Snowboarding in Turkey

SNOWBOARDING IN TURKEY

TERM PROJECT

Submitted To Hatice Gneyyeli at Eastern Mediterranean University

by Tamer TUNALI

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course ENGL201 Technical Report Writing

General Education Department Modern Languages Division Gazimausa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

14 June, 2010

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Snowboarding in Turkey ABSTRACT This report is about snowboarding, which may be considered one of the most popular winter sports in all around the world. The purpose of this report is to inform people about snowboarding and its features. The report initially presents definition and history of snowboarding; then it shows snowboarding styles and snowboard types, as well as snowboarding in Olympics and in Turkey. The report recommends that, everyone, and even those who have a little interest, should learn snowboarding.

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Snowboarding in Turkey TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES.iv INTRODUCTION....1 DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF SNOWBOARDING.............2 Overview: What is Snowboarding?....................2 Origin of Snowboarding .............2 Popularity of Snowboarding...4 SNOWBOARDING STYLES, TYPES AND EQUIPMENTS ....6 Snowboarding Styles .......6 Freeriding or All Mountain Riding 6 Freestyle Riding..7 Freecarve or Alpine Snowboarding7 Snowboard Types..8 Freeride or All Mountain Boards8 Freestyle Boards..9 Carving, Alpine or Race Boards.....9 SNOWBOARDING IN OLYMPICS & IN TURKEY....10 Snowboarding In Olympics...10 Snowboarding In Turkey...11 Heli-Boarding in Turkey..12 CONCLUSION...13 REFERENCES...14

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Snowboarding in Turkey LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Snurfer.............................................................................................................2 Figure 2. Old Man Snowboarding..................................................................................3 Figure 3. Freeriding....................................................................................................6 Figure 4. Freestyle......................................................................................................7 Figure 5. Freecarving.............................7 Figure 6 . Sandwiched Construction..............................................................................8 Figure 7. Freeride Snowboard............................................................8 Figure 8. Freestyle Snowboard......................................................................................9 Figure 9. Alpine Snowboard..........................................................................................9 Figure 10. Half-Pipe.....................................................................................................10 Figure 11. Snowboarders at the Peak...........................................................................12

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Snowboarding in Turkey INTRODUCTION Snowboarding is one of the most popular and the fastest growing winter sports in all around the world. According to Encyclopedia of Wikipedia snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet. Snowboarders from every age are riding all over the mountains, performing unbelievable tricks. It is not just performed on the mountains, but also in parks or on rails like a skateboard. For example, companies search for better boards, turn the wooden piece of board into todays snowboard with a lot of different technologies. Snowboarding is still developing with new tricks and new technologies. This report will be about snowboarding. The primary aim of this report is to inform about the history of snowboarding, styles of riding, equipments and snowboarding in competitions such as Olympics. This report will show the differences between riding styles and what types of boards used for each style of riding and its brief specifications. The intended readers of the report are those who are interested in snowboarding, and thinking about to start snowboarding. The three parts of this report present (1) definition and history of snowboarding, (2) snowboarding styles and equipments, and (3) snowboarding competitions in the world and snowboarding in Turkey. The first part will give information about snowboarding and its origin. The second part will show snowboarding styles and equipment types. The final part will focus on snowboarding in Olympics like half-pipe competitions, and snowboarding in Turkey such as developing ski centers with snowparks and best places to get started.

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Snowboarding in Turkey DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF SNOWBOARDING

Overview: What is Snowboarding? According to Encyclopedia of Britannica, snowboarding is a winter sport evolved from skateboarding and surfing Developed in the 1960s, snowboarding was believed to have originated in the United States, where several inventors exploded the idea of surfing on the snow. In simple words, snowboarding is ridin g a board on the snow with your feet strapped on it, but it is much more than just going down the hill; it is a sport which offers freedom of self expression and a truly unique feeling.

Origin of Snowboarding There is nothing

certain about who created this sport first, but the as first a

commercial

object

snowboard was invented by Sherman Poppen in 1965 and it was called The Snurfer, a combination of snow surfer.

