A ticket to ride: the rapid rise of snowboarding.

• Author: Farrell, Tom
• Position: Athletic Arena

"A veteran generation of snowboarders is introducing its kids to the sport, and the typical slacker stereotype is way past its prime."

IT STARTED OUT as a simple enough assignment: USA Today wanted someone to test various Burton snowboard gear. For those not in the know, Burton Snowboards is one of the world's premier manufacturers of snowboard clothing and equipment. Jake Burton, the company's founder, is widely considered to have pioneered the sport more than 25 years ago. Of course, I jumped at the chance to try out some of the latest products from a team known for their innovations in the field.

There was even a bonus involved--get in touch with the public relations department, I was told, and they'll hook you up with Burton representatives to ride with. Since most of those I tend to hit the slopes with are skiers, this was a welcome opportunity to spend some time with people who share my enthusiasm for the single-plank method of getting down a mountain. However, when I casually mentioned that my wife, a skier, would be tagging along for the weekend, you could almost hear the sound of the plans switching gears.

Burton's latest pet project, it turns out, is its Learn to Ride (LTR) Program. Designed in conjunction with major resorts and leading snowboard instructor associations, LTR is a radical new approach to getting novice snowboarders to conquer the slopes easily, safely, and, especially, painlessly. Combining specialized equipment, smaller class size, and a teaching philosophy that emphasizes fun, LTR is making a significant change in how beginners are introduced to the sport. The people at Burton were delighted at the prospect of using Susan to demonstrate this new method. All that remained was to get her to "volunteer."

Susan and I had learned to ski together about 10 years ago. Five years later, I learned to snowboard, and have never strapped on skis since. The freedom and fluidity I found on a board was something I had never achieved on skis, despite having reached a good level of competence with them. While my wife recognized my love for my newfound sport, she also vividly recalled my horror stories about the learning process I went through, and was understandably reluctant to try it herself.

I first got on a snowboard along with about a dozen other people in my novice class, and spent quite a lot of the first day slamming onto the snow, once almost knocking myself unconscious. By the end of the second day, I was falling less...