There are thousands of names for aerial maneuvers and grab variations that riders have dreamt about executing.

There is always one main hub of information for each particular pursuit in life.  Yes, you will address others that come close to being all inclusive, but in the end you can boil it down to a single source.  In my search for an unabridged list of board trick descriptions I discovered a central authority of this kind.  Wikipedia’s installation describes snowboard maneuvers in such a simplistic and succinct manner that it must be referenced and expanded here on TheSnowBoardScene.

INDEX:

Introduction to Snowboard Tricks

Straight Airs

Grabs

Flips and Inverted Rotations

Hand Plants

Spins

Slides

Stalls

Tweaks and Variations

Miscellaneous Tricks

Introduction to Snowboard Tricks

Snowboard tricks are aerials or maneuvers performed on snowboards for fun or in competitions.  Most often these maneuvers are performed on obstacles such as jumps, halfpipes, quarterpipes, hips, handrails, funboxes, ledges, or on the surface of the snow, and many have their origins in earlier board sports such as skateboarding and surfing.

Regular and Goofy

It is quite simple.  If you ride with your right foot forward, you’re a weirdo like me and ride goofy.  If you’ve got your left foot forward then you’re regular stance.

Frontside and Backside

The identifiers “frontside” and “backside” are used to describe how a trick is performed.  Frontside and backside have two meanings when snowboarding.  For tricks performed on obstacles (rails, halfpipes, and the like), frontside and backside refer to the direction from which the snowboarder approaches the obstacle.  Example: you are a regular stance rider and attack a halfpipe, the wall to your left would be the one you approach backside and the one on the right accordingly your frontside wall.  Secondly, for aerial maneuvers frontside and backside are used to identify the direction of rotation for the spin.  Example: you are a goofy rider and launch off a kicker with a clockwise rotation (if seen from bird’s eye view), then that’s a frontside aerial because you’re front is the first side to face downhill.

Switch and Fakie

The terms “switch-stance,” or “switch,” and “fakie” are often used interchangeably in snowboarding, though there is a distinct difference.  The switch identifier refers to any trick that a snowboarder performs while traveling backwards, or the reverse of his natural stance.  A snowboarder can also be said to be “riding switch” while traveling opposite from his natural stance.

Alternatively, the fakie identifier has its origin in skateboarding, a discipline where the feet are not attached to the board.  On a skateboard, fakie refers to an instance where the skateboarder is traveling backwards, but his feet and torso remain in the same position as their natural stance.  On a snowboard, the difference is that a switch trick is initiated switch stance while a fakie trick refers to landing switch.  Example: an air-to-fakie would be a straight air up the side of a halfpipe, with no turn the rider would then land fakie, and if he doesn’t revert would then be riding switch.

Boned and Tweaked

These terms are used to explain the emphasis of style in a trick.  A snowboarder bones out a trick when he grabs hard and creates an emphasis of the maneuver such that his legs and/or arms appear to be extended to the maximum degree.  To tweak a trick means the snowboarder has made his ankles and/or other joints appear to be bent or twisted to the maximum degree.

The Trick List by Type

Straight Airs

• Air to Fakie: Airing straight out of a vertical transition (halfpipe, quarterpipe) and then re-entering fakie, without rotation.
• Fakie Ollie: While riding backward, the snowboarder performs an Ollie by popping off of the front of his board (you could also call a Fakie Ollie a switch Nollie).
• Nollie: A trick in which the snowboarder springs off the nose of the board and into the air.
• Ollie: A trick in which the snowboarder springs off the tail of the board and into the air.
• Poptart: Airing from fakie to forward on a quarterpipe or halfpipe without rotation.
• Shifty: An aerial trick in which a snowboarder twists his body, rotating his board 90° and then returning it to its original position before landing.  This trick can be performed frontside or backside, and also in variation with other tricks and spins.
• Flail: A term used to describe the movements of an out-of-control snowboarder who is waving his hands wildly while in the air.  It is also called “humping sheep.”

