I realized something this weekend - something other than how much I love hot dogs - I think snowboarders are beer snobs. I know I am, but that's no surprise. I prefer to drink beer that's not available in a can, and the funkier the name the better. But putting myself aside for a moment, I think the majority of my skiing and snowboarding brethren walk around with slightly upturned noses when it comes to their choice of adult libations.

Of course, I have no scientific evidence whatsoever to backup my theory, but hear me out: off the top of my head, I can think of at least a handful of snowsports themed beers: Magic Hat's Single Chair Ale, Breckenridge Brewery's Avalanche Ale, Avery's Out of Bounds Ale, Boulder Beer's NeverSummer Ale, and New Belgium's 2° Below. Furthermore, it seems as though a disproportionate number of micro and craft breweries are located in or close by a ski town - coincidence? I think not.

My final piece of evidence is an observation of the beers favored by my various groups of friends. The guys and gals back home in Connecticut - the ones who, although they may ski or snowboard once in a while, don't think of themselves as skiers or snowboarders first and foremost - they drink mainstream stuff like Budweiser, Coors, Miller, Sam Adams and Heineken. My friends in Vermont, and the ones in the ski and snowboard industry nationwide, will only buy Budweiser when they're cooking up beer can chicken. I rest my case!

What do you think? Are skiers and snowboarders a bit snobbish when it comes to beer? What's your favorite brew?

Image © Twitterific

Twitter. It's everywhere these days. Shaq tweets his congratulations to Kobe after the Lakers win the NBA title (how touching!). Republican politicians bait President Obama via Twitter. And, let's not forget, Paris Hilton and other celebutantes post their every move to the service. And now, About.com Snowboarding can be added to the growing list of Tweeting twits. That's right. I went there!

Believe it or not, there's a healthy number of snowboard related Twitter feeds out there. Industry stalwarts like Ross Powers are all on the site, and with the recent explosion of all things Twitter in the media, it's only a matter of time before more snowboarders and snowboarding companies get in on the gig.

For now, I don't plan on tweeting too often - it is, after all, the middle of the summer where I live. And I promise not to push product (unlike a popular resort, which shall remain nameless...) without explicitly stating as such. So after all this, if you're still interested I can be found at https://twitter.com/AboutSnowboard. And don't worry...I won't call you a twit for following my tweets on Twitter!

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I've come to the end of The Michael Jackson era. Out of reverence for the man, nay, the force that brought the snowboarding world The Michael Jackson, I will never again be able to attempt the insanity that is a Michael Jackson.

"What's a Michael Jackson," you ask? Check it: while sliding a box, rail, or other jib feature, the rider pops up onto the toe-side edge of the board - just like Michael in his heyday! It's a move that requires guts, balance, and a certain sense of showmanship - but when done correctly, it's a sight to behold.

On this sad day, I'm officially retiring The Michael Jackson from my terrain park bag of tricks. It was a great ride, MJ.

See The Michael Jackson in action, courtesy of TransWorld Snowboarding and Scott Stevens.

I may not be going snowboarding anytime soon, but an e-mail invite that I received today reminded me that the snowboard industry never sleeps. Roxy, Lib-Tech and Gnu will be showing their 09/10 line of clothing, gear, and accessories on July 1st. The location? Sorry, but I took an oath to defend this countr...I mean industry, and it's one I take seriously!

Don't feel too bad, sports fans. The line will be officially unveiled to the world soon enough...and the snow will return soon enough, too! In the meantime, I suggest following my withdrawal program: Liberal doses of snowboard movies, FUEL TV, and web-surfing. Golf, mountain biking, and other cross-training endeavors don't hurt, either ;). Stay strong!

The lack of snow in my life is, sad to say, fairly obvious at this point. I've begun drooling just a little whenever I open the freezer door, and it has nothing to do with the food inside. Fortunately, I have Fuel TV to help guide me through these trying times!

For those who don't know, Fuel TV is a 24 hour Action Sports cable channel, sort of a CNN for adrenaline junkies. Snowboarding, skiing, skateboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, mountain biking, and other action sports are shown over and over again - it's enough to make an out-of-snow snowboarder weep! Although the channel programs less snowboarding and skiing content in the summer, there's still enough to keep the shakes at bay. This past weekend, I was able to relax on the couch while watching snowboarding for a full hour!

The snow is still far, far away for me, but I guess I'm used to it at this point in my life. It won't be until August that I really start to lose it - cranking the A/C down as low as it will go and watching snowboard movies in full dress! In the meantime, the occasional glimpse of others enjoying the snow on TV should be enough to get me through the day!

Um...I can try!

I was hired earlier in the spring as a consultant on a children's snowboarding book (written for second and third grade students), and, well, the senior editor needed to know what a switch backside double cork 1080 involved. The worst part was, "a whole heckuva lot" wasn't going to suffice as an answer. So I sat down, googled "Travis Rice", and started watching him pulling off the mystical switch backside double cork 1080 in slow motion.

