Boardercross

Boardercross also known as Snowboard cross, is a snowboard competition in which six (sometimes four if snow conditions do not allow for a big enough track) competitors race down a course. These courses are comprised of many different features. Starting with a quick technical section out of the gate, the course moves into various styles of jumps, berms, rollers, drops, tables, all throughout steep and flat sections. This is all designed to challenge the riders' ability to stay in control while maintaining maximum speed. It is not uncommon for racers to lose control, taking themselves out or colliding with other riders mid-race.

Competition format starts with a time-trial run, one by one the riders race against the clock, trying to beat their competitors times to make it into “finals” or “heats” the next day. The main event is 6 man heats, which are stacked together based on their fastest time from the day before. Only the top three (or two if its a four man) in each heat move on to the next round, as the field gets smaller the riding gets more competitive with everyone fighting to get into the big finals, where they will then have the chance to take home a medal.

Boardercross was created by two tv producers (one who was an avid snowboarder) who needed a new segment for their show on Fox TV called Greg Stump's World of Extremes. They pitched the idea which was quickly approved and shortly after the first ever boardercross course was built in 1991 here on the west coast of Canada. After the sport had its tv debut, resorts started building courses and hosting competitions across canada, the US and Australia. The sport continued to spread and gain popularity, even making it into the gaming world with video game SSX selling over 8 mill copies.

With the growth of the sport itself, these athletes become stronger, faster and more adaptable every year. Capturing the attention of other snowboarders and viewers all over the wold, and for good reason. Boardercross has it all, big jumps, a variety of everchanging features, high speed which has the result of high consequence, and 6 extremely competitive athletes duking it out at the same time. To top it all off, these racers are out in the elements where you have to be prepared for anything; high winds, new snow, freezing temperatures or even heat, all of which affect the riders themselves and can change the snow they are on in minutes. Weather your watching from the side lines of strapped in and on course, this sport will have you fully captivated from start to finish with a lot of, uh-ohs, yahoos and screams in between.

Boardercross or snowboard cross?

You made have heard both terms when people are talking about this extreme sport, and although they are similar there is a story behind the difference. When it first came out to the world, the sport had been coined as boardercross. Steven Rechtschaffner had traveled around to the races hosted by other mountains to make sure the event created a positive, fun, safe and respectful atmosphere, qualities true to our sport. For these same reasons he denied the ski sanctioning body F.I.S. the rights to use the Boardercross name, as he shared the majority of snowboarders' belief that a ski sanctioning body should not be in charge of snowboarding events. Despite this, for the sport to become an Olympic event, they were told they must do so under F.I.S.. So in 2006 boardercross did just that and made it onto the homes of millions, at the Turin Olympic Games. Since then, the new name has become more common, leaving boardercross to sound like slang, even though the overwhelming majority of racers still refer to their sport by the original snowboarding term.