Today, snowboarding is one of the most popular winter sports in the world. Offering speed and flair, the activity has come a long way from its humble origins, but what is the history of snowboarding​? If you’ve ever been curious about how this thrilling sport became the phenomenon that it is, you’re in the right place.

With The Snow Centre, get ready to discover the story of innovation and passion that led to snowboarding as we know it. Before you book your first snowboarding lesson at The Snow Centre Manchester or Hemel Hempstead, discover how the sport and its iconic boards came to be.

The Humble Beginnings of Snowboarding

While we associate snowboarding with thrills and exciting tricks today, it hasn’t always had that popular appeal. In fact, the very first snowboard wasn’t even called that – it was the ‘Snurfer’. Invented by Sherman Poppen in 1965, the Snurfer was the first product of its kind on the market, binding two snow skis and attaching a rope for balance.

Needless to say, the Snurfer was a hit, and the history of snowboards began. In ten years, it sold over a million units, kickstarting a new wave in winter sports. It thrilled kids and adults alike, but it wasn’t until a few years after its invention that the next step in the history of snowboarding was taken.

Once it became popular, the Snurfer was the subject of innovation and improvement. In the early 1970s, Dimitrije Milovich began developing the Winterstick, a board featuring steel edges, laminated fibreglass, traction gravel, and nylon straps. His company went under, and it wasn’t until Jake Burton Carpenter, who had the ingenious idea to add footstraps and create a new flexible wood-planked board, and former skateboarding champion Tom Sims began producing snowboards that the sport found its new iteration.

Snowboarding’s Fight to the Top

Thanks to Carpenter and Sims, modern snowboards were widely available in the 1980s, but they weren’t accepted by everyone. Snowboarding wasn’t permitted on public slopes at most ski resorts, so those who had picked up their new ‘Burton’ boards had to use them during closing hours with the risk of detection being ever-present. If slopes weren’t accessible, boarders had no other choice than to go off-piste – a dangerous and desperate risk they deemed worthy for the chance to use their innovative new equipment.

Demand soon became too much to resist, and snowboarding not only carved out its place on the slopes, but it also got its own competitions. Races were the first stage, similar to skiing, but freestyle events later drew inspiration from skateboarding to establish a new culture of daring and skill.

A Modern Phenomenon and the Future of Snowboarding

By the start of the 1990s, snowboarding was knocking at the door of mainstream culture, and it didn’t take long for it to burst through. Advancing technology helped boards become faster and lighter, and designs soon incorporated rounded tails, plate bindings, and powder boards. Mid-decade, snowboarding was the fastest-growing winter sport on the planet, with six million people taking to the slopes with a board instead of skis.

At the turn of the millennium, snowboarding was a giant. The first X Games quickly made snowboarding one of its staple winter events, and after years of fighting to be accepted as a competitive sport, snowboarding carved out a competitive culture of its own. Today, it’s also included in the Winter Olympics – talk about changing the game!

In the 2020s, the future of snowboarding is looking brighter than ever. With boarders from every culture and group taking to the slopes, representation is at its all-time high, and at The Snow Centre, we’re always looking to help the next generation develop and improve their skills.

Snowboarding Competitions: What Are They?

Since it fought to be recognised as a winter sport in its own right, snowboarding has become not just a recreational pastime but a competitive and international discipline. The sporting calendar is full of snowboarding events, so let’s cover a few of the biggest and best:

  • X Games: Synonymous with alternative sporting culture and drawing tricks, this event takes place in late January and hosts one of the most respected snowboarding events in the world. With slopestyle and big air events, this event has allowed the very best snowboarders to show off their skills since the late 1990s.
  • FIS Snowboard World Cup: Featuring events like halfpipe, slopestyle and parallel giant slalom, this annual event has been finding the best boarders since 1994.
  • Freeride World Tour: This series takes things off-piste, challenging the best boarders as they descend ungroomed snow slopes to become the Freeride World Champion.
  • Winter Olympics: Every four years, snowboarding features as part of the greatest competition in sports, with athletes competing in big air, halfpipe, slopestyle and more to win that treasured gold medal.

Discover the World of Snowboarding at The Snow Centre

Snowboarding has a long and storied history, and it’s now one of the most thrilling ways to take on the slopes. If you’re a beginner looking to learn the ropes or returning to the sport with a desire to sharpen your board skills, The Snow Centre has the best expert instructors and facilities to get you slope-ready.
At Manchester and Hemel Hempstead, we cater to all ages and abilities, from beginners to experts, so that everyone can get the perfect snowboarding lesson. If you have any questions about our snowboarding lessons, be sure to contact us, and a member of our team will be happy to help.