Living: Snowboarders Invade the Slopes

Seconds after pushing off downhill at Breckenridge, Colo., Peter Symms, 23, was out of control. Gaining speed, he torpedoed down a crowded ski slope, squatting sideways on a single plank of laminated wood that resembled a stubby ski. His body shimmied while he extended his arms like outriggers, hands flailing. "I'm going down again!" yelled the weekend warrior. He promptly crashed face down in the white powder. Nearby, a heavyset Texan leaned on his ski poles and watched intently: "Now what in the hell is that?"

Snowboarding. To traditionalists, the breezy fad is a clumsy intrusion on the sleek precision of downhill skiing, but to some 100,000 enthusiasts, many of them adolescent males, it is the coolest snow sport of the season. From Vermont to California, snowboarders are shredding the slopes on a cross between a surfboard and a ski, a 5-ft.-long, 10-in.-wide piece of laminated wood or fiber glass with fixed bindings that can easily strap around any sturdy boot. No poles needed. The newborn sport, like its cousins surfing and skateboarding, requires agility and a keen sense of balance to guide the boards down the slopes at speeds approaching 30 m.p.h.

Five years ago the sport was almost unknown. Today boards cost from $150 to $400, and Burton Snowboards in Manchester Center, Vt., the largest manufacturer, claims its sales have doubled during each of the past four years.

The first attempt at snowboarding can be a humbling experience. Professional skiers and dazzling skateboarders often start at ground zero, and in some cases they stay there. For the novice the only controls are stop (sit down) and go (very fast). "My butt may be sore, but that's the price you pay for a thrill," says Symms. Fortunately, after a harrowing start, most newcomers master the art as quickly as they fall down. "By your third day you can be skiing slopes that beginning skiers wouldn't touch," says David Alden, a former amateur snowboard champion.

Some proponents maintain that their sport is safer than skiing. Since there is just one board, the legs can never cross, so there are fewer broken ankles and hips. The injuries that do occur are usually bruises to the upper body (thumb, wrist and shoulder) and come from falls and occasional collisions with trees and other downhillers. James Lithman, 19, of Los Angeles, says snowboarders get a bad rap because there are so many novices loose on the slopes. "Look at all the crazy skiers," he argues. "The medics carry the bodies down all day long."

Some mountain resorts have been wary of snowboards, fearing that hotdogging teenagers would intimidate regular skiers. Snow Summit, near Los Angeles, Vail in Colorado, and Sugarbush in Vermont are a few places that ban the board, but more than 100 ski areas nationwide allow it. Because rentals are cheaper and paraphernalia not as grand, many resort owners think snow surfing may attract a whole new crowd to try out the slopes. The sport has already achieved the organized trappings of respectability. Next month Breckenridge will play host to the World Snowboard Classic, with more than 200 competitors from ten countries.