Snowboarding History

The snowboard evolved from early pioneering work by people such as Sherman Poppen(who, in 1965, invented the "Snurfer" in his North Muskegon, Michigan home), Chuck Barfoot, Dimitri Mitrovitch, Tom Sims, and Jake Burton Carpenter. Jake is the founder of Burton Snowboards, one of the largest and most well-established snowboard companies in the world. In the early 1980s, snowboard companies such as Sims, Winterstick, and Avalanche began emerging across the country. Also in the early 1980s, films by Warren Miller and Greg Stump began to feature clips of snowboarders, boosting the popularity of the sport among the skiing community. It was not until the mid-1980s that snowboarding exploded into the mainstream, when the first snowboard magazine, Absolutely Radical, hit the racks; it was soon renamed International Snowboard Magazine. For more on the history of snowboarding, see this Snowboard History Timeline.

There are four primary sub-disciplines or sub-styles within snowboarding with each favoring a slightly different snowboard design.

  Click on picture for video.

Free ride

Free riding is using the natural terrain of the mountain for recreation, without focusing on technical tricks or racing. Most snowboarders aspire to be free riders and will explore the mountain through trees, in powder bowls or anywhere else they feel comfortable riding. Free riding is also known as all-mountain snowboarding. A variant of free riding focusing on extremely difficult lines is known as extreme snowboarding or big mountain snowboarding.

Free ride snowboarding, where the focus is on riding cleanly and enjoying the freedom to go and explore anywhere is influenced significantly by surfing. Many free ride purists attach an almost spiritual connotation to carving down the mountain. The Free riding is mostly for periods of relaxation, due to the relative "calmness" one feels going down a slope at one's own speed.

Freestyle

Freestyle snowboarding is the practice of doing different kinds of tricks on a snowboard, hence the name freestyle. Tricks can either occur on the ground (e.g. jibbing, bonking, grinding, pressing, buttering etc.) or in the air (e.g. spins, flips, grabs). Freestyle snowboarders typically use shorter boards and softer boots than other snowboarders, as the shorter board length reduces the weight and moment of inertia, making it easier to spin and maneuver, and the softer boots make the board more forgiving to control for the particular demands of freestyle riding, such as slower speeds, high landing impacts, quick turns, and imperfect landings. Softer boards allow the snowboarder to press, or butter, with ease, but many freestyle snowboarders, especially half pipe riders, use stiff boards that have a lot of "pop" to allow them to jump higher and absorb hard landings.

Most freestyle boards are directional, in that the tip is typically softer than the tail, and with the bindings and center of the side cut located slightly aft of center. As on a free ride board, this can make turn initiation more forgiving and help float the tip in powder and variable snow. Some freestyle snowboards are true twins, with the side cut radius being equal on both rails of the board and the stance centered on the board. Riding a twin-tip board makes it easier to land switch and compensate for changing riding conditions. Softer boots and boards also allow riders more flexibility in body movement and the ability to reach very convoluted or stretched out, stylish body positions (known as tweaks).

Freestyle snowboarders often 'detune' or dull the edges of their snowboards so as not to catch them on rails or boxes when jibbing. One except however, being in the half-pipe, where edge hold can be critical.

Freestyle snowboarding is arguably the most popular discipline, and is certainly the focus of most of the lifestyle marketing in the snowboarding industry. Freestyle is probably most demanded because of the thrill. Freestyle snowboarding can be done almost anywhere that has snow.

Freestyle snowboarding is influenced greatly by skateboarding. Many ski resorts operate terrain parks which often simulate the urban skateboard environment, complete with half pipes, handrails, boxes, and machine-formed jumps.

Alpine

Alpine snowboarding is the practice of turning by carving the snowboard (such that the board turns by using the radius side cut of the edge), as opposed to skidding the snowboard (where the board is traveling in a different direction than it is pointing). Both traditional snowboard racers (though not necessarily boarder cross racers) and recreational carvers are alpine snowboarders.