Grabs

• Cannonball / UFO: The nose and tail are grabbed simultaneously.
• Canadian Bacon: Performed with the trailing hand passing through the legs from behind, and grabbing the toe edge between the feet.
• Chicken Salad: Performed with the leading hand passing through the legs from the front, and grabbing the heel edge between the feet.
• China Air (West Coast) / Korean Air (East Coast): The front hand grabs the toe side in front of the front foot.
• Crail: Performed with the rear hand grabbing the toe edge in front of the front foot.
• Cross-Rocket: Where the arms are crossed in order to grab opposite sides of the nose of the board, while the rear leg is boned straight and the front leg is tucked up.
• Flying Squirrel: The rider faces fully forward and both hands grab the heel side near the bindings.  To perform a Psycho Squirrel, the hands grab the binding highbacks instead of the board.
  
• Frontside Grab: A fundamental trick performed by grabbing the toe edge between the bindings with the trailing hand.  This trick is referred to as a Frontside Grab on a straight air or while performing a frontside spin.  This grab is referred to as an Indy when performing a backside aerial or backside rotation.
• Ground Beef: The back hand grabs through the legs to the toe edge.
• Hixcy Grab: Front hand grabs the toe side between the binding while the rear hand grabs the heel side between the binding, and both grabs are in between the knees.
• Iguana Air: The back hand grabs the toe side behind the rear foot.
• Indy: Performed by grabbing the toe edge with the trailing hand, this trick is referred to as Indy only when performed during a backside aerial or backside rotation.  In any other instance, it is called a Frontside Grab.
• Indy Nosebone: An indy grab where the front leg is boned straight.
• Japan Air: The front hand grabs the toe edge just behind or in front of the front foot, and the board is also tweaked.
• Lien Air: When performing a frontside air on transition, the snowboarder grabs heelside near the front binding with his leading hand.  The origin of the name of the trick is the reverse spelling of skateboarder Neil Blender’s first name.
• Melon: Performed by grabbing the heel edge between the bindings with the leading hand, simultaneously while the front leg is boned forward.
• Melon Water: A Melon grab where the rider bones the front leg and turns the board 45°.
• Melancholy: The front hand grabs the heel side of the board. The rider then bones the front leg and bends the rear leg, bringing the nose of the board forward and up.
• Method: A fundamental trick performed by grabbing the heel edge of the snowboard between the bindings with the leading hand.  Variations on the Method are :

1. Grasser (a.k.a. Method Boneout, Power Method, or Palmer Method): Performed by grabbing the heel edge with the leading hand, and tucking up the board while kicking out the rear foot in such a way that the base of the board is facing forward.  Derived from pro snowboarder Chris Roach’s affection for the aerial maneuver as well as the herb.  Notable riders who inspired others with this air were also snowboarders Jamie Lynn, Shaun Palmer, Terry Kidwell, and skateboarders Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi.
2. Seated: The front hand reaches under the board and grabs the toe side, both knees are bent pulling the board up behind the rider. Note: A true Seated Method brings the board far enough back for the rider to sit on the heel side edge or bottom of the board.
3. Suitcase: The front hand grabs the heel side from between the legs, both knees are bent and the board is pulled up behind the rider.

• Mindy: Both hands grab the toe side of the board between the bindings and both legs are boned.
• Mosquito: The front hand grabs the heel side between the bindings and the front knee is tucked up near the chest.
• Mule Kick: An early snowboarder adaptation of the skateboarder’s Method Air.  Often called a Toyota Air, after it’s similar posturing to the early 1980’s Toyota “Oh What A Feeling” ad campaign featuring people springing off the ground.  It is erformed by jumping into an aerial backbend with legs bending until nearly kicking yourself in the butt, and both arms bent back high over the head while not grabbing the board.
  
• Mute: Front hand grabs the toe edge between the bindings, and is either not spun or spun backside.
  
• Nejecila / Nej: A lien air and an indy simultaneously.
• Nose Grab: The front hand grabs the nose of the board.
• Nuclear: The rear hand grabs the nose of the board.
• Psycho Squirrel: The rider faces fully forward and both hands grab the bindings’ highbacks.
• Raver Air: Front hand grabs the heel edge behind the back binding, while the front leg is boned and the board is rotated 90° so the base faces downhill.
• Roast Beef: Back hand grabs through the legs to the heel edge.
• Rocket Air: Both hands grab the nose of the board, while the rear leg is boned and the front leg is pulled up.
• Sail Grab: During air, the rider faces fully forward with his body’s front parallel to the ground.  The back hand grabs the heel side in front of the front foot, the rear leg is then boned and the front leg is bent pushing the tail as vertically as possible into air.
• Seatbelt: The front hand reaches across the body and grabs the toe edge behind the back binding.
• Slob: A variation of the Mute Grab performed as a frontside aerial. The front hand grabs the toe side of the board between the bindings, the back leg is boned. However the rider must face forward and keep the board parallel with the ground.
• Stalefish: Back hand grabs the heel edge of the board, at the back foot around the outside of the knee
• Superman: The rider lays flat in the air with both hands reaching under the board to grab the toe side and/or the shin of each boot.  Simultaneously, both legs are bent and the board is pulled up behind the rider.
• Super Mindy: The front hand grabs the toe side in front of the front foot, the back hand grabs the toe side behind the back foot, and both legs are boned.
• Super Squirrel: A variation of both the Superman and the Psycho Squirrel.  The rider lays flat in the air, both hands grab the high back of the bindings and/or the shin of each boot, both knees are bent pulling the board up behind the rider.
• Swiss Cheese Air: The rear hand reaches between the legs and grabs the heel edge in front of the front foot while the back left is boned.
• Tailfish: Back hand grabs the heel edge between rear binding and tail, often tweaked.  Slight more respect than tindy.
• Tail Grab: The back hand grabs the tail of the board
• Taipan Air: The front hand reaches behind the front foot and grabs the toe edge between the bindings. The front knee is then bent to touch the board tuck knee style. Called Tai-Pan because it’s a variation of the Japan Grab.
• Tindy: The back hand grabs between the tail and the back binding on the toe edge.
• Truck Driver: For the backside version which is also known as a Drunk Driver, the rider grabs Melon and Stalefish at the same time putting the arms in the BS spin direction.  For the frontside version, the rider grabs Indy and Mute at the same time putting the arms in the FS spin direction.

For a visual placement of body parts (click to enlarge):

Flips and Inverted Rotations

• 90-Roll: Similar to a Backside Rodeo Flip, this maneuver is performed by rotating a backside 180 and Backflipping toward the landing of the jump.
• Backflip: Flipping backwards (over the tail of the board) off of a jump.
• Backside Rodeo Flip / Brodeo: A backward-flipping backside spin. Most commonly performed with a 540° rotation.
• Barrel Roll: A flip performed with an axis of rotation in which a snowboarder flips straight over the frontside edge (Barrel Roll Frontflip), or backside edge (Barrel Roll Backflip) of his snowboard.
• Doublechuk: A variation of the Michalchuk, but with two backflip rotations.
• Frontflip: Flipping forward (over the nose of the board) off of a jump.
• Gay Twist: Performed in the halfpipe, a fakie to regular 360° spin with a grab.
• Haakon Flip: An aerial maneuver performed in a halfpipe by taking off backwards, and performing an inverted 720° rotation.  The rotation mimics a half-cab leading to McTwist, and is named after legend Terje Haakonsen of Norway.
  
• McTwist: A forward-flipping backside 540, performed in a halfpipe, quarterpipe, or similar obstacle.  The rotation may continue beyond 540° (e.g. McTwist 720).  The origin of this trick comes from vert ramp skateboarding, and was first performed on a skateboard by Mike McGill.
• Michalchuk: A flat-spinning, on-axis backflip often grabbing melon, indy, or method and rotating 540°. A trademark flip first performed in the halfpipe by Michael Michalchuk.
• Misty Flip: A forward-flipping backside spin performed on a straight jump.  Similar in rotation to a McTwist, this maneuver is typically performed as a 540° rotation.
• Rippey Flip: A back-flipping frontside 360, typically performed with a Method grab.  Named after its originator, Jim Rippey.
• Rodeo Flip / Frontside Rodeo: A backward-flipping frontside spin.  Most commonly performed with a 540° rotation.
• Sato Flip: It is something like a frontside McTwist.  Halfpipe trick where the rider drops in fast, rides up the transition as if doing a frontside 540, pops in the air and grabs frontside, then throws head, shoulders, and hips down.
• Tamedog: A Frontflip performed on a straight jump, with an axis of rotation in which the snowboarder flips in a forward, cartwheel-like fashion.
• Wildcat: A Backflip performed on a straight jump, with an axis of rotation in which the snowboarder flips in a backward, cartwheel-like fashion.

