A number of decorated boards from snowboard companies like K2, Burton, and Ride hang from the rafters of the gallery, and they bring to mind guitar players who personalize their instruments with exotic woods, stickers, or special paint jobs. The results can often give insight into the aspirations or realities of an individual musician. But there's something different going on here. There's only one underlying theme of the snowboards on display: We are all individuals if we buy the same phat boards from (enter brand name here). Perhaps the most informative artwork is a photograph by Spencer Francey. On a mountain high above the clouds, a snowboard has been placed against an iron cross, and looks like a snowboarder's version of the crucifix. The title indicates the passion snowboarders have for their recreation: "Religion, Colorado-Farrellones."

Ahora es el momento, 1999 (detail)

To be fair, there are some comments on the commercialization of the culture. A 1998 cibachrome print by British Columbia's Brian Jungen called "Protototype for a new understanding #4", looks like a Northwestern tribal Indian mask from a distance. But upon closer inspection we see the mask is composed of Nike Air Jordan and Air Pippen sneakers.

Parts of the gallery have also been spray-painted with questions pertaining to snowboard culture which are answered by some of the artists. "How has the professionalization of the sport (Olympics, competitions) changed it?" is scrawled along one wall. There are thoughtful replies: ". . . What it has made me realize is that there are people that will come in and exploit the sport to get what they need and then split, leaving nothing positive in their wake. Modern television networks like ESPN just cattle call the athletes to make their show complete without providing the financial compensation the athletes deserve." There are similar replies, all taking into account the reality of sports marketing. But despite the lip service there's no evidence of these issues in the displayed artwork. Nobody struggles with larger questions affecting the culture. Instead we're shown lots of sick work that could easily be viewed in a glossy magazine or a Mountain Dew commercial.