Official Sports

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November 28th, 2008 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Official Sports

Looking for a new sport How about Snowboarding

Snowboarding has quickly become a popular winter sport with enthusiasts from countries all over the globe. The rush and exhilaration of sliding downhill is an experience of a lifetime. Ever wonder where it all began? Let's take a quick look at the history of snowboarding.

There is speculation that the first snowboard was a version of a skateboard, flat on the bottom, with a rope to hold on to for control. There were no "traditional" bindings but you had a way of adhering your boots to the board. Talk about having to learn to use your balance to keep yourself steady! What a way to learn! During the late 70's and throughout the 80's, snowboarding really took off, causing the design to evolve to more of what we see today.

In looking at the history of snowboarding there were many concepts in finding the right design for a board that would give proper control and function in snow. In 1972, a company called Winterstick, pioneered by a surfer named Dimitrije Milovich, began to develop snowboards deriving from the basic concept of the surfboard. In the mid 70's a couple of Welsh skateboarders developed a plywood deck, with a smooth polished bottom and boot bindings, which was shorter than snowboards used at the time. Although this concept allowed it to move quickly over snow, it offered little control to the rider.

The Pando Ski Lodge in Grand Rapids, Michigan hosted the first World Snurfing Championship in 1979 and was the beginning of taking snowboarding to a competitive level. Snurfing as it was originally called was a combination of surfing and snow. Competition evolved in 1982 to the first National Snowboard race held in Woodstock, Virginia and the first World Championship Half-Pipe Competition in Soda Springs, California, held in 1983. In 1985 it became recognized as an official sport in the first World Cup held in Australia. In 1994, the International Snowboard Association was founded and began to develop official rules for competition worldwide.

Snowboarding has gained fans worldwide via broadcasting of events such as Winter X-Games, the Olympics and the US open. Many of today's resorts have special areas for snowboarders, with features like various snowboarding rails, half-pipes and jumps specifically designed for the pleasure of accomplished riders. Now that you know the history of snowboarding and how it all began, aren't you tempted to get out there and experience it for yourself? What are you waiting for?
About the Author

Mark Baxter has been an avid snowboarder for 20 years. You can read about his amazing exploits over at women snowboarders and east coast snowboarding.