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The First Snowboard; The Snurfer
In Muskegon, Michigan, Sherman Poppen got an idea for a Christmas present for his daughter. To make the ride down the steep hill back behind their house more exciting for her, he attached two skis side-by-side, tied a rope to the nose for the surfer to hang onto, and made what would eventually be referred to as a "snurfboard". -
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Snowboards become a Booming Buisness
In 1966, Sherman perfected the model of the "Snurfer", as it had now become known. Instead of two skis, he used one solid piece of wood in the shape of a very wide ski. He also added grip surfaces since there were no bindings, and the rope connecting to the nose remained for stability and control. Within the next 10 years, over a million "Snurfers" were sold, and those who used them were not allowed on ski slopes, and were frowned upon by skiers. -
The First Snowboard Company: Winterstick
East Coast Surfer Dimitrijec Milovich developed snowboards based on the recent evolution of surfboards. His design included steel edges, laminated fiberglass, gravel on the board for traction and nylon straps. After a few years, the company went broke in the 1970s. Milovich's designs did go on to influence the looks of snowboards made by Burton and Sim, and resulted in lighter and sturdier designs. -
Jake Burton: Redesigning the Snurfer
In the late 70's, Jake Burton, a college student, was completely obsessed with the idea of improving his Snurfer. With constant tinkering and add-ons such as footsteps and fins (for stability), he ended up with a flexible wood planked board as the final product. -
The First World Championship
In 1982, the first National Snow Surfing Comp. is held in Vermont. Though the starting gate was a inverted kitchen table and hay bales were the crash pads, the competition drew out 125 competitors to Vermont's Suicide Six resort. It was also debuted on The Today Show and GMM. Jake Burton later took over the event, and in 1985 brought it to Stratton Mountain. It was renamed the U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships. -
Production and Design Boom
The evolution of design continues on with rounded tails, hard boots, plate bindings, powder boards, race boards, free style boards, and carving boards. With all of the advances and types of competitions taking place, different boards were needed for different things. The first high back bindings were also made by Jeff Grell. -
The First US Open Snowboarding Championships
Vermont played a big part in the development of this sport. The first established snowboard races were in Vermont in the late 70's and early 80'S. This led to the US Open in Vermont which is now the most well known snowboarding event in the world. At first, such competitions were races like skiing, but soon came to include tricks and freestyle events. The Snurfer soon declined, and more modern designs such as Burton and Sims became popular, -
Snowboarding World Cup
The first world cup is held in Zurs, Austria. -
Absolutely Radical
The first magazine exclusively made about snowboarding, known as Absolutely Radical, came out in March. -
From Banished to Unbanished
Throughout the late 80's, the sport of boarding constantly grew. Many resorts still weren't too fond of it though (With over 90 percent still banning it from their parks). In Vermont though, along with being the first state to host a true snowboarding competition, the Sonnenburg Ski Hill in Barnard opened the first official Snowboard Park. This influenced other resorts to open their doors too. It became so popular that colleges were offering it as a club sport. -
Snowboarding Hall of Fame
In 1990, the Breckenridge Skating Corp. announced their plans to house the snowboarding Hall of Fame. -
ISA is Founded
In 1994, THE International Snowboard Association (ISA) is founded, in order to form universal contest regulations for snowboard competitions. -
The Founding of CASI
The Canadian Association of Ski Instructors (CASI) is founded to help those interested in the sport receive the proper instruction to compete and participate in it. -
The X-Games
In 1995, ESPN introduced the X-Games, which showcases and has athletes who compete in extreme sports. in 1997, the Winter X-Games debuted in Big Bear Lake, California, which included snowboarding for the first time. -
First Olympic Debut
Snowboarding first made a debut in the Winter Olympics held in Nagano, Japan. For Canadians, the message they sent across wasn't too encouraging either. Canada's Gold Medalist Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive for marijuana and was stripped of his medal, but had it returned since it wasn't technically banned. This did influence the Olympic Committee to look into the banishment of the use of such substances though. -
Growth in Popularity
Since the 2000's, the number of snowboarders has increased by 77%, making it one of the fastest growing sports in the world. In the year 1996, there were about two million snowboarders. Today, there are 3.4 million, and it only continues growing. 97% of ski resorts universally accept snowboarders, and most often offer jumps and parks especially for them. -
FIS takes over ISA
The ISA was forced to discontinue their operations after the Olympic Committee recognized the Federal International Ski as the official regulators of the sport of Snowboarding. This pulled away their funding, eventually leading to their downfall. -
Maelle Ricker: First Female Athlete to Win Gold Medal in Canada
As a young kid, Maelle would often join her brother Jorli to Whistler where his friends would tease him for bringing his sister along. Wanting to make a example, Maelle trained and began boarding professionally in 1996. and pushed through multiple obstacles and injuries to compete In the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, where she became the first women to win gold on home turf. -
Mark McMorris: First Completion of the Backside Triple Cork 1440
Raised in the flatlands of Saskatchewan, he became one of the most successful and decorated athletes in Canadian history. He was the first one to complete to Backside Triple Cork 1440, a trick that was considered impossible. At the Winter X Games he was also one of the few people who won double gold, with a victory in both slope side and big air. -
Kelly Clark and Torah Bright: Two Rival Athletes who Supported Each Other
During the Sochi Olympics, Kelly Clark could be seen crying while practicing for the competition. The half pipe was in terrible condition, with the artificial snow melting and slush spots popping up from previous competitions. Torah Bright, seeing Kelly so upset, went over and sympathized with her. Even after the competition, in which Kelly had beat Torah on the leader board, Torah was the first to congratulate her on the silver medal.
