwood today, a flurry of snowboarders and spectators will join for slalom competition sponsored by Ford Motor Co. and the United States Amateur Snowboarding Assn.
The 100 or so competitors can earn points toward representing the Southern California region in national competition in March. Anyone can compete by paying a $10 USASA membership fee at Mountain High.
The USASA has done a remarkable job of organizing this relatively new sport, boasting 3,600 members and staging 12 regional series and the national championships every year since 1988.
“We are a grass-roots, community-oriented organization,” said Jimbeau Andrews, a USASA spokesman. “We survive on a backbone of dedicated volunteers, about 30 in each region.”
Many of the volunteers judge competition, a situation that has caused the only divisiveness in this fun-filled sport. Snowboarding events are divided into two areas--alpine and freestyle--and winners are determined in vastly different ways.
Alpine events include slalom and giant slalom and are similar to skiing races. Snowboarders race against a clock or go head to head.
The two freestyle events, slope style and half-pipe, are not timed but rather are judged like diving or figure skating.
For Scott Falkenhagen, snowboarding is fahrvergnugen, but he says judges’ opinions are often far-fetched.
“I love this sport, it’s my life, but the judging is really political,” said Falkenhagen, a senior at Calabasas High who has snowboarded competitively for three years.
Falkenhagen said that judges typically live near the resort and give higher scores to local snowboarders whose names they recognize. The USASA is losing credibility because of the problem, he said.
“I’ve been robbed several times,” he said. “Last year in one event I was eighth out of 56, and all seven ahead of me were locals.”
Falkenhagen competes only in half-pipe, in which competitors do jumps and turns in a natural bowl much like skateboarders.
Natural obstacles such as logs, trees and moguls come into play on a course of about 800 yards.
The freestyle events are by far the most popular; 93% of snowboards sold in the United States over the past two years are designed for freestyle. Alpine events, which require a sturdier snowboard and bindings, are more popular in Europe.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of opportunity for Southern California snowboarders to compete in Alpine or freestyle competition.
Most slalom and half-pipe events held locally over the next two months will be at Snow Summit in the San Bernardino Mountains. Two slope style competitions will be held at nearby Big Air Green Valley, and a giant slalom will be held at Bear Mountain.
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Everyone is invited.
“You compete against people your own age and ability level,” Andrews said.
The Mountain High event is typical, offering races for ages 10- through 60-and-over, for abilities ranging from beginner to expert.
Regional winners such as Ashley Rice of Santa Ynez have used USASA competition to gain berths on the Junior World Cup team. Rice, 18, leaves with the team this week for a two-month tour in Europe and Japan.
Like many snowboarders, Rice made a swift transition from skiing.
“It’s a lot like skiing, surfing and (skateboarding), so if you are good at any of those sports, you can snowboard,” said Rice, who competes in Alpine events. “I’ve only been doing it for three years, but after World Cup the next step is the Olympics.”
Snowboarding has been approved as a medal sport by the International Olympic Committee, although Japan, the host nation of the 1988 Winter Games, is still deciding whether to include it.
“Most serious amateur snowboarders are kids who want to get into the Olympics,” said Jeff Grell, a former professional snowboarder from Chatsworth who has served as race director for the American Professional Snowboard Series for seven years.
If the sport’s growing popularity is an indication--there are more than 30,000 competitors worldwide--snowboarding will continue to gain acceptance.
With 2.2 million participants in the United States alone, snowboarding grew 35% in 1993, according to American Sports Data. The number is projected to grow to 6 million by the year 2,000.
Also, the number of companies manufacturing snowboards has more than doubled in the past two years.
Resorts have come to terms with the sport, which initially was viewed skeptically by skiers. Snowboards make a lot of noise, and skiers were often startled in their first encounters with them.
Mountain High, like many resorts, has set aside an area exclusively for snowboarding, including a 400-foot half-pipe.
