Snowboard cross in details

Snowboard-cross (also referred to as boarder-cross or board-cross) is a snowboard discipline in which four to six athletes compete at the same speed on a specially prepared course. It has been on the program of the Winter Olympic Games since 2006.

General Information

Competitions take place on a track with an altitude difference of 100-240 m, at least 30 m wide, and with a slope of 15-18°. The track shall include a variety of relief figures: shafts, rollers, jumps, spines and turns. The number and location of figures is determined by the track installer, but as many variants as possible must be included, and in such a way that the athletes constantly build up speed when passing the track.

All participants of competitions take part in qualification. What is it? It is a single or double single speed passage of the track. According to the results of qualification, places are distributed in the final groups (the athlete with the best result of qualification gets the start number 1, etc.).

After qualification, the final is held where 48 men/24 women/6 people in each final or 32 men/16 women/4 people in each final take part. The first 3 competitors (6 competitors in each final) or 2 competitors (4 in the final) go from round to round as determined by their place at the finish in each final.

The route

Snowboard cross courses vary in length, steepness, and difficulty, but generally include three types of obstacles: bumps, gradients on turns, and jumps. The bumps or waves are two or three in a row along the whole length of the track to make their passage more spectacular. Jumps usually are set at the beginning and end of the track, where the attention of the audience is focused on the athletes.

All obstacles must be overcome not only spectacularly, but also very quickly. In a competition, speed is crucial. However, on corners and in narrow places it is impossible to avoid a close fight between the riders, which can end in injuries and falls.

Athletes

The selection of applicants for this sport is complex and thorough. It is necessary to pass several qualifying heats, followed by transitions to the finals.

Snowboard cross does not provide single descents, there must be at least 4, maximum 6 athletes on the track. The only exception is qualifying selections. Their construction is a downhill, which can be single or double.

The next stage is the finals. The number of participants can be selected in two ways:

• 48 men and 24 women will be required to participate in the final 6 athletes;
• For the 4-man final, 32 men and 16 women will be required.
• The first half of the top scoring athletes from each final will advance to the next round.

Equipment

It is necessary to be well-equipped to take part in a snowboard cross.

• The snowboard is the most important piece of snowboarding equipment. A snowboard is a multi-layered construction with a metal edge around the perimeter of the bottom.
• The boots are the second most important piece of snowboarding equipment. The boots are designed to provide a stable foot position and protection from injury.
• Bindings are an element of the basic equipment of a snowboarder, they are selected under the boots.
• Helmet is an optional, but very important element of the snowboarder’s equipment. It protects riders from serious injuries.
• Gloves are optional, but they protect the hands of snowboarders from injury and cold.
• Mask for snowboarding is an optional item of equipment, designed to protect the eyes from ultraviolet light, and in any case should not impair the visibility of the rider.
• Snowboarding clothing should be warm, waterproof and breathable.

History

Boarder-cross began as a television show for which it was specially invented in 1991. Its authors were the skier Steve Rechtshaffner and the cameraman Greg Stump. Gradually border-cross changed from entertainment to a separate sport, which was even included in the Olympics.

The first tracks were characterized by complexity, so many athletes fell down, resulting in injuries. Despite such brutal features, board-cross was popular among experienced riders with different styles of skiing, beginners and even professionals, who managed to win the favor of millions.

Boarder-cross was even more attractive due to the absence of a complicated system of evaluation and timing. It allowed athletes to work on their style, which was not observed in other sports, such as slalom.

After some time, boarder cross became less dangerous: the tracks were simplified and the luck factor became less important. An important role in the formation of bordercross played Kokeni Cross and bordercross tour world-class Swatch. At these sporting events, new rules for course creation were implemented, and athletes had to put up with a rule that forbade intentional contact between competitors.

As a result, races took on a more athletic appearance (the element of luck, although significantly reduced, still had some influence on the athletes). The safety of modern slopes does not make them any easier. Even experienced riders fall on obstacles, land on ice, fly over the ledge while making sharp turns.

Snowboard cross hides in itself another type of danger, embodied in the new inexperienced participants, who in the process of learning the art of owning a board create unsafe situations. To minimize the risk of injury to other participants, competition organizers hold qualifying heats before the main competitions.

All in all, snowboard cross is a good example of how a fun activity can become a professional sport.