It's difficult to quantify the experience of carving a white line through a powder field or grabbing huge air from the lip of a freshly sculpted half pipe in an article like this. Neither is it easy to describe the exhilaration experienced riding through a powder chute at speeds illegal on most Irish roads and exploding into the deepest snow held in place by reasonably solid and tightly spaced trees. The allure of snowboarding is dramatically diverse and as such appeals to a wide cross-section of the Irish community. For some the attraction is sheer excitement, the adrenaline rush of 70kmph pistes and speed induced bump jumps where the mountain leaps back at you. In direct contrast with this comes the absolute calm of leaning back and trailing a lazy hand through your wake spray while toe-side traversing a wide section of untouched off-piste. The feeling is an almost spiritual oneness with the mountain. Slowly carving out natural lines on a never before boarded backcountry slope, the board an extension of self and the mountain a sleeping white giant, is nothing short of beautiful. To the freestylers the adventure is about technical excellence, achieving perfection in what they do. They hit the slopes hard and fast, pop rotations and grabs off moguls and hurl themselves enthusiastically at solid walls. Each style is itself a form of artistic expression which embodies an absolute freedom from the form and structure imposed by society.

Suffice to say once you have been on a snow holiday a need is awakened within you. You feel like a door has been opened in your life and for the first time you step outside into an expansive white world. Everything else is tempered with a fresh perspective and you feel free. It is easy to understand then why so many Irish people have eschewed the traditional south of Spain sun holiday in favour of chasing powder. I have yet to meet anyone who has carved snow and doesn't long to be back there. On a slope you can express the elation that lies within all of us and leave a wake of joy in your passing. Only one single thought occupies your mind, "more". Ireland is not a snowboarding Mecca but it has borne an increasingly large population of people who now classify themselves as snowboarders above every other aspect of their lives. It defines us, we are Irish Snowboarders and we have developed into a community.

In recent years snowboarding has become a hugely popular sport here. With the advent of cheap flights to European resorts and an increase in disposable income came incredible opportunity. People had long become weary of sun holidays where you sit on a beach waiting until a respectable time to hit the pubs. Suddenly there was a viable alternative and interest in it was growing fast. We had all at some stage in our lives seen snowboarding but never before has it been so easily attainable. Most people in Ireland today know at least one person who's been on a snow holiday. I have met the Irish on every slope I've ridden in the past five years from Park City, Utah to Livigne, Italy. Last year in Alpe de Heuz in the French Alps myself and some friends from DCU were hitting the park. On the first jump a boarder launched and landed a 180° from a small kicker. Two English boarders waiting behind me remarked on the smoothness of the trick to which I proudly proclaimed, "He's from Mayo". The stereotypes are falling from our edges like fresh white drift. Europe now realises that Irish does not mean beginner.

The scene at home revolves around the online community, colleges and the dry slopes at both Kiltiernan in Dublin and Lurgan in Northern Ireland. Kiltiernan boasts three slopes, a beginner, intermediate and advanced. The surface is dendex mesh. Dendex is a harsh mistress, plastic bristles on diamond comb matting atop a stony hill. It's kept slick with strategically placed sprinklers and the occasional shower of rain. It is truly said that if you can master the plastic then you will have no problem on snow. There is no build-up under the board to assist your turns while carving like you would experience on a mountain. This forces you to develop the correct turning technique in order to bring you and the board gracefully to the bottom of the hill. The Dublin colleges each run graded training programs in Kiltiernan. Every week they bring beginners out and teach them first how to link turns and when they become proficient, how to fly. Which brings us nicely to the spectacle of freestyle. Kiltiernan now boasts two kickers a fun box and a myriad of pipe rails which test even the more experienced of boarders. From the top of the advanced slope you can see the lights of Dublin. So the next time you settle down for a pint in the capital know that there are snowboarders careening down hills half an hour away from you and that you're more than welcome to join us.

While the riots raged in the city we were in Kiltiernan doing what we love. The Annual Ski and Snowboard Intervarsity was on. Far from the turmoil of Dublin we launched ourselves energetically down dendex on boards and skis as onlookers enjoyed a DJ, beer, food and incredible live action. Make no mistake, this was no small event. Over sixty athletes from four colleges competed in ski/board slalom and freestyle events. The level of expertise shown on the night would not have been out of place in any of the major Alpine resorts at peak season. There were monster airs, boardslid rails and text book grabs from both disciplines stomped with competence and power. All of this to a backdrop of flashing cameras, hip-hop beats and cheering spectators. We are not the beginners on the slopes in Europe any longer with Irish boarders picking up sponsorship deals and following the powder around the globe enjoying the perpetual winter of back to back seasons. We came close to having our first rider in the Olympics this year in Jen Grace, a phenomenal snowboard racer who competes in snowboard cross, parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom. She was the first boarder to represent Ireland in the World Snowboarding Championships. The fact that she has also ridden with us in Kiltiernan really shows her commitment to promoting snowboarding in Ireland and speaks to the general attitude of boarders here. A professional athlete spending slope time on dendex with beginners really epitomises the openness of the community. The next Olympics will have Irish boarders competing at an international level, of this I am sure.

Of course no article on Irish snowboarding would be complete without a mention of nightlife. In ski resorts the Après Ski provides literally the most friendly, welcoming atmosphere of any pub scene I have experienced to date. The minute you enter one of these pubs you have something in common with everyone else in there. You can happily discuss the day's events, the snow conditions and where the best off-piste lies hidden, lurking between the trees on the north face. People from all nationalities, lifestyles, religions meet as friends and talk about the snow. Everyone is there for the same reason, the mountain outside the pub door. Everyone there has spent a day pushing themselves physically and mentally and becoming better at a sport they love. The after jam sessions in Dublin are no different. The same people with the same mentality have brought that Après Ski attitude home with them. After a jam or competition in Kiltiernan everybody heads into the city for beer and lively banter. When you go boarding you form a special bond with the people on the trip with you. They are your best friends because they shared in the joy (and pain) you experienced on the slope.

If you are still reading this and wondering if snowboarding is for you then believe me when I say it is. Everybody from all backgrounds and fitness levels can pursue boarding and will be welcomed into the community with open arms. Who would have thought the Celtic Tiger would feel so at home on the face of a giant white mountain? Be warned in advance though once you strap on a board and sit on top of an Alp your life will be irrevocably enhanced. The best way to get to know those involved is to go to www.IrishSnowboarder.com, register in the forums and start talking. My username is Stephen, I'll see you there.

Online resources:
Irish Snowboarder
Jen Grace