See, just like the Supreme Court and obscenity, that trick is more easily described as, "I know it when I see it" than it is to actually break down and explain in layman's terms. Especially to a layman (or laywoman) that doesn't snowboard!

Here's what I came up with:

• Switch: Refers to a snowboarder that is riding backwards, or with their unnatural foot facing forward. Because most riders prefer to have a specific foot (either the left - referred to as Regular, or the right - referred to as Backside: Backside refers to a trick or spin where the rider leads with his backside, or heel-side edge. For a regular (left-foot forward) rider, this is a clockwise rotation. For a goofy (right-foot forward) rider, this is a counter-clockwise rotation.
• Cork: Refers to the rider spinning off-axis (the vertical axis) in the air; therefore a double cork is two off-axis rotations.
• A 1080 is a spin trick where the rider completes three full rotations in the air.

SO, adding all that together, we end up with a trick where the rider approaches the jump riding with his unnatural foot forward, then initiates a spin with his heel side edge leading, all with the goal of completing three full rotations along the horizontal axis and two along the vertical axis. If I haven't completely lost you yet, you can watch the trick being performed here: Reel Comp.com.

How'd I do?

It's not possible just yet, but if all goes according to plan, skiers and snowboarders will be making turns, on snow, in New Jersey in July 2010. The Meadowlands Xanadu Project is a shopping and entertainment complex currently under construction in East Rutherford, New Jersey - the same Meadowlands where the New York Football Giants and the Jets play their home games - and will feature the first indoor skiing and snowboarding slope in the U.S.

Although the project has been fraught with controversy and constant delays, opening day is currently scheduled for Summer of 2010. When finished, the 4.5 million square foot complex will be the largest retail and entertainment complex in the U.S., and the third largest in the world. The 250,000 square foot ski and snowboard slope will be open year-round, hence the title - snowboarding in New Jersey in July! While I doubt the experience will rival anything the outdoors has to offer, there's something cool about being able to make some turns before catching a live NFL football game!

According to a preliminary study by the National Ski Areas Association, total U.S. skier visits came to 57.1 million for the 2008-2009 season, a decline of 5.5% from the previous record year of 2007-2008. Despite a challenging economy, the industry still beat its 10 year average by nearly a half-million visits. The organization says final numbers will be available sometime in July.

Resort owners cited good natural snowfall and the idea of the "staycation" as positive factors that contributed to their success this past season. While overnight visits were not as strong as they have been in years past, skiers and snowboarders still hit the slopes in droves. The Northeast, Southeast, and Rocky Mountain regions of the country all saw growth over their 10 year averages; only the Midwest and Pacific Northwest saw slight declines.

There is no doubt that bountiful snowfall helped drive people to the slopes last season. The question now is, all things being equal, how much will the economy effect industry numbers next season? What do you think? Will the economy have a more pronounced effect on resort revenues next season? Let us know by dropping a comment below!

Former Olympic Snowboarding champion Karine Ruby was tragically killed in a climbing accident Friday. Ruby, a 31 year-old French citizen, was climbing on Europe's famed Mont Blanc as part of her training to become a mountain guide. As is common in dangerous high-alpine environments, Ruby and the other members of her group were roped together for safety (the thought being that if one climber slips and falls, the others will be able to stop the slide); unfortunately, the fatal slide was unable to be stopped, resulting in Ruby and several others falling into a deep crevasse, or crack, in the glacier.

A 38 year-old man from Paris was also killed in the accident, while a 27 year-old climber was seriously injured, requiring a helicopter to transport him off the mountain for medical attention.

Karine Ruby won the gold medal in giant slalom at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and also took home a silver medal in parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Following her Olympic successes, she competed in Snowboardcross events, winning a bronze medal at the 2005 Winter X-Games in Aspen, Colorado.

Truly a sad day for the snowboarding community, and our thoughts and prayers are with Karine's family, friends, and loved ones.

As I was sitting around this past Memorial Day weekend enjoying a Longboard Lager from the Kona Brewing Company (my favorite Hawaiian brewer), I was reminded of what a great off-season training tool a longboard can be for snowboarders. Granted, the Hawaiian version of a longboard is actually a surfboard, but hey, my mind works in strange ways sometimes - especially when it's snow-deprived!

Essentially, a longboard skateboard is a stretched skateboard. Riding a longboard is about as close as one can get to carving turns on a snowboard without actually being on snow! The longer wheelbase adds stability to the ride, while turns are initiated using the same muscles and movements as on a snowboard. As with any sport, the proper precautions should be taken, including wearing safety gear (helmet, knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards), and beginners should always start out slowly. Once you get the hang of longboarding, however, you'll be tickled pink by the sensation of once again carving turns on a board!

To learn more about longboarding, check out the content that About.com's Skateboard Guide, Steve Cave, has written on his site!

P.S. My associating Kona's Longboard Lager with skateboarding is in no way encouraging anyone to drink and ride. Safety first!