There are six snowboard events as men and women compete separately in halfpipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross. Both halfpipe events were contested at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, where the sport of snowboarding debuted. The parallel giant slalom events appeared on the Olympic program for the first time in 2002, replacing the two giant slalom events that were contested in Nagano. The snowboard cross events made their Olympic debut in Torino.

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Torino recap: U.S. domination continues
After sweeping men's halfpipe in 2002, the U.S. men nearly duplicated the result in Torino. Shaun White took gold, Danny Kass silver and Mason Aguirre finished fourth, beaten out for bronze by Markku Kiski of Finland. White was widely expected to take the gold, which he secured with his first run. The U.S. women matched that result on halfpipe, with Hannah Teter taking gold and Gretchen Bleiler silver. Kjersti Buaas of Norway took bronze.

In the Olympic debut of snowboard cross, favorite Seth Wescott secured another U.S. gold, just edging Slovakia's Radoslav Zidek at the finish. On the women's side, Lindsey Jacobellis famously took silver after falling on the final jump of the course. Jacobellis had a wide lead over Switzerland's Tanja Frieden, but a fell on a trick and wasn't able to recover in time and Frieden took the gold. The finish provided one of the most compelling stories of the Games, with the video replayed countless times and many accusing Jacobellis of showboating. Adding to the drama, Wescott was waiting at the finish as then-girlfriend Frieden celebrated her gold.

Parallel giant slalom proved the Americans' weakest event, with the men shut out of the medals. Switzerland's Philipp Schoch beat out his brother, Simon, for the gold, and Austria's Siegfried Grabner took bronze. Daniela Meuli of Switzerland took the women's gold, in front of Germany's Amelie Kober and American Rosey Fletcher, whose bronze was the only U.S. medal in parallel giant slalom, but the seventh overall snowboarding medal.

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Shaun White won gold in men's halfpipe in Torino.

Vancouver preview: Familiar favorites
After winning halfpipe gold in Torino, Shaun White has become the face of snowboarding. Though White has struggled occasionally with a busy schedule, full of sponsor obligations and appearances, he has come back strong in 2008-09. White won consecutive golds in superpipe (which is a larger but comparable version of Olympic halfpipe) at the X Games in 2008 and 2009. Behind him, and quickly closing the gap, are Americans Kevin Pearce and Danny Kass, but White remains the favorite. On the women's side, familiar faces also will top the field: Olympic gold medalists Hannah Teter (2006) and Kelly Clark (2002) will fight it out with 2006 silver medalist Gretchen Bleiler and Australia's Torah Bright, who won superpipe at the 2009 X Games.

Snowboard cross also features old favorites. Seth Wescott already has a World Cup gold in the 2008-09 season, and teammate Nate Holland won his unprecedented fourth-straight gold in the event at the 2009 X Games. Wescott, seeking his first X Games gold, was eliminated from the field after falling on contact with another rider in his semifinal heat. Lindsey Jacobellis, who long ago put her Torino fall behind her, has continued to dominate the women's field since 2006. She won her fifth X Games gold in snowboard cross in 2009, leading each of her heats by a wide margin.

In parallel giant slalom, Austria strong contenders for men's and women's. Despite winning only one medal in Torino, a bronze for Siegfried Graber, Austria's depth is impressive. On the women's side, four of the top five 2008 World Cup finishers were Austrian. For the men, Austrian Benjamin Karl took the 2008 World Cup title, with countryman Andreas Prommegger finishing third. Also in the mix will be Canadians Matthew Morrison and Jasey-Jay Anderson. But the defending gold and silver medalist Schoch brothers also should return, no doubt seeking a rematch in the final.