Making Snowboarding Safe for Out–of-Date People
It’s a given of advertising that words shape our understanding of reality. Political advocacy groups and politicians, for example, spend a great deal of time and money trying to figure out how to describe their ideas in ways that will maximize their public appeal and minimize public objections. Euphemisms abound both in government and in the private sector.
When I read snowboarding publications, I sometimes feel like I have stepped into another planet–and remember, this is coming from someone who has spent several years writing about snowboarding.
Someone remarked to me that he couldn’t see himself “rockin’ an Obermeyer jacket.” I happen to wear an Obermeyer jacket, but what struck me was the word “rockin.” It’s apparently an all-purpose verb within snowboarding. Another person I know, while looking at a rack of snowboards, said something like “I can’t imagine someone rockin’ a board with those graphics.”
So “rockin” (or is it “rocking?”) means (1) to wear a piece of clothing; and (2) to use a piece of snowboarding equipment, such as a snowboard.
Not exactly the language I would use, but then again, every activity has its jargon and slang.
Another time I was in a conversation with two other people in the snow sports industry. “A” was lamenting that the advertising revenue on his site was declining. “B” asked him what his rates were. After “A” gave his response, “B” said “Ouch! That’s really droppin’ trou.”
Dropping trou? I understood what “B” (a white-collar professional, about 50 years old, eager to succeed in the snow sports industry) was saying. But as with “rockin,” “droppin’ trou” isn’t language that would even come to my mind.
Here’s my approach: I think that more mature adults would enjoy snowboarding if they gave it a try. The language used within the “snowboarding community” (there’s another piece of jargon!) presents an extra layer that people have to get through. So in my writing, I try to write in a straightforward, white-bread style.
So if I get rockin’ non-standard English, give me a shout out, won’t ya?
December 31, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
i dont think the slang that some snowboarders use is or should be considered a barrier to older dudes riding.
There are always going to be people coming up with new slang but it really doesn’t have that much to do with snowboarding. Some people just happen to use a lot of slang… I know plenty of snowboarders who’s slang is limited to the word ‘shredding’
January 6, 2009 @ 9:56 am
Keep in mind that most of the endemic action sports media caters to a younger audience (surfing pubs tend to be an exception).
There’ve been attempts to bring publications that attract a more mature rider, but they often don’t receive the financial support from riders that we would hope.
Your jacket doesn’t appeal to younger riders for a variety of reasons… association with old-school skiing and the design being a likely two. Unfortunately, graphics and colors are big deciding factors versus quality and design.
It’s the demographic the media is written for, not the activity, that is the discerning factor. You’ll remember that when snowboarding first started getting momentum, many blamed it for the cause of recklessness on the hills. The smart argument was that it was the age of the rider, not the equipment, that was the real factor.
January 6, 2009 @ 10:27 am
Martin, I agree; language shouldn’t be a barrier, but it’s part of the culture, and culture can be an asset or a barrier. I just choose to ignore it as best I can. I think my snowboarding lingo is limited to “bluebird,” which actually predates snowboarding.
Bill, good points about the target market of publications. One mystery is why pubs for the older market have failed. “Frequency” is about the best that I have seen.
Do you recall “Snowboarding Life,” or something like that? I think it was a Time-Warner publication of the early-to-mid 1990s. I never saw a copy of it, but it may have been one of those magazines that you talked about.
Yesterday I received my monthly copy of Golf Digest, and wondered why there can’t be something like that for snowboarding: photographs of wonderful places to play, straightforward discussions of equipment, earnest and also smart-aleck but non-foul-mouthed readers and editors and columnists exchanging thoughts on a shared passion, thoughtful essays on what the activity means to players and people in the industry, and so forth.
Obviously there are many differences between the golf market and the snowboarding market, beginning with the average age of participants, the number of middle-aged participants, and perhaps the reigning ethos (“we’re in rebellion” versus “we’re the establishment” and “you are your own referee”).
On the other hand, I suspect that the average middle-aged snowboarder spends a decent amount of money to spend–alpine sports aren’t cheap, after all.
As to the jacket, the comment I related wasn’t made by a young rider but by a guy who is at least as old as I am, if not older. Then again, he has made other comments that show he is more in tune with the younger vibe than I am, showing that the mature market for riding isn’t monolithic. For the record, I’m quite comfortable in the skiing culture (though I could do without busloads of slalom skiers taking over my favorite trails!)
Finally, as to quality and design in gear. Graphics on the topsheet matter to me, but in an counter-market direction. I’m quite reluctant (to the point of it being a deal-breaker so far) to buy boards with graphics that feature skulls, goth, and what I call “LSD trips.” Give me something with clean lines and a simple design and I’ll be happy.
It’s just a bit disappointing to be such a neglected part of the market.