Snowboarding History

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The sport began in the U.S. during the 1960’s and 70’s. The first snowboard was known as a ‘snurfer’ (from snow and surfing) and believed to have been designed in Michigan in the 1960’s by a man called Sherman Poppen.  It was initially used as a toy, more like a skateboard. 

25 years of Boards

As early forms of snowboarding became more popular during the 1970’s and 80’s new designs of boards were made which were more efficient and easier to handle. 

Boarding took a while to gain in popularity and by the mid eighties less than ten percent of U.S. ski resorts and areas permitted snowboarding. The picture was just as bleak in Europe. 

By the late eighties most ski areas had set aside separate runs and areas for boarders.  Today just about every ski area and resort is geared up for snowboarding. 

Boarding is now officially recognized as a professional sport and has been included in Winter Olympic Games since1998.  It has been a World Cup event since 1985 as well as Winter X-games, U.S. Open, and other extreme sport events. In order to regulate the sport the International Snowboard Association (ISA) was set up in 1994.  Most ski resorts today cater to snowboarders with terrain parks and all the facilities they need.

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