Snowboard

A snowboard is a board ridden by a rider in the sport of snowboarding. Attached to the rider's feet with bindings, it is ridden down snow-covered slopes or artificial ski slopes without the use of ski poles. Analogous to a surfboard or skateboard for snow. The length and width of the board depend on the length, weight, shoe size and rider preference. the length tends to be about a foot smaller than the rider or between his/her collarbone and chin. A heavier rider will need a bigger board just as riders with big feet will need a wider board. between the different disciplines in snowboarding the preference for longer/smaller, wider/less wide will be affected by which discipline the rider prefers. Freestlye boards tend to be smaller, wider and more flexible. Slalom boards tend to be skinny, long and stiff. All boards have metal edges and an upturned lip at each end (with an exception to slalom boards which only have one upturned side at the front). A snowboard is not to be confused with a monoboard. The first snowboard was invented and manufactured in the state of Vermont in the United States.

History of snowboard

The history of the snowboard starts with pioneers like Ben Doan, Sherman Poppen (inventor of the Snurfer), Dimitrije Milovich, Bob Webber, Jake Burton Carpenter, Brandon Bridwell, Tom Sims, Mike Olson, Donavin Carlberg, Michael Mitchell , and Chuck Barfoot developing prototypes mainly inspired by surfboards in the 1970s. This process included different stages and individual ideas and resulted in several patents for snowboard-like constructions. One of the most mentionable however is Bob's patent from 1972, which he sold in 1990 to Jake Burton Carpenter, founder and owner of Burton Snowboards, today's largest manufacturer of snowboard-specific products.

Since its early years, the snowboard has been improved steadily and has taken the world by storm. Presently there are millions of snowboarders around the world and a multi-million dollar industry trying to satisfy their needs. During the early years of the sport, snowboards and snowboarders were not widely respected by the ski industry and culture. Snowboarding was seen as a fad. In reaction, Transworld Snowboarding created a popular t-shirt called "Answers," which included the answers to many questions posed by skiers, including: "Yes I can stop." Many resorts did not initially allow snowboards and insisted on the use of leashes and were known to insist that riders prove their ability before being allowed on the hill. Many ski companies reacted negatively to snowboarding during the sport's infancy. Ski companies are now absorbing many snowboard companies, creating their own and, arguably, designing skis which directly borrow technology and design from snowboards (see shaped skis and twin skis).

Snowboarding is now coming to terms with its popularity. Many snowboarders are disappointed with the over-commercialization of the sport, having viewed it as a very personal expression of themselves, similar to skateboarding, art and music. This opinion was well expressed in Heckler Magazine's "Declaration of Independents Snowboarding, Skateboarding and Music: An Intersection of Cultures."

The growing popularity of the sport is reflected by the history of snowboarding as an official sport: In 1985 the first World Cup is held in Zürs, Austria. Due to the need for universal contest regulations, the ISA (International Snowboard Association) was founded in 1994. Later, the ISF (International Snowboard Federation) originated primarily due to dissatisfaction with the new ISA rules. Despite this rivalry, it is their establishment which finally convinces the IOC to declare snowboarding a new Olympic discipline in 1995. Today, high-profile events like the Olympics, Winter X-Games, the US Open, and other events are broadcast to a worldwide audience.