Hand Plants

• Andrecht: A rear-handed backside Handplant with a front-handed grab.
• Eggflip: An Eggplant where the rider chooses to flip over in order to re-enter the pipe instead of rotating 180°.  This trick is performed forward to fakie or switch (fakie to forward).
• Eggplant: A one-handed 180° invert in which the front hand is planted on the lip of the wall and the rotation is backside.
• Elguerial: An invert where the halfpipe wall is approached fakie, the rear hand is planted, a 360° backside rotation is made, and the rider lands going forward.  Named after Eddie Elguera.
• Handplant: A 180° Handplant in which the rear hand is planted on the lip of the wall and the rotation is frontside.
• Invert: Overlaying term for handstands on the edge of a halfpipe.
• Layback: A non-inverted Handplant in which the leading hand is planted during a slide.  The rider literally lays back, hence the name.
• McEgg: An invert where the rider plants the front hand on the wall, rotated 540° in a backside direction and lands riding forward.
• Miller Flip: A 360° frontside Handplant to fakie.
• Sad Plant: An invert with a Sad grab (Melon).

Spins

Spins are typically performed in 90° increments due to the nature of the obstacles on which they are performed.  Even in cases where spins are performed on unconventional obstacles, the rotation is regarded as the nearest increment of 90°, and can be identified by the direction of approach and landing (regular and switch).

The term Alley-oop is used to describe a spin performed in a halfpipe in which the spin is rotated opposite the wall.  A backside rotation on a frontside wall or vice-versa would mean the spin was Alley-oop.

Spins are referred to as “corked” or “corkscrew” when the axis of the spin allows for the snowboarder to be temporarily oriented sideways in the air, typically without becoming completely inverted.  A “double-cork” refers to a rotation in which a snowboarder inverts or orients himself sideways at two distinct times during an aerial rotation.

Slides

Slides are tricks performed along the surface of obstacles like handrails and funboxes.  In skateboarding, slides are distinguished from grinds because some tricks are performed by sliding on the surface of the skateboard, and others are performed by grinding on the trucks of the skateboard.  However, because snowboards don’t have trucks, the term “grind” doesn’t apply to these types of maneuvers.

Many rail maneuvers are identified as frontside or backside, and these refer to the way in which the snowboarder approaches the obstacle.  The direction that the snowboarder is facing while riding the obstacle has no bearing on the frontside or backside identifier.  The frontside and backside identifiers are not used when a snowboarder travels straight toward the obstacle.

• 50-50: A slide in which a snowboarder rides straight along a rail or other obstacle.  This trick has its origin in skateboarding, where the trick is performed with both skateboard trucks grinding along a rail.
• Boardslide: A slide performed where a snowboarder “straddles” the obstacle, with his snowboard traveling perpendicular along a rail or other obstacle.  A Boardslide is identified because the leading foot passes overtop of the rail on approach.  When performing a frontside Boardslide, the snowboarder is facing uphill.  When performing a backside boardslide, a snowboarder is facing downhill.
• Feeble: A slide performed to resemble a Feeble grind from skateboarding. The tail slides along a rail while the front hangs over the rail’s far side.
• JJ: A slide that somewhat resembles a 50-50, where a snowboarder slides along an obstacle on the “heels” of his heel edge, reminiscent of a dance move made popular by Janet Jackson.  This trick looks terrible.
• Lipslide: A slide performed where a snowboarder “straddles” the obstacle, with his snowboard traveling perpendicular along a rail or other obstacle.  A Lipslide is identified because the trailing foot passes overtop of the rail on approach.  When performing a frontside Lipslide, the snowboarder is facing downhill.  When performing a backside lipslide, a snowboarder is facing uphill.
• MJ: A slide that somewhat resembles a 50-50, where a snowboarder slides along an obstacle on the “toes” of his toe edge, reminiscent of a dance move made popular by Michael Jackson.  This trick also looks terrible.
• Nose Press: A trick performed by traveling straight along an obstacle, with pressure being put on the nose of the board, such that the tail of the board is raised in the air.
• Noseslide: A slide performed with the snowboard perpendicular to a rail, with the nose of the board sliding along the obstacle.
• Tail Press: A trick performed by traveling straight along an obstacle, with pressure being put on the tail of the board, such that the nose of the board is raised in the air.
• Tailslide: A slide performed with the snowboard perpendicular to a rail, with the tail of the board sliding along the obstacle.
• Smith: A slide performed to resemble a Smith grind from skateboarding. The tail slides along a rail while the front hangs over the rail’s near side.

