Everything You Need to Know About Snowboarding: History, Gear & Olympic Facts

Snowboarding is obviously one of the most popular winter sports today — not to mention one of the more cool and hip ones. Snowboarding developed in the 1960s and 1970s, and transformed from a kid’s snow activity into a sport played by millions of people. Invented in the United States with roots in skiing, surfing, and skateboarding, snowboarding is now enjoyed all over the world.

In the 1980s, the popularity of snowboarding grew to incredible new levels despite it being banned at many ski resorts in North America. By the 1990s, it had taken off and found its own niche among extreme sports enthusiasts. Its popularity was so indisputably high that snowboarding was eventually added to the Olympics, where it has become a very popular event at each edition of the Winter Games.

In addition to our features on speed skating, luge, bobsledding, biathlon, and curling, here have culled together a bunch of facts about snowboarding to give you a greater insight into this fast sport featured at the Winter Olympic Games.

1. When was snowboarding invented?

The invention of snowboarding can trace its origins back to 1965. Engineer Sherman Poppen lived in Muskegon, Michigan, a place with plenty of cold, snowy winters and is generally acknowledged as the Father of the Snowboard after inventing a prototype that paved the way for the modern snowboard to be created. The original name of Sherman Poppen’s creation was called the Snurfer. Sherman Poppen’s wife Nancy Poppen came up with the catchy name by combining the words surfing and snow. The prototype had two snow skis attached together with bolts. Later, Poppen attached a rope to the Snurfer for steering. The Snurfer did not require any specialized bindings or boots. Here’s an example of a vintage Snurfer snowboard that can be found for sale on the Vintage Winter website.

2. Early history of snowboarding

Sherman Poppen made the Snurfer for his daughter to play on. Word quickly got out about this cool new toy and it was soon licensed by Brunswick, the manufacturer known for its sports equipment like bowling balls. By the late 1960s, the toy Sherman Poppen had designed for his daughter was now being used in Snurfer competitions that were established and by the 1970s, there were competitions across the United States. The end of the 1970s marked a major point in snowboarding —± with over 1 million boards sold during the decade and new concepts being designed.

3. Snowboarding goes mainstream

Snowboarding was obviously very popular, but not taken completely seriously by After a long battle for acceptance by mainstream sports, snowboarding was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1994. Four years later, snowboarding debuted at the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Although snowboarding was now considered by many to be a mainstream sport, many snowboarders felt the sport should remain under the governing body of the International Snowboard Federation (ISF) instead of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In particularly, superstar snowboarder and 3x champion Terje Håkonsen of Norway boycotted the Olympics.

4. When did Snowboarding make its Olympic Winter Games debut?

Snowboarding made its Winter Olympics debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. It featured 4 events, with the events split up 2 for men and 2 for women. The giant slalom, a downhill snowboarding event similar to giant slalom skiing, was one event. The halfpipe, a competition in which snowboarders perform tricks while going from one side to the other, was the other event. All told, 22 different countries sent 125 athletes to participate in the snowboarding events at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. However, competitive snowboarding’s coming-out party was poorly timed, with the events airing in the middle of the night in North America.

5. Who won the first Olympic medals in snowboarding?

The winners of the first women’s giant slalom event were Karine Ruby of France (gold), Heidi Renoth of Germany (silver), and Brigitte Köck of Austria (bronze).

The winners of the first women’s halfpipe event at the 1998 Winter Olympic in Nagano, Japan were Nicola Thost of Germany (gold), Stine Brun Kjeldaas (silver), and Shannon Dunn-Downing of the United States (bronze).

The winners of the first men’s giant slalom event were Ross Rebagliati of Canada (gold), Thomas Prugger of Italy (silver), and Ueli Kestenholz of Switzerland (bronze).

The winners of the first men’s halfpipe event were Gian Simmen of Switzerland (gold), Daniel Franck of Norway (silver), and Ross Powers of the United States (bronze).

6. What is the halfpipe in snowboarding?

The halfpipe is snowboarding’s most popular and well-known event. Snowboarders perform tricks in the halfpipe as they snowboard back and forth from side to side. According to the Olympics halfpipe regulations, the halfpipe’s dimensions are “a slope length of minimum 150m and recommended 170m (a minimum of approximately 490 feet and recommended of approximately 550 feet), a halfpipe width of 19m to 22m, and a height of 6.7m (width of 62 feet to 72 feet and height of about 22 feet).” The average inclination of the halfpipe is 17 or 18 degrees.

