Snowboarding is a boardsport that involves descending a snow-covered slope while attached to a board. It is similar to skiing, but inspired by surfing and skateboarding. The sport was developed in the United States in the 1960's and 1970's and became a Winter Olympic Sport in 1998.
The snowboard evolved from early pioneering work by people such as Sherman Poppen (who, in 1965, invented the "Snurfer" in his North Muskegon, Michigan home), Chuck Barfoot, Dimitri Mitrovitch, Tom Sims, and Jake Burton Carpenter. Jake is the founder of Burton Snowboards, one of the largest, and most well-established snowboard companies in the world. It is thought that Snowboarding (or Snurfing as they called it) was first practised in Europe in December 1970 on the island of Jersey, when Andrew Stewart and Anthony Hurst hit on the idea of using belly boards, at first kneeling on them, then making rudimentary bindings to enable them to stand up. In the early 1980s, snowboard companies such as Sims, Winterstick, and Avalanche began emerging across the country.
The snowboard evolved from early pioneering work by people such as Sherman Poppen (who, in 1965, invented the "Snurfer" in his North Muskegon, Michigan home), Chuck Barfoot, Dimitri Mitrovitch, Tom Sims, and Jake Burton Carpenter. Jake is the founder of Burton Snowboards, one of the largest, and most well-established snowboard companies in the world. It is thought that Snowboarding (or Snurfing as they called it) was first practised in Europe in December 1970 on the island of Jersey, when Andrew Stewart and Anthony Hurst hit on the idea of using belly boards, at first kneeling on them, then making rudimentary bindings to enable them to stand up. In the early 1980s, snowboard companies such as Sims, Winterstick, and Avalanche began emerging across the country.
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Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
What is Snowboarding?
Also in the early 1980s, films by Warren Miller and Greg Stump began to feature clips of snowboarders, boosting the popularity of the sport among the skiing community. It was not until the mid-1980s that snowboarding exploded into the mainstream, when the first snowboard magazine, Absolutely Radical, hit the racks; it was soon renamed International Snowboard Magazine.
Although many snowboarders do not wear any protective gear, helmets and some other devices are gaining in popularity. Wearing protective gear is highly recommended due to the dangerous nature of alpine sports (especially freestyle snowboarding). The body parts most affected by injuries are the wrists, the tailbone, and the head. Useful safety gear includes wrist guards, padded or protected snowboard pants and a helmet. Goggles are also used by most people, and are very crucial at high altitudes on bright days to prevent snow blindness. Goggles also protect riders from temporary vision loss due to snow getting in eyes that can result in impact into terrain or obstacles. Padding can be useful on other body parts like hips, knees, spine, shoulders, and on the genitalia based on gender. Padding can be specialized for snowboarding, or it can cross sports. For example, knee pads used for volleyball can be useful for snowboarding. They can also be useful if a snowboarder may wish to rest on the knees, such as after coming to a stop. General safety tips for winter sports, alpine conditions and skiing should also be respected.
Although many snowboarders do not wear any protective gear, helmets and some other devices are gaining in popularity. Wearing protective gear is highly recommended due to the dangerous nature of alpine sports (especially freestyle snowboarding). The body parts most affected by injuries are the wrists, the tailbone, and the head. Useful safety gear includes wrist guards, padded or protected snowboard pants and a helmet. Goggles are also used by most people, and are very crucial at high altitudes on bright days to prevent snow blindness. Goggles also protect riders from temporary vision loss due to snow getting in eyes that can result in impact into terrain or obstacles. Padding can be useful on other body parts like hips, knees, spine, shoulders, and on the genitalia based on gender. Padding can be specialized for snowboarding, or it can cross sports. For example, knee pads used for volleyball can be useful for snowboarding. They can also be useful if a snowboarder may wish to rest on the knees, such as after coming to a stop. General safety tips for winter sports, alpine conditions and skiing should also be respected.