Alpine riders use hard plastic snowboarding boots, which resemble ski boots, except that they tend to be less stiff in the ankles and have a shortened heel, to minimize hanging over the edge of the snowboard. They tend to angle their feet much more forward than other snowboarders, and also ride narrower boards. Alpine boards are usually, but not always, longer and much stiffer than free ride boards, as the particular demands of carving usually require as much usable edge length as possible. The hard plastic boots stiffens the ankle joint up significantly, making it more difficult to make small ankle adjustments while making skid turns, but making the board much more stable and powerful at higher speeds and the much higher g-forces typically felt by an alpine snowboarder in carved turns.

An analogy made by some alpine enthusiasts is that free ride and freestyle snowboards are like dirt bikes, and alpine/carving snowboards are like road bikes. (Hence riding a freestyle snowboard on groomed slopes is like riding a dirt bike on a road track or what is called SuperMoto.)

Powder riding

Powder is a term for snow that is very light and fluffy. Powder is known as being the most fun and challenging condition for skiing and snowboarding, solely because it is so soft. If powder snow sits undisturbed for too long it may become compacted and hard, sometimes icy. This is considered more difficult terrain to negotiate. Generally colder climates sport the lightest, driest powder, or "cold smoke", and countries like Switzerland are becoming known as powder havens.

In places where almost all of the runs are groomed, and powder is a rare find, you must venture into the tree trails. Powder makes for much smoother turns and smoother riding. Powder also makes for softer landings and reduced chances of injury compared to man made terrain parks, though landing in deep snow can take some practice. Powder is best to ride when it is fresh, before other riders "track it out" and make ruts in the smooth surface. The powder snow will hold consistency if the temperature stays as cold or colder than when the snow fell, however when the sun melts it the so called "slush" is formed. This is exceptionally frustrating since it slows the board down rapidly, and if it is hit at high speed, a fall usually occurs. Other risks with skiing or snowboarding in powder include avalanches, injuries when falling on hidden obstacles such as rocks or tree stumps snowed over, loss of equipment, and the difficulty of getting oneself out of deep powder snow after a fall.

Snowboarding in deep powder snow doesn't actually require a sharply tuned edge at all as there is nothing to 'grip' in the lightly compacted snow. However, it is preferred to have a tuned effective edge in case the terrain suddenly changes and grip is required.

Backcountry

This type of boarding started out with fresh powder-craving snowboarders who, most likely, didn't have the cash to spend at crowded upscale ski parks. In fact, before snowboarding was allowed at resorts, this was the only form of snowboarding; Jake Burton, one of the original pioneers of snowboarding, never even considered resorts; backcountry was what he envisioned as the future of snowboarding. Today, backcountry snowboarding is often for those who have enough cash to afford trips to Alaska or the mountain ranges of the West, to ride outside resorts. Donning snowshoes or a split-board with skins, the backcountry snowboarder cuts a new path up the side of the mountain in search of the very best vistas and untouched snow. Some of those more cash-endowed riders can even hire snowcats or helicopters to take them where they want to go; this is known as cat boarding or heliboarding respectively.

A split-board is a snowboard cut in half along its length. When apart, the two halves can be used like cross-country skis to ascend a hill. When the snowboarder is ready to descend, the halves are mechanically secured together, and the bindings are repositioned for a snowboarding stance. Without a split-board, snowboarders who want to experience backcountry terrain, bear a little extra burden by carrying their snowboards with a backpack and using snowshoes or cross country skis to ascend.

Snowboarders also use snowmobiles to ride in the backcountry. If the hill is too steep a snowmobile may not make it up the hill. Often snowboarders use snowmobiles to make jumps into the powder.

Safety is key when hiking and riding in the backcountry, especially after a fresh 'dump' of powder. Snow can be extremely unstable, often leading to avalanches. Backcountry riders are advised to take extreme caution in all conditions, to carry avalanche equipment including a probe, beacon, and shovel, and never to ride alone in the backcountry. Avalanche equipment can be purchased or rented at outdoor equipment stores. Courses in avalanche safety are also available.