Although there are many conflicting stories about “who” was the true pioneer of snowboarding, there are a few facts that remain consistent throughout every history article you read. Here is a brief overview of the key moments in time that helped propel the snowboarding movement to where it is today.
1929: MJ “Jack” Burchett used a clothesline to secure his feet to a piece of plywood while tying the horse’s reins to control direction as he slid through the snow.
1963: With more than 30 years between the first snowboarding attempt and the next breakthrough, this year is credited to a man named Tom Sims. Tom, an eighth grader at the time, built what he called a “ski board” for his workshop class. Again, it was made of plywood, hence the apt name board.
1965: Two years after the introduction of the “ski board”, Sherman Poppen created “The Snurfer”. This consisted of two skis bolted together. Although Poppen originally made this a toy for his children, he later organized events to compete with the Snurfer.
1970s – This was the decade when snowboarding finally built its solid foundation, literally. In 1970, an East Coast surfer named Dimitrije Milovich came up with the idea of developing snowboards that felt like surfing but didn’t have the mechanics of skiing. Five years later, Milovich and his “Winterstick” snowboard were featured in Newsweek magazine.
A now well-known name, Jake Burton, began using steam-bent wood and fiberglass to build his boards. Towards the end of the ’70s, Burton even added steel rims to the sides and more supportive bindings for more control.
1980: Skiing aided in the development of snowboards by unknowingly planting the idea of using a P-Tex base in the minds of snowboard manufacturers Burton and Winterstick.
1982: The first international snowboard race was in Vermont at Suicide Six. They did a race called “The Face.”
Mid 80’s: This time period was difficult for the up-and-coming snowboarding community. With more than 600 ski resorts, only 39 allow these “snow surfers”. That gave snowboarders less than ten percent in the selection process as to where they could ride.
1997: As in time, everything changes. The ban on snowboarders had almost come to an abrupt end. The new sport was now almost as well accepted as skiing around the world.
Today: Snowboarding is growing at such an alarming rate that skiers in the United States are down 25 percent. The number of direct snowboarders has increased 77% in the US alone, making it the fastest growing winter sport. Today, approximately 20% of the people who visit US ski resorts are snowboarders. If you’ve been lately, it seems like many more. However, projections for 2015 favor snowboarding as there will be more people doing it than skiing.
