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available, but Burton encourages the youngest riders to start out free-footed, standing atop stomp pads on the deck of the snowboard. “Overall the equipment is softer, lighter, smaller, narrower and full of fun graphics,” says Boliba. “These boards are not just a product of companies trying to reach kids,” says Evan Ricker, manager at the Darkside Snowboards retail shop in Killington, Vt. “[They’re] a product of the snowboarding community telling them we need this kind of equipment for kids.” Ricker, who started riding at age 7 with an oversized Nale board and a pair of knockoff Sorel boots, seems relieved to see the high-quality children’s gear now available in his shop. “We’re just now starting to usher in that niche of snowboarding. High-quality equipment like this has never been available before,” he says. Ricker adds that other board manufacturers, such as Capita and Lib Tech, are paying special attention to the youth market as well. Rome Snowboards, another Vermont-based snowboard maker, builds boards as small as 90 centimeters under its Minishred line. Burton’s Riglet Reel, Ricker notes, can be attached to any snowboard, no matter the brand. With the proper equipment now in place, a new challenge presents itself. Where can children, some of whom learned to walk not long before hopping on a snowboard, safely learn to ride? Burton developed the Riglet terrain parks as “snowboarding playgrounds” for kids, as Boliba puts it. They are a “fun introduction to the foundations of snowboarding through play and guided discovery,” he says, made up of interactive features like ramps, miniature quarter pipes and low-to-theground boxes, all built into a gentle slope. Riglet-branded parks are all over the country, including at Mount Snow, Okemo, the Canyons, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Smugglers’ Notch, Mountain Creek, Jay Peak and Loon Mountain, to name a few places. “We found [the Riglet Park] fun and beneficial for youngsters,” says Bonnie MacPherson, director of public relations at Okemo. At a time when many young families are taking a break from snowboarding, Okemo hopes to “embrace the spirit of Riglet across all our learning programs with more snow play and ski/ ride readiness,” says MacPherson, adding that these features keep whole families active in the sport. “Kids can have success in their first experience” with snowboarding, adds Boliba, “while parents can have fun watching and interacting.” In recognition of Boliba’s passion for getting kids excited about standing sideways on snow through creative innovation, Ski Vermont presented him with the Vermont Ski Areas Association Friend of the Industry Award at its annual meeting, a gathering of more than 300 attendees representing resorts, marketing partners and other members. Snowboarder visits may be declining slightly overall, but there are some bright spots. As Davis of SnowSports Industries America reported at the 2012 TransWorld Snow Conference, snowboarders are a passionate and dedicated lot. Whereas only 23 percent of alpine skiers in the United States are considered “core,” meaning they ski nine or more times per year, 35 percent of snowboarders are core. “That’s huge,” says Davis. “That means you have a much more authentic base than almost any other snow sport.” Davis also reported at the conference that the number of female riders grew 25 percent from the 2008–09 to the 2009–10 season. Among 18- to 35-year-olds, female ridership grew 44 percent. “The 18- to 25-[year-old] category is taking off,” says Davis, “which is awesome because those SNOWBOARDERS ARE A PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED LOT. girls are getting ready to have kids. Those kids are going to be snowboarders.” For his part, Boliba wants those future riders to have even more choice in snowboard gear technology. In October 2013, he tells me, Burton will introduce the Progression 9C snowboard boot, “the smallest snowboard boot ever made.” From his vantage point behind the counter at Darkside Snowboards, Ricker is upbeat about snowboarding’s future. “Honestly, it comes back to the community [of snowboarders],” he says. “Visits go up and down, but as far as Vermont goes and as far as Darkside goes, I think we’re a testament to the fact that snowboarding is here to stay.” Is Boliba’s Riglet program winning over Generation Y’ers like me who are having children? If my own experience is any indication, the answer is yes. I purchased my daughter’s first Chicklet snowboard as a Christmas gift last year, when she was barely 2 years old. I knew she was probably too young to ride it immediately, but I couldn’t wait. As I affixed the Riglet Reel on Christmas Eve, my daughter asleep upstairs, I was more excited about the prospect of riding with my child than I was about any of the presents I might receive myself the next morning. I soon brought her to Okemo to try it out. We made one “run” before she had a minor meltdown and begged for a lollipop. I plucked her off the board and carried her into the lodge, vowing that I would never force her into the sport I love. We’ll try again. As I type, the board is tucked safely away in the garage, ready for the first snowfall of the 2013–14 season. ❄
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