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History

For snowboarding, there is no clear history as to who invented the sports. Different people somehow found ways to slide down a snow slope and credit should not be given to any particular person. The idea of snowboarding came about from the different inventions of people to slide down a snow slope.

Milestones in snowboarding

1) Sherman Popper (1965)

- He tied two skis together and attached this to the nose of the board to allow people to control the board. This invention was named “Snurfer” by his wife and he later sold the patent to Brunswick Corporation for manufacturing when he received overwhelming response from his daughter’s friends.

2) Jake Burton (1977)

- Finding the “Snurfer” a fun invention, he went on to participate in related competitions despite his parents’ reluctance to buy him a board. However, he met with a car accident and injured his collarbone thus he could not take part in the competitions anymore. After some years of resting from “snowboarding”, he came up with his own versions of a “Snurfer” and won the competition with his newly- made “Snurfer” with bindings.

3) Tom Sims (1977)

- Sims made snowboards in his junior high class by gluing carpet and aluminium on the top and bottom of a piece of wood respectively. Then, he started making snowboards in his garage with the help of his friend and employer, Chuck Barfoot.

  • In 1980, the first official snowboard was introduced by Burton whereby it comprised of a combination of ski technology.
  • In 1982, the first National Snowboarding Race was held outside Woodstock, Vermont.
  • In 1985, the first official Snowboarding magazine, now known as International Snowboarding Magazine, was introduced.
  • In 1986, it was the first time a snowboarder, Regis Rolland (French), starred in a movie “Apocalypse Snow” and this sparked off a growing popularity for snowboarding.

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