IN 1992, local snowboarders at Mammoth Mountain, California, handbuilt some jumps beneath Chair 12, tucked away from the prying eyes of the ski patrol.

Twelve years on, Mammoth’s four machine-sculpted terrain parks cost the resort upwards of £530,000 a year and are renowned throughout the world. To the non-user they may look like bizarre moonscapes, but terrain parks are increasingly influencing both younger snowboarders’ and skiers’ choice of winter resort. These snowy playgrounds sprang up during the Nineties, stamping their bumpy mark on most North American resorts and prompting the more progressive European pistes to follow suit.

Today’s monster jumps (referred to as tabletops, step-up/step-down kickers, or hips, geometry depending), u-shaped halfpipes and jibs (rails and slideable boxes in all angles and curved permutations) had small beginnings.

Emulating skateboarders, snowboarders sought out natural terrain that would allow them to leave the ground: launching out of the sides of pistes, utilising every drop and gully. Fallen tree trunks became obstacles to slide, taking the place of city handrails.

These days parks resemble giant skateparks on snow, and are attracting increasing numbers of skiers (‘freeskiers’) in addition to the no-longer upstart snowboarders.

And they are a serious business. As surf and skate culture becomes globally ever more pervasive, and “extreme” sports become the norm, mountains without decent parks find themselves losing out on a significant chunk of the under-30 crowd.

“Our number one marketing tool is having a good park,” says Oren Tanzer, Park Director at Mammoth. It’s no exaggeration. The resort’s parks have featured in countless ski and snowboard magazines, appearing not just in articles but as backdrops to gear and clothing ads.

So what exactly makes a good park, for those looking to get in on the action? North America still leads the way; parks are, on average, much bigger and generally better groomed. Grooming is vital, ensuring smooth trajectories on take-off and long, unrutted landings — but buying and running custom-designed park snowcats (piste-grooming machines) costs money that many European resorts just aren’t prepared to spend.

Careful design and a dedicated park staff — there in part to educate guests on park etiquette — have helped Mammoth reduce injuries by 30 per cent over the past two years. And Tanzer stresses that injuries on the mountain haven’t increased overall since the parks were built. “There are less collision and speed related injuries on the hill because of the parks.” :MPU:

Giant jumps aren’t, in themselves, dangerous, so long as take-offs and landings have the correct proportions — and riders have sufficient experience. Like Mammoth, the best resorts now offer a selection of parks for different abilities, with plenty of beginner and intermediate tabletops and jibs for holidaymakers who just want a manageable taste of the high life.

There are still those who can’t grasp why anyone would want to spend all day lapping the same lift, but their numbers are dwindling. The Chief Financial Officer of Mammoth, Mark Clausen — who is in his forties — competes in halfpipe competitions; the generation that once handbuilt jumps are now in their thirties or beyond.

Joani Lynch, communications manager, says Mammoth’s investment is crucial. “Skiing and snowboarding are about personal choice — and park users are the skiers and riders of the future.”

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