Snowboarding by Holly Thorpe

Author:Holly Thorpe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 2012-04-12T04:00:00+00:00

Typically, it is male professional snowboarders who define the snowboarding styles of dress and participation. Observing the influence of professional male snowboarders on the actions of other male boarders, particularly younger males, professional female snowboarder Morgan Lafonte asked: “Why do boys worship men so much? All the men in snowboarding look the same, have the same mannerisms, talk the same and ride the same . . . I can’t tell the difference and I’m inside the sport” (cited in Howe, 1998, p. 118). Increasingly, however, some professional female snowboarders, particularly who have been embraced by the snowboarding industry and media (e.g., Torah Bright, Gretchen Bleiler, Erin Cromstock, Tara Dakides, Gabby Maiden, Hannah Teter), are establishing their own space within the snowboarding culture and legitimizing and defining practices and styles for the next generation of female (and male) boarders.

The representations of idyllic transnational lifestyles (i.e., travel to exotic snowboarding destinations, financial independence, partying) of professional male (and some female) snowboarders—particularly big mountain and freestyle athletes—promoted by snowboarding companies and media (e.g., advertisements and videos), work to create a compelling mythology for many cultural participants (also see Frohlick, 2005; Kay & Laberge, 2003). According to Chris Sanders, CEO of Avalanche Snowboards,

The dream is basically what the kids see when they look in the magazines and see Damian [Sanders] or Terje [Haakonsen]. They are great lifestyle icons. They have it great. It looks like their lives are 24-hour-a-day adventure. You get handed these plane tickets, you hang out with cool photographers, dye your hair however you want to, and you’re making money so your parents have no say in your life. It’s all sex, action, and glamour. To an 18-year-old snowboarder, this is the dream. (cited in Howe, 1998, p. 68)

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