58 THRASHER MAGAZINE
ome things you'll see on the hills this year:
More snowboarders. Many shop owners see and
agree that snowboarding's roots are in skating. Some
estimate the ratio of snowboarders who are skaters
is over eighty percent. That figure will level off as
more surfers, skiers, bikers and adventurers join in
the fray. The main reason skaters got a headstart is
because they generally like to do, instead of talk
A higher ratio of boarders-to-skiers Boreal, on
Californias famed Donner Summit, was at least
60/40 in favor of the board during their Halloween
day opening party
Skiers grabbing their skis during aerials.
An influx of quality and quantity from Europe.
More beginners. Snowboarding is easy to learn
and relatively cheap to rent if you just want to try it
Then you can say you did it, hell, then you can say,
"I'm a snowboarder."
More girlfriend/boyfriend action. In many cases
it's the girl who's into snowboarding while the guy
is still lost in skiing
More backyard, backhill, deserted road, trail,
obstacle and structure boarding than ever before, as
kids stay away from resorts in record numbers. Just
think, after two feet of fresh snow the night before,
you come down the hill behind the cabin, crank a
carve off the woodshed, railslide off the doghouse,
slip across the porch, nose bonk the railing, land on
the roof of Dad's car and barrel off down the
driveway. How about a backyard halfpipe?
Maneuvers to watch for: Nose slides, tree rides,
log rolls, airs-to-fakie, tail stalls and porch jumps.
TERMS:
Yard Sale-When a skier has taken a bad wipe-out
and is sitting in a heap surrounded by a liter of
strewn skis, poles, gloves, glasses, hat, hip pack.etc.
Hill Frogs-Boarders who stop and sit down in front
of the lift ramp to strap on, or run out of steam
and have to sit in the middle of the hill to regain
their composure.
Halloween brings out the beast in Obie (top left) as he
pokes a backside out of Boreal's perma-pipe. Night-
boarding figures into this year's agenda, and the core
crews just can't get enough. Mike Estes (left) muscles
through a nose bonk in real leather weather. In
California, life means surf in the morning, snowboard
in the afternoon and skate all night. Phil Ferguson
(right) goes off the lip in any element.
By Jacques Cousneau
WAR
Snowboarding is growing by leaps and bounds, and 1992
is expected to be a big year. New converts are strapping
in and even longtime holdouts from the ski community
are purchasing planks. More importantly, the battle for
vertical space between skiers and snowboarders is
simmering down as each learns to respect the other
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