Snowboarding's Reputation: My Take

     I was just thinking about snowboarding and it's reputation.  Or more importantly our reputation as snowboarders.  I mean granted we didn't exactly enter snow sports in the most acceptable manner (there is a great short rundown of the history of snowboarding here).  I mean we basically hit the mountains like rebels.  Have to give it to the founding fathers though, they had balls.  I mean let's face it, back then it was a suicidal idea.
     Once board innovation settled down enough for some type of fundamental  blueprint to be established boards started reaching the public.  We used to call them Snurfers!!!  Our reputation really begins here, where the boards reach the mountain.
     

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     When this did happen obvious problems arose. In my opinion childish but hey, skiiers became territorial. As natural human tendency goes, they were afraid of what was different. I just don't get that. If you see something new, why not be curious to learn about it. Give it a shot, you just might like it. Anyway, long story short at first mountains banned snowboards to keep snowboarders off. It wasn't helping that almost all snowboarders were the young, hippy, all about life type crowd, while skiiers always had a pole up their ass.  This is also how "back country" riding came to play.  Because they couldn't go to resorts they had to find their own lines.

     After the intial introduction period if you will, snowboarders were slowly starting to be allowed to resorts.  Since then it has pretty much been all uphill.  Our presence on mountains is beastly.  We've been doing pretty well. 
     Until these "boarder thugs" started multiplying like cockaroaches.  Now I know I'm going to get ripped for this comment because many reading this are that guy/girl.  If it's you, you know who you are, but I'll throw in a description anyway.  Those people bullying around the mountain, littering, causing destruction and inconsiderate of anything. 
     Great you're a snowboarder, we get it. No need to go cursing up a storm in lift lines just because kids are around.  Or cutting people off, skipping in line, or the worst: running into people and not even stopping to see if they are alright.  You're not tough, punk.  It's because of scum like you that we get treated differently. You're not helping the sport.   I'm not saying that skiiers don't act the same way, but I'm a boarder, and this is about snowboarding.
     The whole point is our future.  These people need to realize that we have the power to take over any mountain we chose as long as we act civilized and not cause counter pressure.  I mean I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard negative things about snowboarders in my career, and I mean just walking around.  This has to stop.  We want places to be snowboarder friendly.  It helps a lot. Grow in a positive way.  Small wake, big line.