Snowboard racing has long been the forgotten son of snowboard disciplines and without wanting to overlook a very dedicated and speedy band of hard-boot and full-face helmet clad participators, simply hasn’t been able to maintain the same level of buzz, audience and appeal that freestyle snowboarding has created.

That said, banked slalom – where riders navigate down a winding course filled with whoops, rollers, kickers and of course, banked turns, is perhaps the one racing discipline that has managed to hold onto any semblance of what the average (and even core) snowboarder would consider ‘cool’.

Maybe it’s because the discipline has such a long, rich history, extending all the way back to the sport’s true pioneers – your Tom Sims, Terry Kidwells and Craig Kellys; or perhaps the relaxed format of the banked slalom is just an appealing alternative to the top riders.

Either way, banked slaloms are becoming more and more popular every year. Many would even argue they’re getting much trendier too.

From the longstanding oak trees of the discipline to the creative new events that are sowing the seeds of the future, click through for 5 rad banked slalom events that are still alive and well in 2013 and attracting more and more interest every year: