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Have you ever seen the snowboarding competitions during the Olympics? Have you been caught up in the thrill of the moment, eagerly and anxiously awaiting the finish? People everywhere are being caught up in that same thrill, and entering competitions. But what types of competitions are there? And what levels are there to compete at?

The types of competitions are available to the avid snowboarder:

There are four recognized types: Slope Style, Half-Pipe, Boardercross, and Racing.

Slope Style is the more recent addition to the competitions. It is performed on a slope, on which there are many different types of obstacles. Obstacles can include boxes, rails, jumps, jibs (anything the boards can slide on) and quarter pipes which are only one side of a half-pipe and not as tall. The rider begins at the top of the slope and descends down the course, performing "tricks" on the obstacles. The "tricks" are judged and the rider with the highest score wins the event. In certain types of competition, the rider is allowed to skip some of the obstacles and may do so if some prove difficult. However, before you compete at any competition, be sure you read and study the International Snowboard Association's rules and any this particular competition may have.

Next we have the Half-Pipe which may be the most publicized of the events. It is very similar to the Half-Pipe in the skateboarding competitions. In fact, skateboarding inspired the Half-Pipe in the snowboarding competitions. The Half-Pipe is exactly as its name suggests. It is half of a pipe, filled along the edge with packed snow, lying on the ground. Again "tricks" are performed and rated by the judges. Often times, there are two or three rounds of this competition, which the highest combined score winning. The rider starts at the top of a hill, down which they slide onto one side of the Half-Pipe. They continue across the pipe to the other side, and when gaining "air"-skiing above the side of the pipe- they perform a "trick". The judge rates the difficulty of the "trick", the cleanness of the "trick", and the "air" under the "trick". A fall usually means disqualification, but be sure to read the rules entirely.

Perhaps the most challenging and exciting of the competitions is the Boardercross of Boarder X. Only recently accepted, this competition starts at the top of a slope course. Four to six riders ski down the hill, around curves with a high side, and over hills and bumps. The top two riders advance to the next heat, with

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