Top 10 Snowboarding Facts

Snowboarding originated in the U.S. in the 1960's. Early boards were very rudimentary in design compared to the models available today. More recent designs reflect the variety of riding styles that have emerged within the sport.

There are two primary styles of snowboarding:

1) Freestyle / Free Ride and
2) Alpine / Carving

Each style requires its own specialized set of equipment.

Snowboarding competitions have been taking place for approximately 20 years, and include events such as the half pipe, boarder cross, slope style and parallel giant slalom.

In 2000, snowboarding was the fastest-growing sport in the US (followed by skateboarding) with the number of people who went snowboarding rising to a total of just over 7.2 million participants.

Snowboarding made its Olympics debut in Nagano, Japan in 1998. It returned to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City with 2 events, the half pipe and parallel giant slalom.

One of snowboarding's early pioneers, Jake Burton Carpenter, started Burton Snowboards in the late 70s.

Today, Burton is the largest manufacturer of snowboards, gear and snowboard clothing in the world. Although snowboarding takes place alongside skiing at ski resorts, it is a totally different sport than skiing with its own equipment and a unique sensation that can't really be compared to skiing.

There are still four ski resorts in the United States that don't allow snowboarding! Snowboarding helped spark a revolution in the ski industry by inspiring ski manufacturer's to make shorter, more maneuverable skis with deeper side cuts. It's fun!!!