About

Snowboarding is a powerful, amazing and intense winter sport that involves descending a slope that is either partially or fully covered with snow. The basic equipment that is involved in this sport is a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set into a mounted binding. In tropical counties like Singapore, unfortunately we do not have snowy mountains like the Alps; hence artificial indoor skiing and snowboarding establishments, like our ‘Snow City’, have been built to allow locals to have a feel of this experience.

Origins

The development of snowboarding was inspired by surfing and skateboarding as it shares some similarities with skiing. The sport became more established in the United States in the 1960s and the 1970s and officially became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998. Snowboarding has become increasingly popular over the years due to the many new innovations towards the sport. As more designs for snowboard have been developed over the years - for different terrains and conditions - more extreme versions of athletes have also evolved. Snowboarding has now become a sport that everyone looks upon, as there has been greater media publicity on such events, hence more people are taking it up.

What attracts them

Snowboarding is a sport that pumps up our adrenaline when racing down from high altitudes at amazing speeds. For that reason, many people cross over from skiing to snowboarding because they want to search for new limits and horizons. This is an activity that one could try out during vacation with friends and family, and at the same time, it is a great way to have fun and get away from all the stresses .

Implications

Since snowboarding is a high-velocity sport, the number of injury that it has brought about each year is also very high, that is why protective gears have become increasingly popular as a means to counter the dangerous nature of alpine sports. Another widely known hazard that might jeopardize one’s safety in these snowy conditions is avalanches, partly made famous by movies and cartoons. Hence, it is important for a snowboarder to know how to react in the event of an avalanche and also able to render first aid skills when needed to.