Korean snowboarders shred it

Snowboarding today is, quite arguably, Korea`s ultimate winter sport.

According to a representative of the Hyundai Sungwoo Resort public relations team, the resort recorded an approximate 85 to 15 percent ratio of snowboarders to skiers this season; versus 2005 to 2006, which was approximately 60 to 40.

"In Korea 65 percent snowboard and 35 percent ski," said Lee Tae-jong, 48, Vice President of Burton Korea, Burton Snowboards official Korean distributor.

But that was not always the case.

"Three to four years ago, the figures were flipped," Lee added.

During the `60s and `70s, snowboarding found its roots in America, slowly evolving from an experimental sport to the one we know today. By the 1980s, snowboarding was gaining international recognition as a legitimate sport. And it was around then that it started to infiltrate Korea.

In the late `80s, teenagers fascinated by snowboarders on TV went in search of boards and those studying or traveling abroad learned to shred it on the slopes. Within a matter of years, Koreans were dropping it and stomping it at home.

Now, nearly two decades later, Korea boasts it own set of pro snowboarders, competitions and yes, its very own snowboard culture.

But how did it go from being a virtually nonexistent sport to a highly popular one?

<**1>

The pioneers

"In 1986, when I was in middle school, I watched AFKN, saw snowboarders and wanted to do it," said retired pro snowboarder Yoon Dong-hyuk, 36, in a phone interview. "At the time there was no snowboarding in Korea."

Yoon started snowboarding in 1991. Yet Yoon could not build a pro career here.

"Basically there were no competitions in Korea," recalled the alpine rider. "There were like 100 snowboarders."

That meant Yoon had to compete in Japan. He started as an amateur in 1996 and went pro the next year. While Yoon was busy competing abroad, snowboarding was gaining popularity in Korea.

"Around 1995 and 1996, Seo Taiji and Boys were riding snowboards," said Yoon, referring to the iconic dance group. "Snowboarding got popular."

That was right around the time that snowboarding website president Kim Jun-beom got into it.

"I went to the European Alps and saw snowboarders. I came to Korea and started riding actively," said the 33-year old president of Kim Jun-beom Snowboard Lab.

Kim was not alone in his pursuit of the sport. According to Yoon, from 1997 to 2000, Korea underwent a major snowboarding boom.

"In the past, when snowboarding came into Korea, it had a hip-hop flavor and you needed to do freestyle," Kim said, referring to the trick-laden genre of snowboarding.

A lot has changed since then.

"At first over 90 percent of snowboarders were men. Now, the ratio of men to women is seven to three," Kim said.

Furthermore, the snowboarding community, culture and style have evolved. Nowhere is this more evident than in the arena of pro snowboarding.

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The new wave

Decked out in bright snowboard outfits, 9th Burton Classic champions Suzy S. Kim and Kwon Dae-won represent the present and future of professional Korean snowboarding.

In terms of personality, the two stand at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Kim is bright and bubbly. Kwon is serious and stoic. But when it comes to skills, they see eye to eye.

"(Kwon) was the first to complete a 1080 in Korea," said Burton Korea vice president Lee, whose company hosted the competition.

When asked if he got dizzy doing the 1080, three full revolutions, the 30-year-old pro rider shook his head.

A professional soldier who started snowboarding in earnest after leaving the military, Kwon gave himself three years to become a respectable boarder. He started in 2003. In 2006 he attained pro status.

"I want to snowboard to the end and be a world competitor," said the ambitious rider.

Having won men`s slopestyle at this year`s Burton Classic -- one of the oldest snowboarding competitions in Korea -- Kwon will showcase his moves in a broader arena: the Asian Open.

First place winners for the slopestyle category get to compete at the Asian Open this year in Japan, all expenses paid.

Suzy Kim, winner for women`s slopestyle, will also be competing.

The 23-year-old was one of the first women in Korea to land a frontside 360, one full revolution.

"You have to be crazy to be able to snowboard," said Kim, who is sponsored by Forum Korea.

"The Forum team is known to be the craziest group. They do stuff people never do."

According to Kim, snowboarders form a small and competitive community.

