New Kids On The Slopes

Snowboarding is the fastest growing winter sport, and the most recent to come into popularity. Experts differ as to who invented the first snowboard. People have been using all kinds of objects to slide down mountains, from standard sleds and tire inner tubes to lunch trays and plastic bags. The 1950’s saw people making their own boards out of plywood to “surf” down the slopes. Even before that, in 1929, Jack Burchett used plywood, clothesline and horse reins to configure a board.

The first commercial snowboard was developed by Sherman Poppen in 1965 as a toy for his daughter. He tied two skis together and used a rope tied to the front tips for steering. Friends of his daughter wanted the “snurfer” and approximately 1 million were eventually sold. One of those snurfers was Jake Burton.

In 1969, Dimitrije Milovich developed snowboards modeled after surfboards and concepts of skiing. He produced several boards, but closed shop in 1980. In 1977, Jake Burton renewed his interest in the snurfer, moved to Vermont and developed different versions of it using laminated hardwood and the first binding to hold his feet in place. This was a huge leap forward. Around the same time, Tom Sims produced his first snowboards, and teamed up with Chuck Barfoot who pioneered the use of fiberglass in snowboards.

In 1979 and 1980, when snowboarders were not yet allowed on many ski slopes, those snowboarders found other areas to test their skills, and some happened upon jumps and the halfpipe – the first discovered behind the Tahoe City Dump. The first snowboard trick was introduced in the 1979 annual snurfer contest. In the early 1980’s, snowboarding started becoming a real sport, and contests were being founded in the U.S. and in Europe. Freestyle tricks and athletic stunts were integrated into snowboarding contests.

Most of the growth of snowboarding occurred in the 1990’s by the youth culture, and ski resorts started allowing snowboarders on the slopes. One source reported that more than 80% of the kids who practice winter sports choose snowboarding. Many ski resorts began installing jumps, rails and half-pipes and holding contests for the kids. Its popularity continues to grow as more kids and adults adopt the new sport.

Snowboarding by a 130 pound person burns between 250 and 600 calories per hour, depending on intensity. It is a sport that provides participants views of the unspoiled mountains not seen by the folk wandering around in the villages below. Since it is most popular with young people, it keeps them outside getting aerobic exercise. And you can learn to board at any age. Some boarders have described the exercise as being intuitive and natural – not me of course. But it seems to me, as a skier and not a boarder, that the best part is the comfortable shoes a boarder gets to wear.