To get a better idea of the halfpipe event in snowboarding in action, here is Chloe Kim dominating at the 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Championships in Aspen, Colorado, looking smooth af.

7. What Olympic snowboarding events are there?

Snowboarding started with just two different events at the Winter Games, with both events having men’s and women’s divisions. Over the years as the competition and sport evolved, new disciplines of snowboarding have been added to the Olympics. Since its Olympic debut in 1998, big air, slopestyle, snowboard cross, and the parallel giant slalom have been added to the slate of Olympic snowboarding events along with halfpipe and slalom.

The big air event sees competitors attempt to get as much air and height as possible to perform tricks, while in slopestyle, snowboarders travel down a course as they perform tricks around various obstacles they encounter. Snowboard cross is a race in which competitors snowboard down a sloped course.

In 1998, the giant slalom was introduced as an event but it only lasted for the one year. Likewise in 2014, the parallel slalom was introduced to the Olympics, but it lasted just one edition of the Winter Games.

8. Who is the greatest snowboarder ever?

American Shaun White is generally considered to be the greatest snowboarder of all time. Shaun White is a 5x Olympian who made his professional snowboarding debut at the tender age of 13. Shaun White has also won 3 gold medals at the halfpipe event in 2006, 2010, and 2018. In addition to being the Olympic medal record holder for snowboarding, Shaun White also holds the world record for the most gold medals at the X Games.

9. What are some major snowboarding competitions?

The Winter Olympics is not the only major snowboarding competition. Other major snowboarding competitions include the FIS International Ski Federation World Championships, the Winter X Games, the Burton Mystery Series, and the X-Trail Jam in Japan.

10. Who was Ross Rebagliati? Snowboarding’s first gold medalist

Canada’s Ross Rebagliati was the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding at the now-defunct giant slalom event in 1998. However, the lame-ass IOC disqualified Ross Rebagliati after his gold medal win because of a pre-competition blood test that showed marijuana in his system. However, an appeals court ruled that since weed wasn’t actually banned by the IOC, there was no authority to take away Rebagliati’s medal and the disqualification was reversed.

Despite having his gold medal reinstated, the incident was the beginning of the end of Ross Rebagliati’s snowboarding career. His known relationship with marijuana led to international traveling restrictions and no-fly lists, which severely hampered his ability to enter — and compete — in the United States. None of this has dampened the advocacy Ross Rebagliati has done for the legalization and normalcy of marijuana and he’s presently a heavily involved cannabis entrepreneur. In fact, Ross Rebagliati is even on record as calling weed a performance-enhancing drug.

11. Is snowboarding dangerous?

Yes! Whether you snowboard professionally at the Winter Olympics or recreationally in your friend’s backyard, snowboarding is very dangerous. According to 2011 research for the National Ski Areas Association, snowboarders are up to 70% more likely to be injured compared to skiers. However, on a more positive note, snowboarders are 3x less likely to die on the slopes than skiers.

Beginning snowboarders — especially those trying it for the very first time — are at a particular high risk for injury. Almost 25% of snowboarding injuries happen during a person’s very first experience, while almost 50% of them happen during a newbie’s first season. As for severe injuries while snowboarding, 54% involve the head so don’t forget to wear your helmet!

12. What kind of equipment and gear do you need for snowboarding?

Obviously, you’ll need a snowboard! And a good snowboarding helmet! You will also need snowboard boots that connect to your snowboard, as well as moisture-wicking snowboarding socks. As for the rest of your outfit, you’ll need a good snowboard jacket and pants with a wind and waterproof shell. An insulated pair of snowboard gloves will keep your hands protected, and snowboarding googles will keep the snow — and sun — out of your eyes as you’re gliding down the slope. The Ski Bum folks have a great checklist of necessary equipment for beginning snowboarders.

13. Is snowboarding hard to learn?

It definitely takes time and practice and a lot of falling down to get good at snowboarding. According to some sources, it can take a complete newbie about 3 days to learn how to snowboard, particularly if they don’t already know how to skateboard or surf. If you’re a total beginner, taking lessons from a professional is strongly encouraged. Not only will they teach you the basics and fundamentals, you’ll be taught how to do snowboard safely.

Credit Image: Image by Andreas Glöckner from Pixabay

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