Snowboarding

The first snowboard, called the snurfer, was invented in 1965 by Sherman Poppen in Muskegon, Michigan. Poppen conceived the idea for the snurfer by tying two skies together with a rope. In 1979 Jake Burton carpenter, founder of Burton snowboards made a model of what we know as the current snowboard from bentwood laminate. This edition featured a rigid binding that held the board firmly to the riders feet. A snowboard varies according to the boards length, width, flexibility, and shape. There are various styles of snowboards, the difference depends on the type of riding intended. A racing board is longer, more ridged, and allows the rider to race fast down the slopes of a mountain. In contrast a Fish Shape board is a shorter, wider board with a tapered tail designed to reduce leg fatigue in deep powder. The freestyle board is a style in between the racing board and the fish shape. The freestyle board has a medium amount of flexibility, is average in length, with soft boots for the riders feet to grip, and deep side curves, otherwise known as sidecuts. An insider in the snowboarding subculture will know which board is best suited to their riding needs. If a rider has a short and flexible board style they will be able to negotiate maneuvers and tricks. Edging is a common trick where the rider will ride the edge of the board on the side of a mountain so the riders body is parallel with the side of the mountain. More advanced moves can either take place on the side of the mountain or in a snowboard park. The subculture of snowboarding has now become an official sport of the olympics where competitors come from around the world to compete for the championship