Figure 1. Snurfer. Note. Sports hall of fame. (2004). Retrieved on May 16, 2010 from the World Wide Web:http://www.mashf.com/ 2001_inductees.htm

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Snowboarding in Turkey The Snurfer was like a long skateboard deck with a rope attached at the tip of it which offered some control to the rider. It had no bindings to strap the feet on it. Snowboarding started to become popular in the 70s and 80s by snowboarding pioneers such as Shawn Farmer, Tom Sims and Jake Burton who started to create their own companies and came up with new board designs, materials etc. There have been definitely a lot of creativity and development, as well as failure during the evolution of snowboard. One of the greatest developments came from Jake Burton. He started to make snowboards from fibre-glass in 1979 and he added bindings for better control. Another major development was adding steel edges in 1980 which allowed boarders to ride on hard snow and ice. All these developments turned the snurfer into the snowboard that we all know today. Snowboarding is still developing with new technologies and ideas. However, there is an interesting fact about the oldest snowboard and snowboarder ever known. Inhabitants of Petran (a village in Rize) have been riding something called zme for over more than 150 years. So, Petran is the first place ever known people started standing sideways on boards and gliding down the hills. zme is a lot like the Snurfer but it is much older. The only difference from the Snurfer is that a wooden stick made from hazel is used to give more control to board. About 90 percent of this
Figure 2. Old man snowboading. Note. Ritzer, B. (2008). Retrieved on May 22, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://blog.jonessnowboards.com/2008/09/ the-origin-of-snowboarding-discovered/

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Snowboarding in Turkey small towns people ride and none of them have ever skied before. The equipment has stayed true to its origins up to today. Professional gold medalist Swiss snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz came to this place in 2005 and he was amazed about what he saw. A few years later, another professional rider Jeremy Jones visited this town. They both agreed that this is the real origin of snowboarding. Jones (2008) describes that: We met up with the oldest rider in the village, Selim. Seventy years old, and started riding in 1946. He has been riding almost daily for 62 years and it shows. Gimpl and I dropped in next to him and he took off effortlessly, standing tall and proud as we did all we could to hold on. The sport was started out of necessity to get around the village in deep snow. The boards are so perfect for the terrain and snow conditions that the equipment had hardly changed in 150 years. After their discovery, their fans and some other people started to believe that the real origin of snowboarding is Turkey. In 2008, Redbull sponsored a competition in this small town between snowboarders with new equipments, and inhabitants of Petran with their 150 years old boards. Even though its unbelievable, old boarders won in the deep snow.

Popularity of Snowboarding When snowboarding first became popular, people didnt know what it was as there were no instructors, no lessons or any books. It was an unknown sport and in 25 years, it is spreaded in all around the world. Alaska snowboarding pioneer Farmer (2005) states that back in 70s and 80s snowboarding was free and wild, wherever
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Snowboarding in Turkey you go on the mountains you knew that no one else ever ridden there before. It was about discovering and having fun. It wasnt all perfect for the boarders. At the beginning years of snowboarding, snowboarders were restricted from ski resorts. They had a lot of problems with the ski industry, ski resorts and skiers in general. For ski resorts, snowboarding was something temporary unlike skiing. Snowboarders were just young people with a lot of energy back in 80s, trying skateboard maneuvers on their snowboard and crashing all the time. Skiers saw this new thing and they didnt understand what it was, so they rejected and tried to ban it. Also it was starting to be a competition for ski industry which wasnt something they wanted. After the construction of big ski resorts in the 80s, they began to welcome snowboarders for their profit. CEO of Aspen Skiing Co. Pat ODonnell (2005) states there was a prejudice from skiers toward snowboarders Even though Im a little bit of a geezer, Ive been snowboarding myself full-time for six years. Ive never been back on skis. There are a lot of people like Donnell who never returned back on skis after trying snowboard. And today snowboarders are almost as much as skiers in most of the world.

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Snowboarding in Turkey SNOWBOARDING STYLES, TYPES AND EQUIPMENTS

Snowboarding Styles After learning how to ride a snowboard properly, it is important to choose a riding style because it will determine the snowboard equipment the rider has to use and also where the rider will be riding such as at the slopes, off-piste on untouched snow, in the park on rails, etc. Each style has its own competitions. There are three main riding styles as follows:

Freeriding or All Mountain Riding According to ABC-of-Snowboarding

freeriding is about mastering an all-around style that will allow you to ride, carve and jump on any terrain On Piste and Off Piste. Freeriding is not the best style for making big jumps and to be on air, it is good for the riders spending most of their times on the ground rather than in the air but also for those who want to make jumps and be a freestyler from time to time. It is the most popular style in the world and most suitable for beginners.
Figure 3. Freeriding. Note. Tomoarigato. Retrieved on May 14, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://tomoarigato.com/HowToChoose Snowboard.com/page2.html

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Snowboarding in Turkey Freestyle Riding ABC-of-Snowboarding notes that this style of riding, adrenaline rushes and is considered by many the most spectacular and wild style of snowboarding. It involves doing tricks both on and off the air in snowboard parks. On the ground most of the tricks are performed using rails, boxes, tables and so on. It
Figure 4. Freestyle. Note. Ehow. Retrieved on May 14, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www. ehow.com/videos-on_8664_snowboardtricks-jumps.html

is not the best category for riding off-piste but there are no limits for freestyle, so it involves also doing tricks off-piste. Freestyle competitions are more popular than others because there is more risk and also adrenaline.

