Looks like the cat's outta the bag, Shaun - earlier this week, the venerable Wall Street Journal weighed in on the difficulty of judging the ever changing sport of competitive snowboarding. After Red Bull recently released footage of Shaun White training in a super-secret backcountry superpipe, the mainstream media seems to have figured out what snowboarding insiders have known for years: accurately judging never before seen tricks can be really hard.

Wednesday's Wall Street Journal article follows a pair of 2010 Olympic Snowboarding judges as they try to wrap their heads around White's new moves. As head Olympic Snowboarding judge Ola Sundequist explains, "it usually takes seeing a new trick at least three or four times to understand its mechanics and "identify all the small details." Although judges do their best to watch the riders in practice beforehand, it's not uncommon for the athletes to keep their best tricks under wraps until their competition run, denying the judges a glimpse at what's to come. Judges then have just moments to apply a score to a given rider's run, opening the door for controversy and armchair quarterbacking.

Unfortunately, there's a precedent in the snowsports world for unseen tricks being penalized. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, freestyle skier Jonny Moseley unveiled his "Dinner Roll" for the first time in Olympic competition. Despite the trick being more difficult and more technical than anything else that was being done at the time, Moseley failed to medal; he attributed his low score to the fact that the judges had never seen the trick before.

Shaun White and his (awesome) corporate masters at Red Bull have likely taken note of what happened to Moseley. White said he could have saved his surprise moves for Vancouver to increase the "wow" factor and prevent copycats from stealing his thunder, but he decided it was more important "to educate the judges."

One thing's for certain: The upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics are going to showcase some epic snowboarding talent.

Let's not beat around the bush - learning how to snowboard is not easy. As an AASI certified snowboard instructor, I've taught hundreds of people how to snowboard, but even I'll admit it's not easy. Snowshoeing is easy. Snowboarding? Not so much. That's what makes it so much fun!

There are many different ways to learn how to snowboard - the ever popular "Follow me!" method, where a (once) trusted snowboarding friend drags his buddies to the top of the mountain and yells over his shoulder, "Follow me!"; then there's the traditional resort lesson route, be it a group lesson or a private, one-on-one lesson. Finally, there's the athletic guy full of determination who figures, "It can't be that hard, can it?" as he heads out to pound his body into a pulp in an effort to become a legit snowboarder. Each method works, albeit with different levels of success. I generally refrain from telling the story of how I learned to snowboard anymore, because no one believes me. Seriously. (If you're interested, drop me a line and I'll fill ya in!)

So how did you learn how to snowboard? Would you recommend your method to others? As a professional instructor, I have trouble seeing past what, in my opinion, is "the only way" - taking a lesson with someone like me at a resort. But I know there are other ways, and I know people have experienced success using these other ways. Don't by shy...let us know how you learned how to snowboard! You never know - someone might be influenced by your words, and end up a lifelong shredder!

Point your board here to fill everyone in on your "Learn how to snowboard experience!"

Whenever I tell someone I'm a die-hard snowboarder, the comment I hear most often is, "Snowboarding - that's an expensive sport!" True, the cost of a new board, bindings, boots, and clothing can add up quickly. Throw in the cost of a daily lift ticket, lodging and other essentials like beer, and it's easy to understand why some people think participating in the sport requires a healthy line of credit with a major bank. But it doesn't have to be that way!

One of the best ways to equip yourself and your family is by buying used equipment at one of the many ski and snowboard swaps that are held at the beginning of the season. Most resorts hold some form of swap, and the equipment for sale is often in great shape - especially kids gear. When junior's growing so fast he requires new boots every season, it's silly (bordering on crazy, in fact) to spend the money for brand new equipment.

A swap I know I'll be attending (but alas, not selling anything this year...I'm a little hard on my equipment!) is being held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont. The sale begins on Friday at 4 p.m. and runs through Sunday, with proceeds going to benefit the Okemo Mountain School.

To find a ski swap going on in your area, hit up my favorite information clearinghouse, Google.

For more information on this ski swap event, check out the Okemo Mountain Resort Events Calendar!

Killington, otherwise known as "The Beast of the East," is now open for the 2009-2010 ski and snowboard season! The resort fired up the chairlifts this morning at 10 a.m., and plans to be open today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with terrain available for intermediates and above. No beginner terrain will be open. According to today's snow report, access to the K-1 Gondola base is possible, but will require some walking (or some serious speed...sorry...I did not just suggest you blast across non-snow covered surfaces at high speeds in order to impress the ladies...seriously...don't do it).

This weekend, adult lift tickets are priced at $49 per day, with Express Card holders paying just $39.

For more information, visit www.killington.com