[Photo: Richard Price, Ski Utah]

Snowboarding competition came of age at the Nagano Olympics in February 1998. Well, nearly. Ross Rebagliati, Canadian winner of the men's Giant Slalom, was disqualified for testing positive for marijuana. The situation soon descended into farce as it was discovered that marijuana is not a banned substance, so his medal was returned to him. Or was it because he claimed he had never inhaled?

In any case, both the Snowboard and the Giant Slalom disciplines were welcomed by the spectators and are here to stay.

Snowboarding also offers a full World Cup tour and World Championships, as well as Continental and National Cups around the world. At the fun end of the scale, most resorts host competitions open to all comers. They can also be fun for the spectators: as you watch the goateed, pierced, dreadlocked competitors (male and female), console yourself with the thought that they too will end up as accountants.

For more information on how to get into Snowboarding competition, and details of competition tours, visit Snowboarding Online.