About+Snowboarding

=About the Sport of Snowboarding= Snowboarding is one of the most popular action sports today. Snowboarding's growing popularity is reflected in its recognition as an official sport: in 1985, the first World Cup was held in Zürs, Austria.1 The International Snowboard Association (ISA) was founded in 1994 to provide universal contest regulations. In addition, the United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA) provides instructing guidelines and runs snowboard competitions in the U.S. (Today, high-profile snowboarding events like the Olympic Games, Winter X-Games, US Open, and other events are broadcast worldwide.2 Since snowboarding's inception as an established winter sport, it has developed various styles, each with its own specialized equipment and technique. The most common styles today are: Freeride,Ffreestyle, and Alpine. These styles are used for both recreational and professional snowboarding. While each style is unique, there is overlap between them.Twenty percent of all visitors to U.S. ski resorts are snowboarders, and more than 3.5 million people had taken up snowboarding worldwide.The peak year for snowboarding was 2004 with 6.6 million participants .3