Freecarve or Alpine Snowboarding According to ABC-of-Snowboarding

freecarve or alpine snowboarding focuses on speed and is concerned with the ultimate carving turn. It is about expanding the full length of the mountain, and making impressive, high speed slalom turns as you go downhill. Because of the high speed, the turns get very powerful and it requires a lot of strength and
Figure 5. Freecarving. Note. Jelling, J. Retrieved on May 14, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/ alpinesnowboarding

energy. This is not a good category for beginners and those who just want to enjoy the mountain by making slow turns and do a couple of tricks.

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Snowboarding in Turkey Snowboard Types There are different boards in the market and each board shows differences for any skill level, snow type and riding style. According to Encyclopedia of Wikipedia, snowboards are generally constructed of a hardwood core which is sandwiched between multiple layers or fiberglass. By developing
Figure 6. Sandwiched Construction. Note. ABC-of-Snowboarding. Retrieved on May 14, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.abc-ofsnowboarding.com

technologies, lighter and stronger materials are used like Carbon Fibre, which has a low weight than steel but stronger. There are also differences between the

materials used in boards for each riding style. For example, manufacturers use more flexible materials when producing freestyle boards because flex helps to control the board easier which is something required to do tricks. There are three main types of boards for three riding style:

Freeride or All Mountain Boards These boards are the most popular because they have a wide range of area to use but they are not the best in any specific category like park or pipe riding. They have a directional shape which means its for riding primarily in
Figure 7. Freeride Snowboard. Note. Burton Custom. Retrieved on May 12, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.burton.com

one direction. They have sharp steel edges to use on every surface, even on ice. Their flex is not too much or stiff either. More flex help for more easy turns and less flex

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Snowboarding in Turkey makes is stable at high speeds. Freeride boards are in the middle. This is a Burton Custom in Figure 7, one of the most selling freeride boards of all the time.

Freestyle Boards These boards are wider, shorter, lighter and more flexible than any other boards so they are easier to maneuver and perform tricks but they are not stable at high speeds because they are short and flexible unlike long and stiff freecarve boards for
Figure 8. Freestyle Snowboard. Note. Burton Dominant. Retrieved on May 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.burton.com

high speeds. Most of them are in twin shape which makes riding switch, also called fakie, easier.

Carving, Alpine or Race Boards These type of boards are narrower than any other type of boards. They are also long and stiff and designed for high speeds. They are best for making quick turns. They have very good steel edges for stability so it grabs the surface
Figure 9. Alpine Snowboard. Note. Goltes. Retrieved on May 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.abc-of-snowboarding.com

perfect on high speeds. They are constructed for riding only on one direction and they are not for performing tricks. They look like a wider ski and preferred by advanced riders who like high speeds.

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Snowboarding in Turkey SNOWBOARDING IN OLYMPICS & IN TURKEY

Snowboarding In Olympics Snowboarding has become so popular around the world in the 90s so the International Olympic Committee decided to make it an Olympic sport in 1994. Snowboarding first appeared in the Olympics at Nagano, Japan in 1998. Two events made in that year, the giant slalom which is similar to ski event and a half-pipe freestyle competitors event in which tricks

perform

while going from one side of a semi-circular pile of snow to the other. In 2002 the giant slalom turned into parallel giant slalom which is an event that involves head-to-head
Figure 10. Half Pipe. Note. BBC Sport. (2006). Retrieved on May 14, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/ other_sports/winter_sports/4542266.stm

racing. A third event added in

2006 and it was called snowboard cross which the competitors race with each other down a course with jumps and other obstacles. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Shaun White won his second gold in the half-pipe. White recorded a score high enough to secure the gold medal without a second run. He performed his second run as a victory lap and he finished his run with a trick called Double McTwist 1260 which he named The Tomahawk. Only two snowboarders in the world performed this trick for now and the other one is Podladtchikov from Russia.

