Olympic Snowboarding 2018: Complete Guide to Pyeongchang Winter Games

Snowboarding will be one of the most popular events at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, so it's time to get ready for all the gnarly fakies and buttery corks that will dominate your TV and laptop screens for much of February.

If you're not a snowboarding addict and those terms mean nothing to you, that's perfect. This preview is intended to explain the differences between snowboarding's various disciplines while letting you know which riders are most likely to earn medals for their respective countries.

This won't help you learn how to tackle the double black diamonds at the top of your nearest ski lift, but it should get you ready to talk about snowboarders such as Chloe Kim, Jamie Anderson, Marcus Kleveland and Max Parrot.

We'll start out with snowboarding's Olympic history before giving you the full event schedule and a few riders to watch. After that, we'll explain the differences between the five disciplines—slopestyle, halfpipe, snowboard cross, big air and parallel giant slalom—and take a peek into the crystal ball to project each event's medalists.

Though events like ice hockey and figure skating have been a part of the Winter Olympics for roughly a century, snowboarding was "invented" in the 1960s and has only been an Olympic discipline since 1998, debuting in Nagano, Japan.

Coupled with the Winter X-Games' rise in popularity, it didn't take long for snowboarding to become a fan favorite at the Olympics.

Initially, it was just giant slalom and the half pipe. But there have been plenty of changes and additions since then:

• In 2002 (Salt Lake City), slalom was turned into a head-to-head battle and dubbed the "parallel giant slalom."
• In 2006 (Torino, Italy), snowboard cross was added.
• In 2014 (Sochi, Russia), slopestyle was added.
• This year in Pyeongchang, big air will make its Olympic debut.

Over the course of the four Games, the United States has opened up a commanding lead in the medal count. Team USA has acquired at least five medals in each of the last four Games and has a total of 24—twice as many as Switzerland (12) in second place. USA is responsible for 10 of the 30 gold medals to date. Switzerland (seven) is the only other nation with more than three.

The most decorated snowboarder in Olympic history is USA's Kelly Clark. She has one gold and two bronze medals in the halfpipe and is searching for a fourth medal. She qualified for her fifth Olympic Games this year.

There are also four men with two gold medals in snowboarding: USA's Shaun White and Seth Wescott, Russia's Vic Wild and Switzerland's Philipp Schoch.

2018 Winter Olympics Snowboarding Schedule (All times ET)

Slopestyle

Men's Qualifications: Feb. 9 at 8 p.m.
Men's Finals: Feb. 10 at 8 p.m.

Women's Qualifications: Feb. 10 at 11:30 p.m.
Women's Finals: Feb. 11 at 8 p.m.

        

Halfpipe

Women's Qualifications: Feb. 11 at 11:30 p.m.
Women's Finals: Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.

Men's Qualifications: Feb. 12 at 11 p.m.
Men's Finals: Feb. 13 at 8:30 p.m.

            

Snowboard Cross

Men's Seeding Round: Feb. 14 at 9 p.m.
Men's Finals: Feb. 14 at 11:30 p.m.

Women's Seeding Round: Feb. 15 at 8 p.m.
Women's Finals: Feb. 15 at 10:15 p.m.

         

Big Air

Women's Qualifications: Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Women's Finals: Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Men's Qualifications: Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Men's Finals: Feb. 23 at 8 p.m.

           

Parallel Giant Slalom

Men's and Women's Qualifications: Feb. 21 at 10 p.m.
Men's and Women's Finals: Feb. 23 at 10 p.m.

Men

Shaun White, United States: The man who needs no introduction. Even if you don't follow snowboarding or the X Games in the slightest, you know who White is. At 31 years old, this may be his final hurrah. But don't count him out because of that. If Michael Phelps could make a comeback and win a few gold medals in the swimming pool at 31 years old, so can this halfpipe star.

Max Parrot, Canada: Few individuals are capable of doing acrobatics in the air quite like Parrot. He won gold in the men's big-air event in three consecutive Winter X Games, and he should put on one heck of a show in the newest event.

