An Overview of Winter Olympic Snowboarding Events

!±8± An Overview of Winter Olympic Snowboarding Events

If you are somebody who is eagerly anticipating the upcoming Winter Olympic Games because you love snowboarding events, you're in luck. There are three primary Olympic snowboarding events. Below you will see a list of all three, followed by a quick description of each event. Keep in mind, these are not intended to be exhaustive descriptions. They will simply give you a basic idea of how the events work.

* Men's Snowboard Cross
* Ladies' Snowboard Cross

This event is a lot like a race down a racetrack. The participants begin at the top of a large hill and wind their way down at a high rate of speed. The first to cross the finish line wins. They pass each other, sometimes fly off the track, and sometimes even fall. You never know who will win, and disaster can strike at any time.

* Men's Halfpipe
* Ladies' Halfpipe

The halfpipe event consists of performing a variety of maneuvers within a U-shaped course. Participants are judged by a variety of metrics that typically are associated with their performance within the halfpipe. Each participant competes separately.

* Men's Parallel Giant Slalom
* Ladies' Parallel Giant Slalom

Perhaps one of the more lively of the snowboarding events is the parallel giant slalom. Two participants compete as they criss-cross various mounds and obstacles on their way to the finish line. If you're a snowboarding fan, you don't have long to wait until you can watch world-class participants from around the world compete at the upcoming Vancouver Winter Olympics.

To the extent you're interested in learning more about Olympic snowboarding events, do some research on the Internet. Pay close attention to any videos you may find. As is often the case, a picture is worth 1000 words. Being able to see people compete in the aforementioned events via video will give you a good understanding of what these events are all about.

Though snowboarding is a relatively new entry into the Winter Olympic games, it was added in 1998, they are nonetheless quite popular, especially with young fans.