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Snowboarding in Turkey Snowboarding In Turkey Snowboarding in Turkey have started getting popular at the end of 90s and nowadays, ski centers like the one in Uluda are full of snowboarders. It seems that every year more young people are starting this sport and attending to winter festivals such as Snowfest and Whitefest, which are getting more popular among the university students. Places to snowboard in Turkey are Uluda (Bursa), Kartalkaya (Bolu), Sarkam (Kars), Palandken (Erzurum), Erciyes (Kayseri), Kartepe (zmit), Davraz (Isparta), Bozda (zmir) and Ilgaz (Kastamonu). Uluda is one of the first ski centers in Turkey. It offers the most alternative with the number of pistes and ski resorts and it is preferred by most of the skiers and boarders. The total length of 20 pistes in Uluda is about 25kms. Kartalkaya has two ski resorts and Dorukkaya Hotel opened the biggest snowpark in Turkey in 2009 which made this place one of the most popular snowboarding areas in Turkey. While Kartalkaya offers great freestyle riding opportunities, Sarkam has the best quality of snow in Turkey which is in perfect crystal shape and its the best place to ride off-piste in deep snow without the risk of avalanches. Erciyes is also great with its smooth and non-perpendicular pistes for new beginners. Thus, Palandken in Erzurum has the most upright and difficult slopes. Although there are many places to snowboard, snowboarding still needs to be developed in Turkey. Unfortunately, there is no halfpipe in Turkey for today but with the help of a couple of sponsors, snowboarders may be able to use half-pipes in the near future.

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Snowboarding in Turkey Heli-Boarding in Turkey There is also opportunity to heliboard in Turkey. According to Wikipedia Heli-board or heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing that is accessed by a helicopter, not a ski lift. Heliskiing is essentially about skiing in a natural albeit highly selected environment without the effort or gear compromise
Figure 11. Snowboarders at the peak. Note. Heliskiing. (2008). Retrieved on May 26, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http:// www.heliskiingreview.com/heliskiingreview/i mages/operators/56Nu9066/32RO9064_Helib oarding%20Alaska%20Drop%20Off.jpg

required for hiking into these areas as in ski touring or ski mountaineering. Professional riders all over the world come to Turkey to taste the feeling of freedom when riding down from the peak of the Kakar Mountains which is located in the north-east of Turkey, on the shores of the Black Sea. Heli-Boarding is only for professionals and it has serious risks like avalanches and getting lost in the deep snow. Alaska snowboarding pioneer Farmer (2005) states unless you are fully prepared to be in a situation of life or death, you shouldnt be up here, which shows the seriousness of this sport. To prevent these risks, the heli-boarding companies are providing gears like a GPS (Global Positioning System) device to riders and following them with a Helicopter.

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Snowboarding in Turkey CONCLUSION In this report, I have presented history of snowboarding, snowboarding styles and types, as well as snowboarding in Olympics and Turkey. Afterwards, I have informed about an interesting fact about the origin of snowboarding that is the oldest snowboard ever known is in Turkey, named as zme. In addition, I focused on three styles of snowboarding which are freeride, freestyle and freecarve and the most popular style is freeride because it involves riding any kind of terrain. I have also explained the three types of boards for each style and snowboarding in Turkey with great places to ride. In my opinion, nowadays snowboarding is becoming one of the most popular winter sports with different styles and unlimited tricks to learn; therefore it is important to keep it popular especially in Turkey, as snowboarding in Turkey can be more popular by building half-pipes and snow parks in major ski areas like Uluda and this way, snowboarders in Turkey can improve themselves to compete with other competitors from different countries. This will also attract more tourists to the unknown beautiful mountain resorts like the one in Sarkam. In a final manner, snowboarding is a great sport with a lot of attraction and I think everyone, and even those who have a little interest, should learn snowboarding.

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Snowboarding in Turkey REFERENCES ABC of Snowboarding. (2003). Snowboarding basics & background information. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.abc-ofsnowboarding.com/info/snowboarding-basics.asp Curly, K. (Producer), & Harrison, K (Director). (2005). First Descent. Heliskiing. Online Encyclopedia of Wikipedia . Retrieved May 16, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliskiing Jones, J. (2008, September 13). The origin of snowboarding discovered. Retrieved May 02, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://blog.jonessnowboards.com/ 2008/09/the-origin-of-snowboarding-discovered/ Shaun White. Online Encyclopedia of Wikipedia. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_White Snowboard TR. (2009, October 26). Snowboarding in Turkey. Retrieved May 05, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.snowboard.gen.tr/index5.htm Snowboard Types. Online Encyclopedia of Wikipedia. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowboard Snowboarding. Online Encyclopedia of Britannica. Retrieved May 02, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/550613/ snowboarding Snowboarding. Online Encyclopedia of Wikipedia. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowboarding Snowboarding at the Winter Olympics. Online Encyclopedia of Wikipedia. Retrieved May 16, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Snowboarding_ at_the_Winter_Olympics
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