I'm a bit late to this discussion.
But there could just be separate categories in the same race. It would be good for hardboot racing if more people got a taste of racing in soft boots. I think many might get hooked and end up also trying hardboots.
The courses need to be set in a fun way again though like in the early days of snowboarding. Not just "left, right, left, right down a smooth even gradient - But with rollers, changes of grade, rhythm, terrain and direction, and also natural terrain that could cause a bit of airtime.
Racing has been put down by the snowboarding mainstream for so long that people have forgotten that it can be really fun.