"You hang out with groups with the same sponsor. Forum team, Burton team..." she lists off the various sponsor-based groups, who, she says, have their own styles and patronize specific resorts.

Korean snowboarders, says Kim, also have their own lingo. "Season bang" -- "bang" means "room" in Korean -- refers to the room that they rent out by the season.

"When we ask each other how long we`ve been snowboarding, we answer `Season bang two months,`" explains Kim.

Another popular catchphrase, says Kim, is "Oh, ganji nanda," which means "looks cool" or "cool move."

Kim believes Korean snowboarders` standards have gone up, citing YouTube and the internet as places where they can pick up new moves.

"I think the standard of Korean jibbers is almost up to international standards," said Kim, referring to rail and box riders.

Not only is the quality of snowboarding on the rise, snowboarders have gotten increasingly stylish over the years.

"When I went to snowboard, there were no pretty clothes for me to wear." said designer Kim So-hee of S.T.L, a hip Korean boardwear brand. "That was in 2004 or 2005. All the women were wearing very unattractive, puffy outfits."

"Just two years ago, hip-hop styles were in," added Kim, who says that both men and women these days are into slimmer pieces.

According to Kim of Kim Jun-beom Snowboard Lab clothing has also become colorful. And it promises to get even brighter next season.

"I am working on the 2009 collection," said the 35-year old designer. "It will be more vibrant and use lots of prints."

"You have to always look good," says pro rider Suzy Kim. "The clothes are very colorful. We think we initiated the Big Bang style."

Day Glo styles, hot moves and hip slang all give Korean snowboarding an undeniable flavor. But at the end of the day, it is the sport itself that brings riders back to the slopes.

"It feels like you are cutting the snow with a knife," says retired pro Yoon. "You feel it in your body, like you are standing on the edge of a blade, like you entrusting your body to a 1 millimeter wide edge."



Places to snowboard



Phoenix Park

Picked by pro riders Suzy Kim and Kwon Dae-won as one of the best places to snowboard, thanks to its Extreme Park -- which is equipped with a halfpipe and rails -- Phoenix Park is located in Gangwon Province. An Extreme Park clinic, where one can learn to halfpipe, jump and jib from a pro rider is currently underway until March 8. For more information on the clinic call (033) 330-6690 or visit www.extremepark.co.kr, go to www.pp.co.kr or call 1588-2828 for more on Phoenix Park.



Hyundai Sungwoo Resort

The first FIS Snowboard World Championships ever held in Asia just took place at the Hyundai Sungwoo Resort in Gangwon Province, where you can ride Korea`s first halfpipe. For more information on the resort call (033) 340-3000 or visit www.hdsungwoo.co.kr





Snowboard shops and sites



Burton Korea

Founded by one of the pioneers of the modern snowboard, Burton has made a name for itself with its cutting edge boards. Burton Korea, the official local distributor of the brand, also hosts one of the oldest snowboard competitions in Korea, the Burton Classic.

The famed channel board decks -- you can custom adjust your stance -- cost 900,000 won to 1,200,000 won. Located in Sinsa-dong, near Hakdong Subway Station Line 7, Exit 3, for more information call (02) 3444-4631 or visit www.burton.co.kr, go to www.burtonclassic.com to check out the Burton Classic.



Mind

Run by retired pro alpine rider Yoon Dong-hyuk, Mind carries both alpine and freestyle equipment. The shop is located near Jeongja Subway Station, Bundang Line, Exit 1 and 2, and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. For more information call (031) 711-7778 or visit www.carve.co.kr



S.T.L

A domestic boardwear brand, S.T.L sports everything from silicone studded belts to bandanas that you can wear over your face. It has over 15 shops throughout Korea. Their flagship store is in Itaewon, near Itaewon Subway Station Line 6, Exit 3. For more information call (02) 790-5222 or visit www.stlsnow.com



Kim Jun-beom Snowboard Lab

Started in 1997, Kim Jun-beom Snowboard Lab is a snowboarder friendly site complete with blogs, a price comparison site, and information on brands and trends. For more information visit www.boarderszone.com



The snowboarding and ski season typically ends in mid-March in Korea, depending on snowfall.

By Jean Oh



(oh_jean@heraldm.com)