Snowboarding was in the Olympics for the first time in 1998. There are six different events in snowboarding (slalom, parallel slalom, giant slalom, super giant slalom, snowboardercross and halfpipe) but only two were held in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. The events are giant slalom and the halfpipe.

 

What is the giant slalom ?

 

The giant slalom is similar to a downhill race. There are gates set up along the hill. The object of the race is to go as fast as you can around the gates as you go downhill. Each snowboarder has two tries to get the fastest time. If you miss a gate you are disqualified. Whoever has the best time wins. The type of snowboard that is used is narrow and stiff.

 

What is the halfpipe?

 

The half pipe is an event that is like the aerials in freestyle skiing. Snowboarders do tricks and jumps using a trench that is shaped like a U. They get their speed up by going down one side of the U. When they get to the top of the other side they do different types of tricks. There are five judges. Each one gives a different score. The areas they score are: basic moves and spins, flips, technical merit, landing, and how high they get to do their tricks.