It cannot be denied that the era of snowboarding is at its peak today. With more than seven million of snowboarders all over the world and numerous competitions held each year, one cannot argue that this extreme winter sport is indeed on the upswing.
Snowboarding goes beyond just riding one's board and doing tricks while flying. This ultimate winter sport has become a culture among the young ones, both male and female. Surprisingly, there are many teen females just as there are many young males who have made a name for themselves in this thrilling activity. Additionally, more and more teens are benefiting from the snowboarding summer camps and other related summer activities which help them further improve their skills and tricks.
Of course, these energetic young people enjoy every minute of their sport but other than that, they also share some common stuff including music and night life which what brings them together. Camaraderie as well as sportsmanship are vital aspects of any sport activity and are admirable traits when maintained for the long term even with the competition.
Teenagers love to meet new friends and get together for sports, fun, music and food. You can just imagine the wonderful experience they get when joining competitions.
Early beginnings
Did you know that it was in the late part of the 1980s when snowboarding became a teen culture? Big credit goes to skateboarding enthusiasts such as Chad Voren who turned to snowboarding for a change. You know how teen are, always looking for something new to explore. Being the innovators that they are, they then made their own boards and brought the thrilling activity to the snowy mountains.
When snowboarding gained ground, as expected many business-minded companies such as Soloman and Rossignol joined in the fever and manufactured snowboards to make money.
Today, the Snowsports Industries America reveals that the business of snowboarding manufacturing is worth $130 million with the young generation as the main target audience of equipment as well as clothing accessories.
China joins in
If you think that only the North American and European countries as well as those down under are reaping the popularity of snowboarding, think again. China has a growing snowboarding culture itself with 400 million of its people now engaged in active sports. And with the Beijing 2008 Olympics set to be held there, the Chinese have reasons to celebrate and be active.
From only three snowboarding resorts in 2001, there now exists 12 as of 2003. China's snowboarding culture developed from the efforts of Steve Zdarsky from Austria. This man took up Chinese and economics and moved to China where he launched the first pro snowboarding events in 2003. He has also established his own snowboarding brand of clothing Nivit and has published a magazine focused on this winter sport.
The younger Chinese segment is fast catching up on the snowboarding trend including fashion and accessories. In fact, the club scene in Beijing and Shanghai now are seeing young people dressed in the popular boardsports-inspired clothing. These trends are attributed to the penchant of the Chinese teens just like the Japanese for Western lifestyle and icons.
So, how about you? If your inclination is towards snowboarding, too, why not jump in for a taste of this youth culture. As they way, if you can't beat them, join them.
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