The History of Snowboarding

Snowboarding is a very recent sport and is similar to surfing, skateboarding, and Skiing. Although it is hard to pinpoint the pioneer of Snowboarding, it has been recognized that it was initiated around the 1950s by a few surf and skate enthusiasts who used self-made boards to convey their skills to a new terrain, the snow. The first real Snowboard hit the market during the 1960's in the form of Sherman Poppen's Snurfer. It appeared like a weird crossover between a plywood sled and a skateboard deck. The rope attached to the front tip of the snurfer offered the rider some control, and the steel tacks poking through the upper deck held the rider's feet in place.

During that time, Snowboarding appealed initially to a small group of surfers, skateboarders, and backcountry enthusiasts. Snowboard contraptions were highly frowned upon by majority of skiers. They were not even allowed to ride the regular skiing slopes.

As Snowboarding became more popular in the 70's and 80's, true Snowboarding pioneers such as Dimitrije Milovich, an East Coast surfer, and Jake Burton Carpenter came up with new snowboard designs, materials and contraptions that had slowly developed into the Snowboard, Snowboard Bindings, and other Snowboard Equipment we know nowadays.

In 1983, less than 10 percent of United States ski areas allowed Snowboarding. Today, Snowboarding is now as accepted as skiing in most Ski Resorts Worldwide and its popularity and fan base is growing at such a pace that the number of skiers in the US has declined by 1/4!