Snowboarding on Screen

As snowboarding becomes more popular, different enthusiasts created various channels to express their love and interest in the sport. As the years went by, the roads paved by the pioneers of snowboarding opened the way to more prestigious tournaments, to a category in the Olympics, and later on even to snowboarding videos.    

The progression in the world of snowboarding made snowboarding films part of the sport's culture. Since its recognition as an official sport 1985, many snowboarding videos have documented the events that happen each season which are usually released in the fall just before the winter, the peak season of snowboarding. While hobbyists were initially the only ones interested to film the sport, over the years, the number of companies covering snowboarding events have grown. 

What initially started as something for personal use became an industry that is filming for various purposes. Some video productions companies have seen its commercial value and are manufacturing these specific type of films for advertisements. In fact, most snowboarding videos usually contain footages of famous professional snowboarders advertising their sponsors.  An example where snowboarding films were used for commercials would be the film by Dave Seone about Shaun White called The White Album. This was sponsored by Mountain Dew, Burton Snowboards, and even Playstation for its snowboarding game.

Snowboarding has also been a subject of interest in Hollywood films, like the movie Out Cold released in 2001. The movie  included appearances by several famous professional riders as either stunt performers or actual characters, or both. Out Cold is one of few major film productions that realistically depicted snowboarding and exhibited a true understanding of the sport's real nature and culture. 

Snowboarding films have also been documented to showcase the current trends and styles in the sport. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, watching snowboarding videos will be a great help in developing your skills as a rider. Although videos can never substitute actual learning from an instructor, this may help supplement lessons that are being taught in the field. You can find many downloadable videos from the internet and you may also order copies of documented events from either websites or stores for snowboarding.

For those who just want to have a souvenir, don't hesitate to film yourself while on your board. You need not climb  mountains to go snowboarding since there many other places that you can use like ski hills. And, contrary to popular belief, you do not need large amounts of snow to do some slides. You can take your personal snowboarding video anywhere where there is enough snow and a nice slope. If it's hilarious enough, you can send it to America's Funniest Home Video and who knows, you might even win.

However, for those novices who want to be discovered, you can also create your own videos to document your talent. Though it is not necessary to have someone professional take your footages, it may help when you intend to replicate it and send it to different scouts looking for a rookie. But if you intend to do this, make sure that you use a high end camera to clearly capture your moves. This will be a good strategy to present and market your skill and style. Also remember that it is easier to send a scout a copy of your snowboarding video for him to see the talent in you than to wait for a scout to find while you doing your best trick.