Stalls

• Board-Stall: Where the rider stalls on an object between both bindings.
• Nose-Pick: Where the rider stalls on an object Nose Press while grabbing Indy.

Tweaks and Variations

• One-Footed: Tricks performed with one foot removed from the binding (typically the rear foot) are referred to as “One-Footed” tricks.  One-Footed tricks include: “Fast Plants,” which is where the rear foot is dropped and initiates a straight air or rotation; the “Boneless,” which is a fast-plant with a grab; and the “No-Comply,” which is a front-footed Fast Plant.
• Poke: A grab trick in which either the front leg only or back leg only is boned-out.
• Shifty: An aerial trick in which a snowboarder twists his body, rotating his board 90° and then returning it to its original position before landing.  This trick can be performed frontside or backside, and also in variation with other tricks and spins.
• Stiffy: Any grab where both the legs are boned-out (straightened as much as possible).  Typically performed as a variation of a Mute or frontside grab.  Also called “Stink-Bug” or “Stinky,” because stiff-boning a trick also pushes out the rider’s butt, like a stink bug.
• Tuck Knee: Refers to a term used for skateboarding when the knee of either leg is dropped down to touch the top of the board.  When referring to snowboarding it means that the rider attempts to put his knee on the board by putting his knee underneath the torso and then pulling down to the board.
• Tweak: A term used in western ski areas for when an area of the board is strongly pulled to bend it into an arch.

Miscellaneous Tricks

• Bonk: To tap an object or obstacle with your board.
• Butter: While traveling along the surface of the snow, this trick is performed by pressuring either the nose or tail of the snowboard in such a way that the opposite half of the snowboard lifts off of the snow, allowing for a pivot-like rotation.  A Butter can be performed as a partial rotation (90°), which is then reverted, as a continuous rotation (180°, 360°, etc.), or as a lead-in to an aerial maneuver.
• Danish / Bagel: Like a Pretzel, but spinning 270° of the rail in the same direction as you got on.
• Pretzel: Concluding a slide trick with a 270° spin opposite the direction in which you did a 270° spin during the trick’s initiation.
• Tail/Nose Block: While standing still or on top of a box, balance on the tail of your board straight down while grabbing the nose end up by your chest.  Balancing on the nose is a Nose Block.
• Tail/Nose Manual: Leaning toward your tail/nose, so that the other end is in the air.
• Tail/Nose Roll: To lean on the tail/nose of the board so that the other end is in the air, then to do a 180.
• Tail/Nose (Suicide) Tap Off: Quickly tapping your tail or nose on the end of the rail/box as you are about to slide off of it.

- Get On The Scene -

There are thousands of names for aerial maneuvers and grab variations that riders have dreamt about executing.  While some have actually been accomplished, this list is the real-deal set of badass board tricks.

What is your favorite trick, my snowboarder amigo?

Snowsport segregation meant only 39 of the roughly 600 ski resorts allowed snowboarders!

There are milestones in each individual’s life that provide evidence of development and positive evolution.  Much like your life and mine, snowboarding as a sport, industry, and passion holds many of these exciting points of progress.

1979 – Let’s start with the Snurfer events that Sherman Poppen started putting together, where Jake Burton Carpenter and Tom Sims developed their passion for boarding on the snow.  At the annual competition in Michigan, pro Paul Graves executed four sliding 360’s, dropping down on one knee for a segment of his freestyle demo, and dismounted with a front flip at the finish.  It was just a taste of the flavor which is freestyle snowboarding today, and Paul gave us that sample in 1979.  During the same competition, Jake Burton Carpenter tried to enter his own modified version of the Snurfer, but since his contraption wasn’t a “traditional” Snurfer, many protests to his candidacy were voiced.  As it turns out, Paul Graves and other contestants advocated for Jake, and a new division was created solely for his open design.  Jake was the only competitor in the open division that year… he won first place.  Along with this radical display of aerials and open minded design, 1979 holds the discovery of the first snowboard half-pipe.  Mark Anolik stumbled upon the pipe behind the Tahoe City dump.

