Snowboarding looks unreal. The way the athletes fly through the snow, hitting sharp turns, makes it look like they defy gravity.
Even if you have never stepped on a snowboard in your life, you can tell it takes incredible skill to pull off those moves.
Surprisingly, snowboarding is a relatively new sport, and in the beginning, it wasn’t taken very seriously.
But it has come a long way in such a short time, gaining millions of fans across the world.
If you love snowboarding or are just curious about the game, stick around to learn some mind-blowing facts!
Sherman Poppen, an engineer from Muskegon, Michigan, made the first-ever snowboard as a toy for his daughter in 1965 by bolting two skis together.
Poppen’s wife, Nancy Poppen, named his invention the “snurfer,” which she derived by combining the words snow and surfer.
To help popularize the sport, Poppen organized the first-ever snurfing competition in February 1968 at a Michigan ski resort. About 200 spectators came to watch the event, and word of snurfing spread.
Since the snurfer was so popular among Poppen’s daughters’ friends, he made more and started selling them. The snurfers quickly became a hit and sold a million copies by 1970.
One of the sport’s pioneers, Dimitrije Milovich, dropped out of college in 1972 to work on his snowboard design. He soon patented his first snowboard, the Swallowtail, and formed a snowboarding company called Winterstick Company.
Inspired by Poppen’s snurfer, Jake Burton Carpenter created his design for snow surfing boards in 1977. He called his equipment snowboards, officially birthing the sport.
Jake also made history by being the first to compete in snowboarding. He crashed a snurfing contest in 1979 and pressured organizers to let him compete in a separate open category.
Most ski resorts banned snowboarding in the early days, with only seven percent allowing snowboarders in 1985. Thankfully, things have changed now, with about 95% of ski areas in North America and Europe allowing this sport today.
The first exclusive snowboarding magazine, Absolutely Radical, debuted in 1985 and was later renamed International Snowboard Magazine.
Snowboarding is more dangerous than skiing, although both sports have high injury rates. There are an average of 3.9 accidents per thousand in snowboarding, compared to 2.5 in skiing. Both sports are still much safer than basketball or football, though.
More than half of all snowboarding injuries involve the upper limbs, with wrist injuries being the most common. This is in contrast to skiing, where knee injuries occur more frequently.
As the sport grew in popularity worldwide, more games were organized. Finally, in 1985, the first snowboarding World Cup was held in Zürs, Austria.
In 1989, five countries formed the International Snowboard Association (ISA), responsible for drawing up sports regulations. The organization’s name was changed to the International Snowboard Federation (ISF) in 1991.
On April 2, 2015, Edmond Plawczyk set the world record for the fastest downhill speed on a snowboard with a speed of 126 miles per hour (203 kilometers per hour).
Norwegian Mads Jonsson jumped an incredible 187 feet (57 meters) with a Frontside 360 in 2005, setting the record for the longest jump on a snowboard.
Another Norwegian legend, Terje Håkonsen, set an incredible record for the highest air on a snowboard. With a Backside 360, he launched himself 32.1 feet (9.8 meters) above The Arctic Challenge quarter pipe.
The oldest competitive snowboarder in 2022 was Dick Schulze, aged 79. He got into the sport in his 50s, proving that it’s never too late to learn something new and be adventurous.
Snowboarders are divided into two groups based on which foot they use, though both stances are perfectly fine. Regular footed means the left foot is forward, while goofy footed means the right foot is forward.
Sean McMahon and Mike McDaniel built the first snowboarding park at the Bear Valley Ski Area in California between 1989 and 1990. Their design was inspired by 1970s skateparks, and their goal was to create a space for snowboarders to show off their skills.
Snowboarding officially debuted at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. Male and female athletes competed in giant slalom and halfpipe events.
The United States dominates snowboarding events at the Winter Olympic Games and has won the most medals.
American snowboarder Shaun White is the most decorated snowboarder. He has won more X Games and Olympic gold medals in snowboarding than anyone else.
World Snowboarding Day is celebrated each year on December 21, and the day is marked by many snowboarding events and shows.
The most expensive snowboard ever sold is a Burton Experimental Prototype. Released in 1977 and discontinued shortly after, one of these rare snowboards was sold on eBay in 2014 for a crazy $31,313.13.
For a while, it looked like snowboarding was losing its steam, but it has made an incredible comeback. About 8.98 million people went snowboarding in 2023, the highest recorded since 2010.
What started 60 years ago as a father making toys for his kids has grown into a global winter phenomenon.
From small hills in Michigan to jaw-dropping tricks on the biggest stages, snowboarding has come a long way.
And the best part? It’s always a good time to jump in and give it a shot!
