There’s More to Snowboarding than the Terrain Park

Pet peeve time. (Is it silly to have a pet peeve about something as enjoyable as snowboarding? Of course. But I’m looking for material.) Why do so many publications equate “snowboarders” with “terrain park users?”

All right: There’s a reason for it. Snowboarders started the terrain park and halfpipe craze. And at some resorts–and especially at small day areas–a good number of snowboarders spend most of their time in the park.

The terrain park is certainly one way to enjoy the snow, and I tentatively venture into the park from time to time, hitting a few small and low-to-the-ground features.

Still, there are limits to any ski resort description that includes something along the following lines: “And for snowboarders, there’s a terrain park that …”

Parks and pipes merit attention on their own, irrespective of equipment. Not all park users are snowboarders. Skiers are rapidly joining the party, and with good reason–if getting maximum air is important to you, go with skis. (In halfpipe competitions, for example, skiers routinely soar higher out of the pipe than snowboaders.) Since parks and pipes can be used with skis or snowboards, it’s not right to mention them in the snowboard section of a review.

So how should a review be organized? It should describe interesting or important green, blue and black named trails, and then proceed to discuss pipes and parks available, as well as access to backcountry areas.

Not all riders seek out the park. Some like cruising, while others prefer bombing down groomed runs. Still other riders enjoy jibbing and getting air but use the natural features of the area. Equating “terrain park user” with “snowboarder” does a disservice to the variety that is found within snowboarding.

Now if you’re writing a review of a mountain, here’s a suggestion on how to give one part of it a snowboard-specific flavor: Tell us where the flats are. Which places are especially troublesome to those of us on boards? Will keeping up the speed before going into a flat area be sufficient, or is it best to take route X to avoid it altogether?

UPDATE: SkiSnowboard.com offers information on the flats–at least for some of the mountains with a more detailed profile.