Snowboarding

Snowboarding, winter sport with roots in skiing, surfing, and skateboarding where the primary activity is riding down any snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard with feet positioned roughly perpendicular to the board and its direction, further differentiating it from skiing, in which riders face forward. Moreover, no poles are used as in skiing, and the majority of participants wear not hard but soft- to mid-flexing boots for support. The sport developed in the 1960s and ’70s, grew in popularity in the 1980s, and became an Olympic sport in 1998. To die-hard riders and enthusiasts worldwide, including this author, snowboarding is a special kind of “medicine for the soul,” combining the beauty of nature, the thrill of competition, and the opportunity for self-expression. There is no single way to snowboard. History Of Snowboarding Snowboarding is believed to have originated in the United States. Though its origins are sketchy, and plenty of children and adults can claim to have stood up on a flat surface of some sort and slid down their local sled hill, there are several names, dates, and inventions that are agreed-upon highlights in the most common histories of the sport. The precursor of the modern snowboard came about in 1965, when engineer Sherman Poppen of Muskegon, Michigan—the widely acknowledged “father of the snowboard”—invented the prototype that paved the way for the modern board. The “Snurfer” got its snappy name from Poppen’s wife, who neatly combined the two words that described the contraption’s purpose: surfing on snow. Poppen’s initial model was just two snow skis bolted together—he later attached a rope to the front for steering. No specialized boots or bindings were required.