The origins of snowboarding go back to Christmas Day 1965 when an engineer named Sherman Poppen strapped two skis together to give his daughters something to do. He called it a “snurfer” and started selling them the next year.
Jake Burton came along, refined the toy and helped turn snowboarding into a mass market sport. Along the way superstars like Shaun White and Chloe Kim redefined what could be done in the air and the sport is always reinventing itself in terms of tricks. What to expect as the Winter Olympics arrive.
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FILE - Czech Republic's Ester Ledecka checks her time at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Val d'Isere, France, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta, File)
FILE - Olympic hopeful U.S. snowboarder, Red Gerard, poses for a photo at Team USA Media Summit, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Gold medalist Scotty James of Australia reacts on the podium after the Men's Snowboard Halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
FILE - Japan's Ayumu Hirano competes during the men's halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
FILE - Gold medalist Chloe Kim of USA reacts on the podium after the Women's Snowboard Halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
There are three snowboarding events in what's called the park ( halfpipe, slopestyle and big air) and two more that involve racing (snowboardcross and parallel giant slalom). The park contests are the core of the sport. They are judged events that include qualifying and finals where riders are scored on the complexity of the tricks and how high they fly. Snowboardcross is a rugged form of four-wide racing down a winding course and PGS is the closest this sport has to Alpine skiing.
Kim goes for an unprecedented third straight title in the halfpipe. On the men's side, the best rider standing in the way of Japanese star Ayumu Hirano's repeat bid on the pipe is Australian Scotty James. Esther Ledecka of the Czech Republic is the GOAT and two-time defending champion in parallel giant slalom. American Red Gerard, the 2018 slopestyle champion, is in good form and looking for a return to the podium after finishing fourth in China.
All of the action is at Livigino Snow Park with big air Feb 5-9, parallel giant slalom Feb. 8, the halfpipe Feb. 11-13, snowboardcross: Feb. 13 and 15 and slopestyle Feb. 16-18.
This sport truly put itself on the map when the American trio of Ross Powers, Danny Kass and JJ Thomas swept the halfpipe podium in 2002 at the Salt Lake Games. The sport then belonged to White, whose third gold medal in 2018 in a narrow victory over Hirano stands out as one of the most dramatic contests the sport has seen. White retired after finishing fourth in an emotional farewell at the 2022 Games.
The Olympics added snowboarding to the program in 1998. One of its first champions, Ross Rebagliati, played right into the dude stereotype of snowboarders when he had his medal stripped after testing positive for cannabis, a decision overturned on appeal.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - Czech Republic's Ester Ledecka checks her time at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G in Val d'Isere, France, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Auletta, File)
FILE - Olympic hopeful U.S. snowboarder, Red Gerard, poses for a photo at Team USA Media Summit, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Gold medalist Scotty James of Australia reacts on the podium after the Men's Snowboard Halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
FILE - Japan's Ayumu Hirano competes during the men's halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
FILE - Gold medalist Chloe Kim of USA reacts on the podium after the Women's Snowboard Halfpipe competition at the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
SYDNEY (AP) — Australia completed a 4-1 Ashes series victory with a five-wicket win in the fifth and final cricket test on Thursday.
The Australians bowled England out for 342 on the fifth morning of the series finale and were chasing 160 for victory.
Tension grew with a succession of wickets and a contentious DRS review before Alex Carey hit the winning runs to guide the Australians to 161 for five in 31 overs.
Carey finished unbeaten on 16, Cameron Green was unbeaten on 22, and 39-year-old Usman Khawaja was sent into retirement with a victory.
The Australians retained the Ashes with wins in the first three tests, but England was determined to narrow the margin after its drought-breaking win in the Boxing Day match at Melbourne.
The 39-year-old veteran walked to the crease after Steve Smith was bowled by Will Jacks and Australia was 92-3. He was given a guard of honor from the England players lining his way to the pitch, shook hands with Stokes and then gave teammate Marnus Labuschagne a hug.
He got off the mark with a paddled reverse sweep to the boundary and edged another ball between the wicketkeeper and Stokes at first slip for another 2.
Labuschagne had a chance on 20 when he slashed at a short ball from Tongue and was dropped by Bethell. Labuschagne took 16 off the next over, bowled by Jacks to get the chase down to 41.
That's when Khawaja was out — his last innings lasting seven deliveries and netting six runs — when he dragged a delivery from Josh Tongue onto his stumps. He kneeled and kissed the turf in front of a “Thankyou Uzzy” sign that was painted onto the field, and walked back to the pavilion for the last time after 88 test matches.
Labuschagne was then run out for 37 off 40 balls when he drove to mid-off and took off for a single, only to get sent back by Carey.
At that stage, Australia was 121-5 and tension was building until Carey and Green guided the hosts home.
England resumed on Day 5 at 302-8, a lead of 119 runs, and was bowled out for 342, a 159-run lead with 2 1/2 sessions remaining.
Mitchell Starc dismissed Jacob Bethell for 154 and Tongue (6) to finish off the England innings and finish the series with 31 wickets at an average of 19.9. The haul of wickets and some important runs earned him the player of the series honors.
The Australians started their second innings quickly, scoring 10 in the first over — including a pair of boundaries from Travis Head, who has scored three centuries in the series.
Head was caught in the deep for 29 and finished with 629 runs across five tests.
After getting a major reprieve on a contentious DRS decision on 16, Jake Weatherald misjudged a short ball from Tongue and his top edge was caught out for 34.
England’s continued bad luck with the decision review system added extra spice to the last day of the series.
England reviewed umpire Ahsan Raza’s not out decision to a caught behind appeal when Weatherald wafted at a delivery from Brydon Carse with Australia on 33-0.
DRS technology appeared to show a slight murmur when the ball passed the toe of Weatherald’s bat before going through to the wicketkeeper. But TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena deemed there was inconclusive evidence the ball touched the bat.
The England players were stunned, after watching the DRS replays on the stadium screens, and Stokes had to step in to move Carse away from umpire Raza as he demanded an explanation. Stokes calmly approached the umpire, discussed the decision-making process, and got on with the game.
The total crowd across five days of the fifth test was 211,032, a record for the Sydney Cricket Ground.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Australia Usman Khawaja kisses the turf as he leaves the field during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Jake Weatherald bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Brydon Carse, right, and teammate Ben Stokes talk to umpire Ahsan Raza during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Matthew Potts, left, gestures to teammate Jacob Bethell after he was dismissed during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Jacob Bethell bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Jacob Bethell bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
