Apparently "le resistance!" is greater from skiers than I originally thought. I'll have a detailed list by the end of this week of resorts that DO allow Airboarding, but it's not looking too promising...

It's really unfortunate that such an awesome, fun, and SAFE sport is stuck outside the USA. But, litigious society that we live in, such is the case. Unless you like to snowshoe up and Airboard down, there's only a handful of places around the country that currently are going to cater to your snow bodyboarding whims.

While it's disappointing, to say the least, it is what it is at the moment. If you're an Airboarding buff talk to your local resort, the more voices they hear and the more they think it might be a profitable venture, the more likely they are to at least give it a chance.

That said, though, I've noticed a trend, which baffles me but I guess goes along with the prevailing mentality:

1. Resort decides to allow Airboarding

2. People love it, more and more more Airboarders start riding at the Resort

3. More Airboarders + more days = more whiny skier complaints, despite the fact that there are few - if ANY - reported Airboarding related injuries (contrast that with injuries every day from skiing and snowboarding)

4. Resort thinks short term and cuts Airboarding back, instead of seeing the long-term profitability of Airboarding - considering that IT'S GROWING!, hello, they fear losing the skiers and cut back on Airboarding, or cut it altogether.

See, what is so dumb about that is the same thing that snowboarders were probably saying 20 years ago - the skiers that whine are the minority. Snowboarding grew, and guess what? Skiing is still around, and doing quite well. Imagine that.

Same thing with Airboarding. As it grows, yeah, people will complain. Those are the same people though that complain when Starbucks adds a new menu item, or complain when their potatoes have been moved 3 feet from where Safeway used to have them - those people are just always resistant to change in any form that they feel "disrupts" their little routine.

They may go away. But the rest of the skiers and snowboarders are not going anywhere, and the Resorts have far more to GAIN by letting Airboarding grow than they do by nipping it in the bud (no pun intended, snowboarders).

And for the record, I'm not anti-skiing or snowboarding. My brother, Docta P, is probably the best extreme skier I know, and I skied for a while before spending a few years on a snowboard. I still enjoy snowboarding.

But there's nothing like bombing down the mountain at face level, inches from the snow, faster than you could even drive to get there, and doing it knowing you're totally in control and even if you do wipe out it won't hurt.

Anyway, there ARE a few resorts out there willing to nurture the sport, and it's doing QUITE WELL in other countries (as is typical), so please support the resorts that do allow it! I'll get a list up this week like I said, and hopefully we can have an event or two this winter to support the companies that support the sport and to have a little fun as well.

To those resorts that do still allow it - THANKS! 

~Ice~