Snowboarders Come to Rescue of Stagnant Sport

There are, by informed estimates, about 10 million skiers in the United States--people who have taken up the sport, stuck with it and continue to make at least three or four trips to the mountains each winter.

The trouble is, 10 years ago there were also about 10 million skiers in the United States.

Since booming in the 1960s and ‘70s, skiing has been on what economists call a “plateau” rather than continuing to attain higher peaks.

But a funny thing happened a couple of years ago: A fad suddenly became a trend. Just when it looked as if the lure of sliding down a mountain was losing its appeal, along came snowboarders riding to the rescue.

Admittedly, it’s not quite the same. Skiing has long touted itself as a way of life, not just a recreational activity, and snowboarding created an entirely different lifestyle, from equipment and fashion to even the kinds of injuries that befall the careless participant.

But the sports are definitely first cousins, and after some initial reluctance, ski resorts--and others who count on snow to make their living--have embraced the hip but sometimes grungy, mostly young crowd with open chairlifts and cash registers.

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With its similarity to surfing, snowboarding’s first wave quite naturally broke in Southern California.

According to Bob Roberts, executive director of California Ski Industry, riders now account for 35% of the clientele at Southland ski areas. In the Sierra, the figure drops to about 15%.

On the slopes, skiers and snowboarders are generally allowed to use the same lifts and runs, such as at Snow Valley, but many resorts have also created exclusive zones for one or the other.

Snow Summit, for example, recently extended its Freestyle Snowboard Park on Westridge, added a second high-walled “halfpipe” and opened the Bear Bottom Lounge mainly for riders; Bear Mountain has continued to offer separate but equal facilities with its Outlaw Snowboard Park and Silver Mountain for skiers only, and Mountain High now has two complete snowboard parks.

Mammoth Mountain lets everyone mingle but is also encouraging riders to try its new freestyle parks, especially Merry-Go-Round off Chair No. 20.

Nationally, there are an estimated 2.25 million snowboarders, and that number is expected to exceed 3 million by 2000, according to the National Sporting Goods Assn., which also reported that the average rider is 22 years old and owns two boards costing more than $300 apiece.

On the competitive level, snowboarding is also starting to receive worldwide acceptance. It will be an official sport in the 1998 Olympic Games at Nagano, Japan, where medals will be awarded in the giant slalom and halfpipe (freestyle) events.

This week, top American riders are competing in the U.S. Snowboard Championships, which continue through Saturday at June Mountain.

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There is an element of risk in snowboarding, as is in skiing, but according to a study presented recently to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in Atlanta, the injuries tend to be dissimilar.

Dr. Mary Bos of the New York University Medical Center said snowboarders are twice as likely as Alpine skiers to injure an ankle and more than four times as likely to break a wrist or forearm. However, riders are three times less likely to injure a knee.

The difference is due mainly to equipment, she said, pointing out that snowboarders face sideways, locked into boots attached to non-release bindings. “In this position,” she said, “the only way for snowboarders to fall is directly forward or backward onto their outstretched hands.”

How frequently does this happen? Well, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that in 1994 there were more than 26,000 snowboarding injuries in this country.

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After leading for most of the season, Jonny Moseley of Tiburon, Calif., wound up second in the Freestyle World Cup men’s moguls standings when he finished seventh in the final event at Meiringen, Switzerland, last weekend. Canadian Jean-Luc Brassard placed first with 732 points, eight more than Moseley.

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The U.S. Pro Championships return to Aspen Highlands, Colo., this weekend for the first time since 1973, when Jean-Claude Killy won the title.

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Pirmin Zurbriggen of Switzerland edged Leonhard Stock of Austria in the final race of the Jeep King of the Mountain Downhill Series at Heavenly recently, but the Austrians won the team title.