1982 – The first National Snowboarding Championships was held at Suicide Six Ski Area in Pomfret, Vermont.  This event was also reported to have been the first time snowboarding was legitimately allowed on a ski resort!  The Championships were primarily focused on speed and “survival,” due to its course being a steep and icy kamikaze run called The Face.  Downhill racers were clocked at 60mph, and remember that these were the prehistoric boards.  Sports Illustrated, Good Morning America, and The Today Show all covered aspects of the competition, bringing boarders to mass media for the first time.  From this year forward Snurfers and snowboarders didn’t race together.

1983 – Burton held the first National Snowboarder Championships in Bondville, VT on the East Coast and Sims held the first World Snowboarding Championships in Lake Tahoe, CA on the West Coast.  Some competitors, including the Burton team, protested and/or boycotted the Sims competition because it involved a half-pipe event.  Disapproval was based on opinions that the pipe didn’t have anything to do with snowboarding.  This difference in perspective produced the two main disciplines of snowboarding styles: freestyle and race, with freeride as the combination of all.

1985 – Snowsport segregation meant only 39 of the roughly 600 ski resorts allowed snowboarders!  The first magazine strictly focused on snowboarding was published!  It was the originator of media dedicated to the sport and I loved the name Absolutely Radical, but sadly it was later retitled International Snowboarding Magazine.  The steel edge was revived in the Sims 1500FE and the Burton Performer models, while the National Snowboarding Championships was renamed the US Open Snowboarding Championships.  My favorite happening for this year was the premier of A View to Kill (for those of you unlearned in film, it’s a James Bond movie), in which Tom Sims was Bond’s stunt double.  During a scene where “Bond” cruises on a snowboard while chased down a snowy mountain by skiing villains, he skims across the top of a pond and the enemies in pursuit sink into the water with their skis.  This image of the suave hero riding a board triggered change in the stereotyping of snowboarders: rebellious bad boy to appropriately progressive.

1986 – Breckenridge in Colorado hosted the World Championships, which brought an excessive amount of people, press, and finances to the area.  The ski resorts took notice and some began to realize that snowboarders on their mountains would increase profits.  Although the progress from anti-snowboarder resorts to open runs stemmed from financial motivation, we should nonetheless accept this history as a gift of newly accessible trails.

1987 – TransWorld Snowboarding Magazine and Snowboarder Magazine launched their publications, utilizing marketing strategies targeting skateboarders, surfers, and cross-over skiers to enhance the existing fan base.

1988 – Chuck Allen incorporated the United States Amateur Snowboard Association (USASA) with a $500 donation from TransWorld Snowboarding zine.  The name was changed to the United States of America Snowboard Association, and they still hold the annual National Championships to this day.

1989 – The International Snowboarding Association (ISA) is created to govern the officiating of riders by riders.  Later renamed the International Snowboarding Federation (ISF), it would come to a difficult and disappointing end due to more interest in the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS).

1996 – Snowboarding was declared an Olympic Sport and would be featured in the ‘98 Olympics!

1997 – The Winter X Games debuted in Big Bear Lake, California.

1998 – For the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, snowboarding premiered for the whole world to see in two events: the half-pipe for freestyle boarders and the giant slalom for race boarders.  The International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) was stripped of its officiating duties by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a controversial decision where they recognized the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) as the sport’s governing council.  This choice instigated renowned snowboarder Terje Haakonsen to boycott the ‘98 Olympics in protest of skiers regulating snowboarders.  This began the ISF’s downfall, for those with traditional influence chose to give power to and invest money in the FIS.  The winner of the snowboarding giant slalom gold medal was Ross Rebagliati, a Canadian from Whistler, but after the fact he was robbed of his Olympic decorations due to testing positive for trace amounts of marijuana.  He appealed and won since marijuana is a controlled substance, not a banned one, and is not a performance enhancing drug.

