12 Thrilling Fun Facts About Snowboarding That'll Blow Your Mind

1. Snurfer: The Snowboarding Origin

If you think snowboarding is the lovechild of skateboarding, sledding, and surfing, then you'll be "snurf-prised" to find out that it actually started as a toy for two little girls: Snowboarding was born thanks to engineer Sherman Poppen in 1965, when he combined two skis and added a rope to create a "snurfer" for his daughters. This ingenious creation gained immense popularity and eventually led to pioneers like Tom Sims and Jake Burton Carpenter shaping the sport and its equipment into the adrenaline-pumping activity we know today.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. The Flash of Snowboarding

When he's not busy being a superhero, "The Flash" of snowboarding tears down mountains at seemingly supersonic speeds, leaving only a frosty trail behind: According to a Reddit snowboarder, they managed to clock 118 km/h (74 mph) after a few weeks of practice, albeit under near-perfect conditions that are unlikely to be repeated soon.
Source => reddit.com

Did you know that skiers once outshined pretzels with their bends? Discover the groovy moves like "The Worm Turn" and "The Slow Dog Noodle" that made Wayne Wong the first Freestyle Skier of the Year in 1972. 🕺🎿💃

=> Fun Facts about Freestyle-Skiing

3. Snowboard Speedster Record

Move over, Flash Gordon - there's a new speedster in town, and he's shredding the slopes on a snowboard: In February 2018, Jamie Barrow broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest snowboarder towed by a vehicle, reaching a mind-blowing 151.57 km/h on the icy surface of St Moritz Lake, Switzerland, thanks to some studded tires and a trusty Maserati Levante by his side.
Source => maserati.com

4. Gravity-Defying Snowboarding Show

Grab your popcorn and buckle up, because the snowboarding world has its own gravity-defying Hollywood blockbuster: At the Visa Big Air competition during the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, fearless athletes launch themselves off a 70-foot-high snow-covered scaffolding, performing mind-boggling tricks to awe both the audience and judges.
Source => skimag.com

5. The Vallée Blanche Experience

Ever snowboarded on a glacier so long, you felt like you were on the world's longest winter catwalk? Welcome to the Vallée Blanche, darling: This Chamonix spectacle stretches across 23 km and boasts a vertical drop of 2,800 meters from Aiguille du Midi to the valley below. An all-you-can-snowboard buffet featuring steep slopes, ice, powder, and couloirs, it's a winter wonderland for confident intermediates and advanced boarders – but, despite its grandeur, it's not the longest run in the world!
Source => ultimatefrance.com

6. From Snurfers to Shredders

Before there were shredders, there were Snurfers: a primitive and groovy blend of surfing and snoozing on a sloping white carpet – oh, the nostalgia! The serious reveal: The Snurfer, while not the very first invention of its kind, was popularized in the 1960s by Sherman Poppen and paved the way for modern snowboarding, which eventually outshined its playful predecessor after the introduction of Jake Burton Carpenter's innovative designs and culminating in the sport's Olympic debut in 1998.
Source => invention.si.edu

7. Dizzying 2160-degree Spins

Feeling dizzy yet? Snowboarders must have degrees in geometry and extreme disorientation: some riders have managed to pull off a gnarly 2160-degree spin on the slopes, which means six full rotations mid-air, a mind-bending feat accomplished only by the crème de la crème of snowboarding daredevils.
Source => snowboardingprofiles.com

8. Snowboarding's FIS Debut

Not content with just chilling on the slopes, snowboarding decided to ride the halfpipe of history right into the warm embrace of officialdom: In the 1994/95 season, the International Ski Federation organized the first ever FIS Snowboard World Cup, featuring parallel slalom, giant slalom, slalom, and halfpipe competitions, marking snowboarding's inaugural dance with a major international governing body.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. The Sock Strategy

Socks be nimble, socks be quick, boots turn numb when socks are thick: Thicker snowboard socks may restrict blood flow, so top athletes opt for socks with no cushioning or very light cushioning, depending on the chill factor, while heavy cushioning remains on the ski fashion bench.
Source => rei.com

10. The Legendary Burton U.S. Open

Before snowboarders were carving up the slopes and shredding the gnar, there was the gnarliest of them all: the Burton U.S. Open. The steeze-infested love child of the 80s, it was the powder event at the heart of Winters past: Originating in 1982 at Suicide Six in Central Vermont as the National Snowboarding Championships, the Burton U.S. Open has evolved over time and is now a legendary annual snowboarding extravaganza, making it one of the longest-running events on the planet and a much-loved cornerstone of the snowboarding world.
Source => aspentimes.com

11. Snowboarding's Olympic Entrance

When Frosty the Snowman traded in his hat for a helmet and took up shredding powder: The first-ever Olympic snowboarding competition made its debut at the 1998 Winter Olympics held in Nagano, Japan, with events featuring Men's and Women's giant slalom and halfpipe, and notable winners Ross Rebagliati, Karine Ruby, Gian Simmen, and Nicola Thost making snowboarding history.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Honeycomb-Inspired Eco-Protection

When bees get tired of making honey and decide to dabble in winter sports protective gear, things are bound to get interesting: Flexi-Hex surfboard packaging, inspired by honeycombs, provides eco-friendly protection for snowboards during transport - its durable, versatile, and scalable structure can accommodate different shapes and sizes without generating excessive waste.
Source => flexi-hex.com