As we approach the first weeks of winter, we leave behind summer activities like beach volleyball or fall classics like the Thanksgiving football game. The next few months are awaited by thousands of athletes worldwide as it is finally snowboarding season again.
From December to March, there are a lot of tournaments that celebrate this sport; these are some of the biggest snowboarding competitions for you to know if you are looking forward to watching one of the most extreme disciplines in the world.
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5. Dew Tour
Organized by Coalition 375 LLC and powered by Mountain Dew, the Dew Tour is an annual extreme sports competition held by Mountain Dew. The event started in 2005 and has been mainly located in several parts of the U.S., such as Denver, San Jose, Baltimore, Boston, and others.
They introduced snowboarding in 2008 with the first edition of the Winter Dew Tour, and it became an event where young athletes started their professional careers, though now there are a lot of big snowboarders to be part of it.
The snowboarders get to compete in different categories, like super streetstyle and superpipe.
The Dew tour is perfect for enjoying with friends and family, as it isn’t only focused on snowboarding but other extreme sports, including different types of BMX and skateboarding, and it also is a musical festival with several stages to welcome emergent musicians.
The following winter edition will be on March 8-10, 2024, in Copper Mountain, Colorado, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Dew Tour, and it will be live-streamed on the event’s website, YouTube, and Facebook Live and broadcast by NBC sports in different countries.
4. The X Games
The X Games are one of the most important extreme sports competitions, including snowboarding, one of the main events.
The winter edition has had an essential role in popularizing the sport, even marking the career of now well-known snowboarders such as Shaun White, who first presented his signature trick, the Double Backflip 1260, here in 2010 after years of being a fan favorite, and before becoming a three-time Olympics winner.
ESPN sponsors the event, and it’s celebrated every year in different places, often in Aspen, Colorado. The tournament consists of three exciting days with various events, including a press conference with most athletes and teams, slopestyle demonstrations, superpipe, big air, and more.
The next edition will be January 27-29, 2024, and just like the other editions, the snowboarders will be joined by different musicians, like Kaskade, Yung Gravy, and others.
Though you can see professional athletes, the X Games also welcome new snowboarders to show their tricks and jumps for an opportunity to earn different medals, from bronze to gold.
3. The Olympic Games
Of course, no sports list is full without the Olympics. The Winter Olympics are held every four years — just like the regular edition — and it features snowboarding since 1998. Snowboarders can compete both on teams or individually, proudly representing their countries.
The best thing about the Olympics is that there are several athletes from different countries, such as Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S. The categories are diverse, first separated by gender and other events like slalom or snowboard cross.
There are a lot of memorable moments in the history of snowboarding that took place in this event, like the most significant fans will remember its debut at the Nagano Games, to become one of the most popular disciplines later.
2. FIS World Cup Circuit
The International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup Circuit can be described as the official competition of international snowboarding. It is hosted annually, from December to March, mainly for professional snowboarders who have been in the game for a long time.
This year will mark the 29th edition of the tournament, which consists of six disciplines, including snowboard cross, halfpipe, big air, parallel slalom, parallel giant slalom, and slopestyle for both men and women.
Like the Olympics, the FIS gathers athletes from different nations, with Austria leading with 31 medals, Japan in second place, and Switzerland as the third in the podium. If you are a big fan, this would be your type of tournament, as it is the best place to watch the highest names of the discipline compete to become the number one in their sport.
1. The U.S. Open
This competition takes place every year, starting in March, just when the end of winter hits. Also known as the Burton US Open, this is the first and oldest snowboarding tournament that began in 1982.
The U.S. Open has been an excellent platform for snowboarders to stand out in the sport, as it was the debuting place for prominent athletes, such as Terje Håkonsen, who showcased a 7.5-meter air in this competition, or Hana Beaman, who considered one of the best snowboarders in the world.
This championship works as an excellent platform for athletes to innovate in their styles and mark a preceding event for the story of the sport. Still, they also get to win $25.000 to sponsor their training, something that’s not very common among the snowboarding competitions.
Conclusion
Of course, these aren’t the only snowboarding competitions; we can make honorable mentions to other remarkable championships like the Air & Style, where Travis Rice caught the eyes of the experts, and the World Rookie Finals, dedicated to those who are emerging in the sport, the Burton European Open hosted in Switzerland every year, the Canadian Open Snowboarding Championships, where Sebastian Toutant was at the top of the event, or the Super Girl Snow Pro which is mainly focused on female snowboarders who debuted here, such as Lindsey Jacobellis.