Ayumu Hirano, Japan: Sochi was supposed to be something of a trial run for this up-and-coming star, but the then-15-year-old earned silver in the men's halfpipe. And, if anything, he has only improved since then. Hirano had three sensational runs in the superpipe finals at the 2018 Winter X Games, securing the gold with his last one.

Scotty James, Australia: James had a great showing at the 2018 Winter X Games, too, following up a gold medal in 2017 superpipe with a silver in the lead-up to Pyeongchang. James competed for Australia in each of the previous two Games, but he didn't come anywhere close to medaling in halfpipe or slopestyle in 2014. This year, he'll be one of the top challengers to White and Hirano.

Vic Wild, Olympic Athletes from Russia: Wild is the only snowboarder to win multiple gold medals in the same year, dominating both the parallel slalom and the parallel giant slalom in 2014. The IOC decided to remove the former event, replacing it with big air, but Wild should be the man to beat in PGS.

                       

Women

Chloe Kim, United States: It's not often you find a first-time Olympian this well-known at an international level, but this 17-year-old has been a halfpipe phenom at the Winter X Games for the past five years. Unless Kim wipes out on multiple runs, it's hard to imagine she'll fail to earn a medal.

Kelly Clark, United States: Clark is twice Kim's age and one of her top challengers in the halfpipe. The 34-year-old won gold in 2002, finished in fourth place in 2006 and earned bronze in both 2010 and 2014. Team USA has won two of the three medals in this event in each of the past three Games. Clark is hoping to help extend that streak as well her lead in career Olympic snowboarding medals.

Jamie Anderson, United States: How's this for dominance? Anderson has medaled in slopestyle at 13 consecutive Winter X Games dating back to 2006 (including five golds) and was the Olympic gold medalist in that event at Sochi four years ago. Anderson is also a big-air threat, taking bronze this year in Aspen.

Reira Iwabuchi, Japan: A rising star in both slopestyle and big air, Iwabuchi might be the biggest threat to win multiple Olympic medals in 2018, even though she just turned 16 in December. She struggled in the slopestyle event at the 2018 Winter X Games, but she took silver in big air.

Anna Gasser, Austria: Another strong candidate for multiple medals, Gasser was the gold medalist to Iwabuchi's silver in the big-air event in January. She also won big-air gold in the 2017 World Championships in the Sierra Nevada and was the Slopestyle gold medalist at the 2017 Winter X Games.

Overview: If there's a significant portion of your life that you cannot imagine without the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video game franchise—or actually doing those ollies and aerials in real life—this is for you.

Slopestyle is a freestyle event in which the first portion of the course is littered with obstacles for grinds and spins—rails, walls, tables, etc.—followed by several jumps to showcase grabs, cabs, flips and corks.

Slopestyle debuted in the Olympics four years ago with Team USA's Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson taking home the gold medals.

Scoring is determined by six judges who grade on a 1-100 scale based on a combination of difficulty and technique. The highest and lowest scores are eliminated and the remaining four are averaged. Each boarder gets two runs in qualifying and three in the finals, and the highest score is used to determine who advances and medals.

Men's Storyline: Could Marcus Kleveland bring Norway its first gold medal in snowboarding? The Norwegians started out strong back in 1998, earning silver in two of the four events. But they have a grand total of one silver and one bronze in the four Games since then. Kleveland won gold in slopestyle in each of the past two Winter X Games and should be the man to beat in Pyeongchang.

Women's Storyline: Could Team USA sweep the medals in women's slopestyle? As mentioned earlier, Jamie Anderson took gold at Sochi in 2014. She also won gold in this event at the 2018 Winter X Games, followed closely by fellow American, Julia Marino. Marino and Hailey Langland are considered stronger candidates to medal in big air than in slopestyle, but it's possible all three land on the medal stand. Japan's Reira Iwabuchi may be the one to break up the USA party.

Overview: Halfpipe (or superpipe) is probably the most recognizable snowboarding event. As advertised in the name, the U-shaped course looks like a pipe that was sawed in half lengthwise, just like a halfpipe on a skateboarding or BMX course.

