Snowboarding is the winter equivalent of skateboarding, but where Snowboarding differs from the summer is its many different disciplines. Snowboarding is primarily made up of five disciplines: Halfpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, Snowboarding Cross, and Parallel Giant Slalom. Halfpipe is a free flowing sport where the athletes perform tricks going down a U-shaped course made of snow. Slopestyle is where the athlete navigates down a course full of obstacles such as rails and jumps. Then there’s Big Air, a discipline where the athlete jumps off of one ramp to perform one spectacular aerial trick being judged on many factors. Snowboarding Cross is just one big race, the athletes start at the top of a hill and race down at high speeds, clearing jumps and hills trying to finish first at the bottom. Parallel Giant Slalom is like Snowboarding Cross but with less people and more precision to keep the athletes lines on their tracks. Snowboarding of any discipline is a true showing of flair and mastery of the athletes craft. Japan showed this the most with nine medals, followed by Austria with four, and in third, South Korea with three.
