BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio - Snowboards and skis dangle side-by-side as the lift takes riders up Mad River Mountain. Amid this strikingly beautiful setting of snow, two very different winter sports co-exist - and snowboarding is quietly closing in on skiing's popularity.

        At this resort about 130 miles northeast of Cincinnati, snowboard instructor Justin Hines has witnessed the trend.

        “Snowboarding has definitely grown,” he says. “It's almost doubled in popularity since I started snowboarding (five years ago) and since I've worked here . . . I'd say 50 percent of the kids are snowboarders.”

        David Whitsett, 16, of Anderson Township, decided to give snowboarding a try this season. He describes himself as a “moderately experienced skier.”

        “(Snowboarding) was an invigorating first experience ... much more challenging than skiing,” he says. “The whole key is keeping your balance while maintaining speed. And turning is a bit more difficult when going down the slope. You lose a lot of the control you have in skiing . . . I like snowboarding more than skiing. I find it more exciting, more thrilling.”

        “(Snowboarding) is an incredible workout for your legs, back and stomach — a full body workout, actually,” says Kate Wessel, 21, of downtown Cincinnati. “This is my second year of snowboarding . . . I go down beginner and intermediate hills.”

        Snowboard equipment consists of a board (size determined by your height), bindings (either clip-on or strap-on) and compatible boots (usually determined by your shoe size).

        "It's a relatively expensive sport,” comparable to skiing,” says Tod Bergler, 27, of downtown Cincinnati, a veteran snowboarder and a salesman at Vertical Drop Ski & Snowboard in Symmes Township. “We have packages for around $300. That's pretty much everything you need, except for the outer wear.”

        Mr. Bergler often is asked to compare skiing and snowboarding. He explains: “The learning curves with the two sports are drastically different. Skiing is a very gradual thing. Everybody can get on a pair of skies the first day and make it down the hill with relative comfort. With snowboarding, you find it a lot harder to pick up the basics, but once you get the basics, it's like night and day — you look like an old pro.”

        During a beginner's snowboarding lesson, Mr. Hines gives some basic instructions:

        “Your weight should be balanced on your feet, 50-50. If you lean back, your board will get weighted down and not want to turn anywhere. If you lean too far forward, you are not going to have any weight on the back and the board may slide in any direction . . . Knees should be bent and (the) back straight. Keep the hands out front where you can see them to keep your balance. Stay comfortable . . . A lot of things you'll start to discover on your own.”

        Beginners quickly learn that snowboarding has its own vocabulary. For instance, the footing on the board is angled. Usually, the left foot is in front, which is called “regular footing.” To have the right foot in front is called “goofy footing.”

        “It has nothing to do with your ride, somebody just gave it that name,” Mr. Hines says.

        Mad River is actively courting snowboarders, Samantha Rufo, director of sales and marketing, says.

        “We offer a variety of special programs, like Boarder Cross events, Big Air competitions and Extreme races,” she says “We send our (course) groomers to a sort of terrain development school to learn the best features to put into the park ... We really try to find out what makes them happy and put those in.”

Regional snowboarding
    Mad River Mountain, Bellefontaine, Ohio;(800) 231-7660 or (937) 599-1015; www.ridemadriver.com.
  • Snowboard rental (adult, includes bindings and boots): $25.
  • Snowboard lesson (group): One hour, $17.
  • Lift Ticket (adult): $25 and up.
  • Beginner Snowboard Package (includes rope tow ticket, equipment rental, one hour group lesson): $49.

    • Paoli Peaks, Paoli, Ind. (west of Louisville); (812) 723-4696; www.skipeaks.com.
  • Snowboard rental (adult, includes bindings and boots): $29.
  • Snowboard lesson (group): 1 1/2 hours, $18.
  • Snow pass: $25 and up.

    • Perfect North Slopes, Lawrenceburg; 381-7517 or (812) 537-3754;www.perfectnorth.com.
  • Snowboarding will start Feb. 1.
  • Snowboard rental (adult, includes bindings and boots): $25.
  • Snowboard lesson (availability and price to be determined).
  • Lift ticket (adult): $35 and up.

Snowboard equipment
    A sampling of where to buy snowboard equipment:
    Used
• Ski Patrol's annual Ski Swap (usually in November), Mad River Mountain, Bellefontaine.
• Play It Again Sports locations.
• Sun & Ski Sports, 7565 Kenwood Road, Kenwood; 745-0099.
    New
  • Benchmark Outfitters, 2910 Vine St., Corryville; 221-6700.
  • Michael's Tennis & Ski, 6700 Dixie Highway, Florence; (859) 647-7755.
  • Sun & Ski Sports, 7565 Kenwood Road, 745-0099.
  • Vertical Drop Ski & Snowboard, 11316 Montgomery Road, Symmes Township; 530-9800.

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