Snowboarding has become a popular winter sport among people less than 30 years of age , and has been identified as a top-five participation sport among male and female Calgary high school students . The risk of injury associated with snowboarding, reported to be between 1.7 and 16 injuries/1000 snowboard days , is higher than that of downhill skiing [49-51] and is highest for children and beginners [52, 53]. Terrain parks contain man-made apparatuses that facilitate aerial
snowboard/ski manoeuvres. Originating in 1990 , common apparatuses include rails and fun boxes (wide rails) for sliding on, jumps and gaps, walls, and half- and quarter-pipes (vertical troughs). Resorts of the Canadian Rockies removed all man-made snow jumps from terrain parks in 2007, even though
published data on the risk of injury associated with specific apparatuses within terrain parks have not been found . Snowboarders have been found to be significantly more likely to sustain a trunk injury when snowboarding in a terrain park versus on other slopes (OR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.50). Incorporating anatomical location and injury severity, snowboarders have significantly greater odds of sustaining upper extremity (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.25, 1.50) and lower extremity injuries (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.51) . Injuries from jumping are reported to account for 10-77% of all snowboard injuries [57-69] with 22% of all injuries related to terrain park use  and 2% occurring in the half-pipe .
The CIHR Team in Child and Youth Injury Prevention (STAIR C&Y Team) is a unique collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers and partners who have a common purpose—to generate new knowledge for stakeholders who develop and deliver policy and programs, and advocate for children and youth in Canada.