The sloped walls on each side tower 22 feet high, from which competitors gain enough momentum to go soaring into the air to execute their tricks.

Snowboarders are expected to chain together a variety of tricks while working their way down the course. Height/amplitude is key and is the event's most jaw-dropping aspect, but riders also need a combination of difficulty and fluidity if they want to medal.

Like those in slopestyle, halfpipe runs are scored by six judges, and the four least extreme marks count. In the qualification round, each rider goes twice. The higher of the two scores is used to determine who reaches the finals. Once there, each boarder gets three runs with his or her highest score used for medal ranking.

Men's Storyline: Try as one might to bring up anyone else, the big story in men's halfpipe will be Shaun White. The Flying Tomato won gold in 2006 and 2010, but he failed to medal in 2014, placing fourth. While training in New Zealand this past October for this year's Olympics, White suffered a nasty injury that required 62 stitches in his face. If the 31-year-old can make a return to the medal stand, it would be one of the biggest stories in Pyeongchang.

Another major injury to note: Switzerland's Iouri "I-Pod" Podladtchikov—who won gold in this event in 2014—fell violently during one of his runs at the 2018 Winter X Games on Jan. 28. He was carted off the course and later diagnosed with a nasal fracture. No word yet on his Olympic availability.

Women's Storyline: While White is searching for one final (probably?) medal on the men's side, 17-year-old Chloe Kim will be pursuing her first of many among the women. She wasn't old enough to compete in Sochi, but she has been crushing it at the X Games for a while. She earned silver in the superpipe as a 13-year-old in 2014 before winning gold in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Also, as previously mentioned, Team USA's Kelly Clark is searching for a fourth Olympic medal in this event. She is already the only snowboarder with at least three Olympic medals.

Overview: If slopestyle and halfpipe are like skateboarding and BMX on ice, snowboard cross is like NASCAR or motocross on a mountainside.

In groups of four to six, riders race down a course that is roughly one kilometer (0.6 miles) in length, covered with banks, spines and jumps. Style points are irrelevant. It's just a matter of who can reach the finish line first.

As far as the tournament format is concerned, each rider has two runs to determine seeding, during which time a couple of riders will be eliminated to get down to the top 32 for the "1/8 finals." The top three riders from each of those eight heats qualify for the quarterfinals, each of which will feature six riders.

The top three from each quarterfinal reach the semifinal. Then, they do it again, with the top three from each of the two semifinals making it to the final run. Somehow, the whole tournament only takes about an hour, so make sure to set a reminder if you want to watch the fast-paced action.

Men's Storyline: Will France do it again? Pierre Vaultier won gold for the French in 2014. Tony Ramoin and Paul-Henri de Le Rue earned bronze medals in 2010 and 2006, respectively. Vaultier will be back to defend his title, but perhaps a fourth man from France will appear on the podium in as many Games.

Women's Storyline: Is this the year Lindsey Jacobellis finally avoids a wipeout? In 2006, Jacobellis had an insurmountable lead in the final race before infamously falling in the final 100 meters and ending up with silver. In each of the last two Games, she crashed in the semifinals before winning the "small final," which is a consolation race for the semifinalists who came up short. She's hoping the fourth time is the charm.

Overview: All forms of snowboarding come with a risk of serious injury, but big air is the event with the most death-defying attraction.

Big air is the new addition to the list of Olympic snowboarding events, and it'll be an instant sensation among the general public. That isn't to say the other four events are lacking in intrigue, but big air is the one where viewers can sit down in front of their TVs or laptops with no snowboarding experience, watch for five minutes and be thoroughly entertained.

This is because it has a simple premise: Gain speed, jump off a ramp, do a bunch of spins and flips and stick the landing. The execution is anything other than simple, but it's the easiest to follow at home, even if you don't understand the scores. It's a lot like the vault in gymnastics, but on a much larger scale.

Six judges will score each jump from 1 to 100 based on what is called the D-E-A-L criteria: difficulty, execution, amplitude and landing. The highest and lowest scores are dropped and the four remaining scores are averaged. In the finals, each boarder will do three runs with the two best scores added together for the final score.

