Along with surfboarding and skateboarding, snowboarding is another type of sporting activity which involves boards.

As surfing involves being in the water, while skateboarding deals with the more earth-based of terrain, snowboarding lives up to its namesake as the activity involves snow covered slopes, where snowboarders descend towards the base. Though its basic dynamics are similar to that of skiing, much of snowboarding is influenced by the surf board and the skateboard, with certain cultural mindsets of the two respective acts even being instilled by snowboarders themselves.

The Short Snowboarding History

As a sport, snowboarding was developed in the United States, where practitioners, with their active interest in the activity, paved its way into the Winter Olympic Games in 1998. Originally, snowboarding started its rise in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Snurfer is arguably known for being the first snowboard ever, with its name resulting from “snow” and “surfer”. Designed by Sherman Poppen, the designer made the Snurfer for the use of his children in 1965, and eventually was mass produced as a toy a year after. The Snurfer is, in essence, a skateboard without wheels, geared to be used in the snow. It’s manoeuvring system entailed a hand-held rope, which handled its direction navigation orientation operation.

After the Snurfer became quite popular, more and more snowboards came out into the market, with various brand names dominating the snowboard market in the 70s and in the 80s. From Burton Snowboards, GNU Snowboards and Sims Snowboards, snowboarding was soon on its way into becoming a “serious” sporting event, with its true pioneers backing up its growth and development as a sport.

The Basics of Snowboarding

As already noted, snowboarding’s core dynamics isn’t really that different from skiing. In snowboarding, snowboarders “scale down” snow-capped peaks, just as how skiing successfully goes. Snowboarders use snowboards, which are fitted with footholds, keeping their legs on the board, while they go down on the snowy trail of a hill.

Again, though its operation principle isn’t that much different from skiing, much of snowboarding is inspired by surfing and skateboarding.

Snowboarding Styles

As a sporting event, there are different styles of snowboarding, requiring various skills and capabilities from snowboarders, as well as various equipment types. The three most commonly encountered of snowboarding styles would be the freeride, freestyle, and the race/freecarve styles.

The Freeride Style of snowboarding calls for the most simple and basic of snowboarding skills. At its most core, all the freestyle style of snowboarding calls for would be the act of “riding down” any snowed terrain which is accessible, as well as available. Typically, snowboarding beginners opt for this type of snowboarding style. In the freeride style of snowboarding, directional twin snowboards, fitted with a soft boot would be one basic, if not commonly encountered, snowboard equipment type.

The Freestyle type of snowboarding entails snowboarders to course though man made trails and/or terrain, testing snowboarders with various obstacles, calling for jumps and other similar snowboarder movements. Think of exhibitions, and you’ve basically got the freestyle type of snowboarding. Where snowboarding competitions are concerned, the freestyle type of snowboarding is the most often applied.

The Race/Freecarve style of snowboarding gives more emphasis on carving and racing, and is often labelled as alpine snowboarding. Basically, it isn’t the most commonly encountered of snowboard styles, in fact, even often being overlooked as a snowboarding type.

All in all, just as with skateboarding and surfboarding, snowboarding boasts to have a culture of its own, taking bits and pieces from its influences, adding it to itself. The most prevalent of these “points of view” would be the simple fact of just having fun, while on a snowboarding course.