Snowboard cross (also Snowboarder X, SBX, Boardercross, Boarder-X or BX) is a snowboard competition in which a group of snowboarders (usually four) start simultaneously atop an inclined course, then race to reach the finish line first. Snowboard cross became an Olympic sport in 2006, and has been part of the Winter X Games since the annual event began in 1997. At the X Games the sport is called Snowboarder X.
Still widely referred to as boardercross by the snowboarding community, it wasn't until the International Ski Federation (FIS) (the international governing body for ski and snowboard sports) assumed control of Olympic snowboarding events that the term snowboard cross materialized. This was due largely to the language barrier; when boardercross is translated into the FIS's native French and back again, snowboard cross emerges as a literal translation.
The term boardercross is also used in the context of mountainboarding, referring to similar races on snow-less courses with similar features.
Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and includes cambered turns, gap jumps, berms, drops, and steep and flat sections designed to challenge the riders' ability to stay in control. It is not uncommon for racers to collide with each other. Some observers have compared the sport to short track speed skating because of the amount of contact involved. The name and the riders' full-face helmets show the sport's influence by motocross.
The first ever Boardercross event was held in the spring of 1991 at Blackcomb Mt. in the Whistler-Blackcomb resort of British Columbia. Steve Rechtschaffner and Greg Stump staged the event, to film as the final episode of their "Greg Stump's World of Extremes" TV show that they were doing for FOX TV. The idea for the event, the format and rules came from Rechtschaffner, along with the designing and building of the course. Stump's business manager John Graham coined the term "Boarder Cross", which everyone adopted. Rechtschaffner then went on to help build courses for people across North America for the next few years, helping to spread the reach of the event. Later on, Erik Kalacis staged the first professional Boardercross series, called The Kokanee Cross, in Canada. Much later on, Rechtschaffner took inspiration from Boardercross to create the multi-million selling hit series of SSX video games for Electronic Arts.
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Boardercross has been an event in every X-Games since their start in 1997. It made its Winter Olympics debut in 2006.
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The earlier releases in the EA Sports SSX (Snowboard Supercross) series of video games were loosely based on boardercross. The games are very much arcade-style video games, not a simulation game, focusing more on unrealistic tricks and larger-than-life courses.
The game Sonic Riders, a Sonic the Hedgehog series racing game in which SEGA characters race on hoverboards, is partly inspired by boardercross.
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