Men's Storyline: Canada has only won seven Olympic medals in snowboarding, but there's a reasonable expectation that it'll increase that count by two in this event. Mark McMorris (2014 bronze medalist in slopestyle) and Max Parrot (reigning three-time X Games champion in big air) are widely regarded as two of the favorites to win the event. Team USA's Ryan Stassel could make it a North American sweep.

Women's Storyline: Even before Austria's Anna Gasser claimed the big-air title at the 2018 Winter X Games, she was considered the front-runner for gold in Pyeongchang. Gasser competed in slopestyle in Sochi four years ago and dominated the qualifying round before falling multiple times in the finals. It's a redemption story that could result in multiple medals, as she'll compete in slopestyle again. Keep an eye on Team USA's Hailey Langland, too. The 17-year-old may be Gasser's top challenger.

Overview: Similar to snowboard cross, the parallel giant slalom (PGS) is a battle of speed between multiple snowboarders racing simultaneously. However, instead of up to six riders trying to avoid each other while speeding down the course, PGS is a head-to-head competition.

Unless you count the jumps in big air and slopestyle as targets, this is the only event that has a specific set of targets to hit. Riders must weave (aka slalom) through a path of colored gates as fast as possible.

There's one path of red gates and one path of blue gates. Each rider races down each course, with the combined time determining which 16 competitors reach the bracketed portion of the event. In years past, they would continue running both blue and red to determine the winner of each round. This year, however, the higher seed gets to choose his or her preferred path with just one race deciding who advances.

Friendly heads up: If you're placing bets between the seeding and elimination rounds, make sure not to bet your house on the No. 1 seed on the men's side. No. 16 seeds never win in the NCAA basketball tournament, but No. 16 has beaten No. 1 in the men's PGS tournament in three of the last four Games. 

Men's Storyline: Russia's Vic Wild won gold in both the PGS and the parallel slalom (now defunct) in Sochi four years ago. While we waited to learn all the details surrounding Russia's Olympic ban, there were rumblings that Wild might not want to or be allowed to defend his title under a neutral flag. But he will be one of the 169 "Olympic Athletes from Russia," and he will be the favorite for gold in this event.

Women's Storyline: For the second consecutive Games, there will be no United States representation in the Women's PGS. It's weird that Team USA has four competitors of each gender in each of the other four snowboarding events, but no one in this one, right?   

Slopestyle

Men

Gold: Marcus Kleveland, Norway
Silver: Mark McMorris, Canada
Bronze: Ryan Stassel, United States

Women

Gold: Jamie Anderson, United States
Silver: Reira Iwabuchi, Japan
Bronze: Julia Marino, United States

          

Halfpipe

Men

Gold: Ayumu Hirano, Japan
Silver: Shaun White, United States
Bronze: Scotty James, Australia

Women

Gold: Chloe Kim, United States
Silver: Arielle Gold, United States
Bronze: Cai Xuetong, China

            

Snowboard Cross

Men

Gold: Pierre Vaultier, France
Silver: Lucas Eguibar, Spain
Bronze: Nikolay Olyunin, Olympic Athletes from Russia

Women

Gold: Chloe Trespeuch, France
Silver: Michela Moioli, Italy
Bronze: Lindsey Jacobellis, United States

           

Big Air

Men

Gold: Max Parrot, Canada
Silver: Mark McMorris, Canada
Bronze: Marcus Kleveland, Norway

Women

Gold: Anna Gasser, Austria
Silver: Hailey Langland, United States
Bronze: Reira Iwabuchi, Japan

            

Parallel Giant Slalom

Men

Gold: Vic Wild, Olympic Athletes from Russia
Silver: Nevin Galmarini, Switzerland
Bronze: Andreas Prommegger, Austria

Women

Gold: Ester Ledecka, Czech Republic
Silver: Patrizia Kummer, Switzerland
Bronze: Alena Zavarzina, Olympic Athletes from Russia