Ski Guru Says: Snowboarding No Longer Novel
Want more proof that snowboarding isn’t just for kids anymore? Consider the words of a ski guru.
One of my favorite ski writers is Lito Tejada-Flores, whose book Breakthrough on the New Skis: Say Goodbye to the Intermediate Blues (3rd Ed)
Lito is also the editor of The Unofficial Guide to Skiing in the West,
A new form of “skiing” has appeared as well. By this, I mean snowboarding, a controversial rarity a decade ago, now quite common at one Colorado ski resort.
[He’s speaking, in 1999, of Aspen Mountain, which has since dropped its ban–ed.]
Snowboarding is challenging and graceful, but above all, it’s new. And that is exactly why it’s attractive to the youngsters who, on the slopes as in every day life, delight in anything that sets them apart from their parents’ generation. Far from being a subversive threat to the integrity of our sport, as some over-reacting ski area managers initially perceived it to be, snowboarding has actually brought more families to the slopes together; it has given more kids a reason to accompany their parents willingly rather than grudgingly on annual Colorado ski jaunts.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, I thought, as I re-read this passage. I’m thinking that Lito is enough of a snow enthusiast that he has at least secretly tried out riding. So why the emphasis on kids and their desire to be different from the parents? Still, give him credit for saying that it’s not subversive.
I dug some further digging on Amazon and found that the book has been updated, and given a new title. Here’s what Lito has to say in The Unofficial Guide to Skiing and Snowboarding in the West
Fifteen years ago, snowboarding was a controversial rarity. Now skiers and riders share the slopes at all Colorado ski slopes and at all but one in New Mexico. Snowboarding’s initial appeal was to youngsters who, on the slopes as in everyday life, delight in anything that sets them apart from their parents’ generation.
But those first-wave young riders have now grown up, and even their parents have taken up the sport. Snowboarding has actually brought more families to the slopes together and has given more kids a reason to accompany their parents willingly rather than grudgingly on annual Colorado ski jaunts. Mountain snowboarding is challenging and graceful, while Colorado’s abundant half-pipes, quarter-pipes, and terrain parks still bring on that adrenaline rush, not just for single-plank snowboarders, but for new-school skiers.
He’s right on several accounts. The initial reaction has been corrected, kids love it, and adults can enjoy its grace and challenge.
If someone in your family still prefers skiing, you might wish to peruse Lito’s web site, Breakthrough on Skis. Check out his
