st of snowboarding also appeals to many young people because most of them do not have near a thousand dollars to waste on ski equipment. They like to buy their first set of boots and snowboard used, until they become good enough to purchase a new snowboard and bindings.According to the National Ski Areas Association surveys, the total number of U.S. ski area visits has remained flat overall for the last ten years; but the percentage of lift tickets purchased by snowboarders surged to 12.3% in the 94/95 season, an 18% growth over the previous year. (Neuert) Ski resorts sell more and more tickets to snowboarders every year. Even some skiers try to cross over and try snowboarding. Shannon Dunn, a former skier stated A lot of us got into this because they were sick of the way skiing was, all the rules and things. We just wanted to be free to express ourselves and be part of a sport where people would appreciate that freedom." (Wilbon) That is another major appeal to snowboarding and one of the main reasons that the younger generation chooses to snowboard instead of ski. The younger generation feels that they are freer to express the way they are when they snowboard, instead of following all of the skiers rules. It is a main reason why the sport of snowboarding has grown so fast, especially among the younger crowd.There is a definant generation gap between the average snowboarder and the average skier. Dave Berry states:Skiers hate snowboarders. It's a generational thing. Skiers are (and here I am generalizing) middle-aged Republicans wearing designer spacesuits; snowboarders are defiant young rebels wearing deliberately drab clothing that is baggy enough to cover the snowboarder plus a major appliance. Skiers like to glide down the slopes in a series of graceful arcs; snowboarders like to attack the mountain, slashing, spinning, tumbling, going backward, blasting through snowdrifts, leaping off cliffs, getting their noses pierced in midair ...
