| Snowboarding is an awesome sport that has become | | | | quite different from the snurfer boards that other |
| more and more popular in recent years. Originally the | | | | competitors were using. After some protests about |
| inspiration came from skateboarding, surfing, and | | | | the different design, it was decided that he should be |
| skiing, the sport of snowboarding evolved in the | | | | permitted to race with his model. Jake ended up |
| United States back in the decades of the 1960s and | | | | winning and that race is now considered to be the |
| 70s. Most people agree that the original snowboard | | | | birth of competitive snowboarding as we know it |
| was an invention that was manufactured in Utah in | | | | today. His designs caught on, and things have never |
| the 1970s. As you can imagine, the extreme nature | | | | been the same since. |
| of the sport caught on fast. The popularity of this | | | | The first National snowboarding race took place in |
| sport really grew quickly when a few pioneers made | | | | 1982 in Vermont. After that, things began to really |
| some innovative designs that have lasted up until | | | | spread like wild fire. Tom Sims, founder of Sims |
| now. | | | | Snowboards, took it upon himself to organize the |
| In the 1970s and 80s, a few men founded | | | | first World Championship halfpipe competition in 1983. |
| snowboarding companies that would produce some | | | | The sport continued to gain popularity, and the first |
| of the most innovative designs ever conceived for | | | | World Cup of snowboarding was held in Austria in |
| the sport. Jake Burton Carpenter is probably the | | | | 1985. |
| most famous of all. He founded Burton Snowboards | | | | Back in these times, snowboarding was not allowed |
| in Vermont. This is one of the most respected and | | | | at most ski resorts. If it was, it was only permitted |
| widely used brands in the history of snowboarding. | | | | on separate slopes. However, pioneers continued to |
| Jake Burton dreamed up special designs and new | | | | push the envelope and advocate for the sport. It |
| mechanisms that made it much easier to ride and | | | | was not long before snowboarders got the respect |
| lead to the rise of new tricks and techniques. How | | | | they deserved. Almost all ski resorts now allow |
| did he make his way into the mainstream? Well, | | | | snowboarders to use the same slopes as skiers. |
| snowboarding was originally called snurfing, a | | | | Events like the X Games and other snowboarding |
| reference to surfing and snow. The first World | | | | competitions are getting more media exposure than |
| Snurfing Championship was held in 1979. Jake Burton | | | | ever before, and the sport has nowhere to go but |
| Carpenter made the trip from Vermont with a | | | | up. |
| custom snowboard that he had designed. It was | | | | |