Snurfing to Olympic Gold in 40 Yrs

Posted by Jodi Gallegos Jan 26, 2007

It is hard to believe that the history of snowboarding goes back only forty years. That forty years actually includes the earliest version of snowboards, the Snurfer.

As horrible as it is for me to admit, I'm old enough to remember a time when there were no snowboarders! I remember the disgust in peoples voices as they talked about the snowboarders that were starting to show up on our local slopes. And I remember my first. "What the ____?" moment as a snowboarder flew past me on the slopes.

How crazy is it that snowboarding is now one of the most popular winter sports in the world? The jump from being the pastime for slope-side bad boys to a mainstream sport in such a short time is an amazing feat.

In addition to the evolution of snowboarding, we also need to recognize the impact that snowboarding has had on other, more "traditional" winter sports. Skiing is no longer just a downhill race to the bottom. Terrain parks and big jumps are drawing skiers as well as snowboarders. Everyone is pushing the limits of their sports, pulling bigger tricks and getting bigger air.

For this week's article I decided to look into the history of snowboarding . It is amazing how far the sport has come in such a short amount of time.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me.