In some places in the world the coming of winter means longer nights and colder air. The trees lose their leaves, the grass turns an odd yellow color and animals tend to go to sleep until things warm up again. Nothing special. In other places, however, winter means that snow is starting to fall. The world is covered in layer of white frozen vapor ready to be taken advantage of in every possible way. For some the answer is skiing or sledding but for the truly young at hear the only real option is snowboarding. But before you go out there and buy snowboards for you and your friends, make sure that you know what you are getting yourself into.

Snowboarding has been around in some shape or form since about the 1960's. It originated in a sport that was originally called 'snurfing' (yes, snurfing). It was a combination of snow and surfing and when you get right down to it, a rather adequate if now outdated description of what snowboarding is. As time went by the sport became more refined into what we know today. Not only has the sport been refined but the boards have also changed a fair bit from the ancient devices that were used in the beginning to the boards that are available today. When you go out to buy snowboards, you are looking at the culmination of about forty years worth of change and research.

The sport of snowboarding basically takes the sport of skiing and combines it with the sport of skateboarding. There are two different sides to snowboarding that are generally known and actually an Olympic sport. The first is the usual type that is a lot like skiing. You go down the slope with the board attached to your feet. You slide down the icy slopes simply enjoying the pleasant feel of the breeze and watching nature go past you. In a more competitive way, there is the slalom and time races where you try to maneuver that board around an obstacle course in the fastest time possible. The other side involved tricks. A lot like skateboarding, here the idea is to use the snowboard to perform various mid-air tricks in any icy half-pipe. Do not be fooled, that ice is just as hard - if not harder - than the concrete half-pipes that skateboarders have to deal with. Remember when you go out to buy snowboards what you are going to be using them for since there are different kinds for different uses.

So when you go out to buy snowboards keep in mind what you want them for. Also, do not just head out onto the slopes and hope to work it out as you go along. Take a lesson or two from an instructor. They can help you get into the whole thing a lot easier and quicker. They might also be able to help you decide what kind of board is right for you. But most importantly - have fun!