- Get On The Scene –

Contrary to what skiers thought to be a short-lived craze, snowboarders proved their passion for riding wasn’t just a passing fad.  The fastest growing winter sport was born.  Youth and innovation have a new religion.

What are your thoughts on Terje Haakonsen’s Olympic boycott, my snowboarder amigo?

The passion for flying boards down snowy hills initiated a devoted community that would take the concept and ride it to the fullest.

Since the beginning of mankind, humans have been conquering unknowns so as to uncover exhilarating extremes.  All progress comes from pushing the boundaries of what is understood, and likewise came about the pursuit of snowboarding.

Sherman Poppen

It is argued as to what stage in the evolutionary process should be deemed the beginning, but I hold the stance that a gentleman name Sherman Poppen planted the essential seed that lead to what we know of snowboarding today.  Prior to Poppen there had been claims of riders standing upright on their sleds and toboggans, but in 1965 Poppen invented a particular toy for his daughter.  “My wife was pregnant and told me I had to do something to get my two daughters out of the house or she was going to go crazy,” said Poppen, who admired surfers but had never tested the art of riding waves.  “When I looked at that hill, I thought why not?”  From this inspiration he bound two skis together, attaching a rope to the nose for enhanced control, and urged his daughters to test this new invention on the snowy hills outside.  This contraption is what Mrs. Poppen titled as a Snurfer, short for snow-surfer.

His daughters’ friends started requesting that Mr. Poppen create Snurfers for the rest of the neighborhood children, and so he decided to license the Snurfer patent to a manufacturing company by the name of Brunswick.  During the ten years following 1966 there were over one million Snurfers sold, while Poppen continuously organized Snurfer competitions to attract new riders and boost sales.

The Snurfer was essentially viewed as a mere children’s toy, but it was the first time the masses were offered a legitimized board with which to ride snow.  The passion for flying boards down snowy hills initiated a devoted community that would take the concept and ride it to the fullest.

Dimitrije Milovich (Winterstick)

With his boarding foundation experienced on watery waves, Milovich was reminded of his love for surfing when he rode cafeteria trays down snowy hills at college.  In 1969 he partnered with surfboard maker Wayne Stovekin, and they proceeded to patent snowboard plans based on a short surfboard design that included metal edges.  When 1974 rolled around they started making these boards for a small network of their friends and interested riders.

In 1976 Milovich and Stovekin founded Winterstick with two different board types which they took to the SIA (Snowsports Industries America) and the NSGA (National Sporting Goods Association) tradeshows, but there truly wasn’t much interest for their radical product.  From their efforts Winterstick received press coverage in Newsweek, Playboy, and Powder, increasing the recognition of snowboarding.  Unfortunately, Milovich left the industry in 1980 before it fully began.

Jake Burton Carpenter (Burton)

Mr. Carpenter is now renowned around the world for a company which outsells all others in the snowboard industry three to one. Burton. Since Snurfers appeared in stores Jake had been devoted to conquering the competitions, and when he’d get home all he wanted was to modify and perfect his Snurfer.  Out of NYU in 1977 he decided to “F the man” and move to Londonderry, Vermont, creating extra cash flow by making his own version of the Snurfer.  Jake added bindings to his boards, which allowed for better response than had ever been seen before.

In 1980 Burton introduced ski technology to the construction of snowboards when he included P-Tex bases for his decks.  As with most discoveries and innovations the actual creator is disputed, and ski tech meshed with boards is purported to have been started by Winterstick in 1974.

Tom Sims (Sims)

Parallel to Burton’s undertakings and chronology of achievements, Tom Sims built his initial board for the snow in junior high as a shop project.  He first glued carpet to the top of a plank of wood, and then attached an aluminum sheet to the underside.  This was his first experimental board prototype, and soon after in 1977 he partnered with Chuck Barfoot to start producing snowboards.

- Get On The Scene -

People disagree about who was the true originator of snowboarding, but in my eyes the particular founder of this sport doesn’t matter.  The rivalry between these several innovators incited such beautiful competition, producing the advancements in technology and the reshaping of ideologies that lead to what we know of snowboarding today.

What are your thoughts on who started it all, my snowboarder amigo?