Boardercross
Encyclopedia
Snowboard cross is a snowboard
competition in which a group of snowboarders (usually four) start simultaneously atop an inclined course, then race to reach the finish line first. Snowboard cross became an Olympic sport in 2006, and has been part of the Winter X Games since the annual event began in 1997. At the X Games the sport is called Snowboarder X.
Still widely referred to as boardercross by the snowboarding community, it wasn't until the International Ski Federation (FIS)
(the international governing body for ski and snowboard sports) assumed control of Olympic snowboarding events that the term snowboard cross materialized. This was due largely to the language barrier; when boardercross is translated into the FIS's native French and back again, snowboard cross emerges as a literal translation.
The term boardercross is also used in the context of mountainboarding
, referring to similar races on snow-less courses with similar features.
Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and includes cambered
turns, gap jumps, berm
s, drops, and steep and flat sections designed to challenge the riders' ability to stay in control. It is not uncommon for racers to collide with each other. Some observers have compared the sport to short track speed skating
because of the amount of contact involved. The name and the riders' full-face helmet
s show the sport's influence by motocross
.
The first ever Boardercross event was held in the spring of 1991 at Blackcomb Mt.
in the Whistler-Blackcomb
resort of British Columbia
. Steve Rechtschaffner and Greg Stump
staged the event, to film as the final episode of their "Greg Stump's World of Extremes" TV show that they were doing for FOX TV. The idea for the event, the format and rules came from Rechtschaffner, along with the designing and building of the course. Stump's business manager John Graham
coined the term "Boarder Cross", which everyone adopted. Rechtschaffner then went on to help build courses for people across North America for the next few years, helping to spread the reach of the event. Later on, Erik Kalacis staged the first professional Boardercross series, called The Kokanee Cross, in Canada. Much later on, Rechtschaffner took inspiration from Boardercross to create the multi-million selling hit series of SSX
video games for Electronic Arts
.
.
SSX
(Snowboard Supercross) series of video games were loosely based on boardercross. The games are very much arcade-style video games, not a simulation game, focusing more on unrealistic tricks and larger-than-life courses.
The game Sonic Riders
, a Sonic the Hedgehog series
racing game in which SEGA
characters race on hoverboards, is partly inspired by boardercross.
Snowboard
Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
competition in which a group of snowboarders (usually four) start simultaneously atop an inclined course, then race to reach the finish line first. Snowboard cross became an Olympic sport in 2006, and has been part of the Winter X Games since the annual event began in 1997. At the X Games the sport is called Snowboarder X.
Still widely referred to as boardercross by the snowboarding community, it wasn't until the International Ski Federation (FIS)
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(the international governing body for ski and snowboard sports) assumed control of Olympic snowboarding events that the term snowboard cross materialized. This was due largely to the language barrier; when boardercross is translated into the FIS's native French and back again, snowboard cross emerges as a literal translation.
The term boardercross is also used in the context of mountainboarding
Mountainboarding
Mountainboarding, also known as Dirtboarding, Offroad Boarding, Grass Boarding, and All-Terrain Boarding , is a well established if little-known extreme sport, derived from snowboarding...
, referring to similar races on snow-less courses with similar features.
Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and includes cambered
Camber angle
thumb|100px|From the front of the car, a right wheel with a negative camber angleCamber angle is the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or...
turns, gap jumps, berm
Berm
A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier separating two areas. Berm originates in the Middle Dutch and German berme and came into usage in English via French.- History :...
s, drops, and steep and flat sections designed to challenge the riders' ability to stay in control. It is not uncommon for racers to collide with each other. Some observers have compared the sport to short track speed skating
Short track speed skating
Short track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters skate on an oval ice track with a circumference of 111.12 m...
because of the amount of contact involved. The name and the riders' full-face helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
s show the sport's influence by motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
.
The first ever Boardercross event was held in the spring of 1991 at Blackcomb Mt.
Blackcomb Peak
Blackcomb Peak is a mountain located east of Whistler, British Columbia and forms the boundary between the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort and Garibaldi Provincial Park...
in the Whistler-Blackcomb
Whistler-Blackcomb
Whistler Blackcomb is a major ski resort located 125 km north of Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. By many measures it is the largest ski resort in North America; it is 50% larger than its nearest competitor in terms of size, has the greatest uphill lift capacity, and until 2009, had...
resort of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Steve Rechtschaffner and Greg Stump
Greg Stump
Greg Stump is an American ski and snowboarding filmmaker.He came to international attention first as a skier in films made by Dick Barrymore, particularly his "Vagabond Skier" shot in New Zealand in 1979. In 1979 Greg Stump had also won the North American Freestyle Championships at Edelweiss Valley...
staged the event, to film as the final episode of their "Greg Stump's World of Extremes" TV show that they were doing for FOX TV. The idea for the event, the format and rules came from Rechtschaffner, along with the designing and building of the course. Stump's business manager John Graham
John Graham
- Politics and history :*John de Graham , Scottish soldier*John Graham, Earl of Menteith*John Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose , Scottish peer*John Graham, 4th Earl of Montrose, , Scottish peer...
coined the term "Boarder Cross", which everyone adopted. Rechtschaffner then went on to help build courses for people across North America for the next few years, helping to spread the reach of the event. Later on, Erik Kalacis staged the first professional Boardercross series, called The Kokanee Cross, in Canada. Much later on, Rechtschaffner took inspiration from Boardercross to create the multi-million selling hit series of SSX
SSX
SSX is the first in the SSX series of snowboarding video games...
video games for Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
.
Major multi-sport competitions
Boardercross has been an event in every X-Games since their start in 1997. It made its Winter Olympics debut in 2006Snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross events.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:...
.
2006 Winter Olympics
| Men's Snowboard Cross Snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross events.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:... |
|
|---|---|
| Medal | Athlete |
| Gold | |
| Silver | |
| Bronze | |
| Women's Snowboard Cross Snowboarding at the 2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross events.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:... |
|
|---|---|
| Medal | Athlete |
| Gold | |
| Silver | |
| Bronze | |
2010 Winter Olympics
| Men's Snowboard Cross Snowboarding at the 2010 Winter Olympics The snowboarding competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Cypress Mountain. The events were held between the 15th and 27th February 2010.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-Competition Schedule:... |
|
|---|---|
| Medal | Athlete |
| Gold | |
| Silver | |
| Bronze | |
| Women's Snowboard Cross Snowboarding at the 2010 Winter Olympics The snowboarding competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Cypress Mountain. The events were held between the 15th and 27th February 2010.-Medal table:-Men's events:-Women's events:-Competition Schedule:... |
|
|---|---|
| Medal | Athlete |
| Gold | |
| Silver | |
| Bronze | |
Video games
The earlier releases in the EA SportsEA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
SSX
SSX
SSX is the first in the SSX series of snowboarding video games...
(Snowboard Supercross) series of video games were loosely based on boardercross. The games are very much arcade-style video games, not a simulation game, focusing more on unrealistic tricks and larger-than-life courses.
The game Sonic Riders
Sonic Riders
is a video game spin-off produced by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro, for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. It is the fourth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, preceded by Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2 and Sonic R.The game was released to start...
, a Sonic the Hedgehog series
Sonic the Hedgehog series
Sonic the Hedgehog is the best selling video game series released by Sega starring and named after its mascot character, Sonic the Hedgehog...
racing game in which SEGA
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
characters race on hoverboards, is partly inspired by boardercross.