Extreme Snowboarding: What it is, and How to Be a Part of It
Are you ready for extreme snowboarding?
Extreme snowboarding is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. But if you're pretty comfy on a board, and you've progressed beyond intermediate level snowboarding, you might have a yearning for the added adventure that extreme snowboarding will bring in to your life.
But I gotta warn you -- pursuing extreme snowboarding means you better have a double helping of courage, determination, expertise and downright daring.
So what IS extreme snowboarding, anyway?
First of all, extreme snowboarding is all about challenging the unknown, or looking for the 'ultimate' challenge to your skills - which need to be at the expert level, in any case. Extreme snowboarding means going into the back-country (sometimes even by helicopter!) or snowboarding 'on the edge' of .... mountains, glaciers, cliffs ... whatever obstacles might appeal to you!
To get to places you can practise extreme snowboarding, you often need to be able to hike (or is that mountain-climb?) long distances, survive by camping out along the way in whatever the conditions may be, and have a bit of a mountain goat's agility. Well, maybe a LOT.
In short, if you want to get in to extreme snowboarding, you need to be someone who has the skills to be in control of your board and ANY terrain, the confidence to work the terrain when it passes you unexpected surprises (as it will, as it will!) and the adventuresome spirit to be more than a little daring. Oh ... it doesn't hurt to be a bit of an adrenalin 'junkie,' either. :)
Having said all that, extreme snowboarding means you also need to be someone who will put safety first, be willing to take direction from guides, let it GO if it's not safe (and be a solid, sensible judge of that!), and be willing to follow some basic rules - like traveling with a buddy, and wearing an avalanche transceiver.
Finally, you need to know a LOT about snow to get into extreme snowboarding, and stay safe.
Do you think you might be one of the few boarders who is ready for extreme snowboarding?