History Of Snowboarding

Sherman Poppen is credited with providing theDuring the next decade, snowboarding slowly started
inspiration for snowboarding. In 1965, he watched hisgetting popular, especially after design changes were
daughter trying to stand as she rode her sleddone to the 1980s snowboard designs. Now there
downhill. This gave him the idea of creating thewere highback bindings and metal edges which made
'Snurfer". Snurfer was nothing but two skis screwedis much easier to ride a snowboard. However, during
together and word comes from combining snow andthis period, snowboard got associated with teenagers
surfing. Over years thousands of Snurfers were soldand everyone viewed the sport negatively.
and though the Snurfer was not designed forTeenagers used the snowboards to tests their limits
technical riding, it was instrumental in inspiringand many ski resorts ended up banning snowboarding
snowboarding as we know it today.on their slopes.
In 1970s, Jake Burton Carpenter and many otherHowever, as time went by snowboarding started
designers started checking out new designs andbecoming popular with other age groups and in 1995,
materials for snowboards. During that time snurfingESPN used Extreme Sports to launch snowboarding,
was very popular and not many people wereamong other sports, to the rest of the world. In
enthusiastic about taking a board with a new design.1998, snowboarding made its debut in Winter
However, this did not deter the designers and theOlympics in Japan and the sport has ended up
first snowboarding competition was held in 1981 inbecoming one of the biggest winter pastimes ever.
Leadville, Colorado.