Snowboarding is experiencing the most significant growth rate of any snow sport. After all, what’s not to love about a sport that propels athletes to new heights and down steep slopes, and runs the gamut in physical feats?
About 7.6 million snowboarders hit the slopes in the United States in 2023, up from 7.1 million in 2018, according to Snowsports Industries America 2023-24 Participation Study.
The snowboarding market is expected to grow by 5.4 percent from 2024 to 2030, due at least partially to the rise in the number of competitions.
The U.S. Amateur Snowboarding Association, which manages the pipeline on the snowboard/freeski side of the sport, hosted 280 snowboard events last season and has over 2,800 members, according to Courtney Harkins, director of marketing and communications for U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is mostly responsible for the elite side of the sport—those competing at the NorAm and World Cup levels. Those competitors must be U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USASA adult members.
“Last season, we had 28 individual competitions processed in our database and 2,260 snowboard members,” says Harkins. Members include coaches, officials, volunteers, and athletes.
On the slopes
Snowbird Resort in Utah is known for its gnarly terrain, providing a challenge in a sport built on taking things to the next level.
Snowbird is a prime spot for competitions with 2,500 acres of skiable terrain, a summit of 11,000 feet, and a base elevation of 7,760 feet. About 25 percent of all its visitors are snowboarders, said Jacob Marquardt,
the resort’s communications & social media specialist.
The resort hosts two regional junior events for ages 10 to 18 and a three-day junior national-level event. For adults, Snowbird has a 1, 2, and 4-star big mountain event: The Freeride World Tour Qualifier.
It’s also set to host the International Freeskiers & Snowboarders Freeride World Qualifier in February 2025 for both skiing and snowboarding. Local skiers and riders—along with some of the nation’s best up-and-coming athletes—will rip it up with great speed, big air, and big tricks.
Northstar California Resort in Truckee (a Vail property) hosts the USASA Futures Tour, a critical stepping stone for young athletes progressing from regional competitions to the national stage. The Futures Tour bridges USASA regional events and U.S. Ski & Snowboard FIS national-level competitions, offering a pathway for riders who have excelled at the USASA National Championships.
Aaron Atkins, director of Northstar ski and snowboard teams, and Alex Baker, competition teams manager, both say interest in snowboarding remains strong and continues to evolve in exciting ways.
“Particularly as the sport benefits from crossover appeal with other popular, year-round board sports,” Atkins says. “The strong board sports culture on the West Coast—spanning skateboarding, surfing, and wakeboarding—naturally translates into enthusiasm for snowboarding.”
Snowboarding’s evolution is just as much about increasing the number of participants as it is about deepening engagement and progression among current riders—a balance Northstar strives to foster daily through its unique experiences, world-class terrain parks, and supportive culture.
at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. The team boasts the
world’s highest number of Olympic gold medalists. Photo courtesy of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team
A historic turn
The first known instance of snowboarding occurred in 1917 when 13-year-old Vern Wicklund stood on a sled in his Minnesota backyard. Fast-forward to 1965 when engineer Sherman Poppen of Michigan invented the prototype of a snowboard called a Snurfer, according to Smithsonian magazine.
The sport grew, attracting skateboarders and surfers throughout the 1970s as snowboarders vied for space on ski slopes.
Then, the United States held its first national championship in 1982 and hosted the first world championships
in 1983.
In 1998, the sport took a flying leap, with men’s and women’s snowboarding making their Olympic debut at the Nagano Games in Japan with giant slalom and halfpipe competitions, according to the Olympics’ official website.
Snowboarding proved a success, and four years later, they returned to the Salt Lake City Games with parallel giant slalom and halfpipe competitions. In Turin 2006, snowboard cross was added, and big air debuted at the PyeongChang Games in 2018.
Developing trends
According to Atkins and Baker of Northstar, snowboarding is seeing unprecedented progression, primarily driven by advancements in training tools and facilities.
Around the world, athletes use trampolines, dry slopes, and landing airbags to practice complex tricks with reduced risk, allowing for more repetitions and faster skill development.
Northstar has private trampoline and airbag facilities that give competitive team athletes an edge, enabling them to refine their skills and push boundaries safely.
On snow, terrain parks like Northstar innovate to create safer, more effective setups for jumps, rails, and halfpipes, giving athletes the airtime and space they need to attempt groundbreaking tricks.
Atkins and Baker agree that this leads to an explosion in the number of rotations, flips, and axis-altering spins riders land, often with their own unique style.
The X Games—which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025—could be considered the home of progression. A couple of years ago, the Games added a Knuckle Huck competition in snowboarding (and skiing), which emphasizes creativity and technique.
“At every X Games, we’ve seen a trick that’s never been done before in competition, and athletes continue to push the boundaries,” says Rich Bigge, vice president of live events for X Games.
The X Games Aspen 2025 will add a Street Style medaled discipline to join fan-favorites SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and the aforementioned Knuckle Huck.
The professionalism of coaching, off-hill training, and fitness programs have also raised the bar.
Athletes are not only fitter than ever but also more creative, according to Atkins.
“They are finding ways to manipulate their bodies for techniques like rewinds or opposite spins, which were previously unimaginable,” Atkins says. “Northstar’s facilities and coaching programs are at the forefront of these trends, helping athletes progress in ways that continually elevate the sport’s difficulty and artistry.”
Experts anticipate the sport will continue to grow.
Atkins and Baker said the snowsports industry is prioritizing accessibility, with new programs and initiatives making it easier for more people to experience the sport.
Northstar focuses on creating a welcoming and inspiring environment where guests of all levels can build a lifelong passion for both snowboarding and skiing.
Overall, X Games has seen a significant increase in interest, with a 113 percent increase in streaming audiences and 2.4 million new social media followers over the last two years. Those numbers are expected to increase with multiple global
events leading up to an X Games League launch.
