How it has grown in popularity and how it has evolved.
You can't buy a Mute grab and a McTwist at McDonalds, but you can use them to maneuver the ski slopes on your snowboard. There are over 5 million snowboarders worldwide, and their numbers are rapidly increasing. Commercials, magazines and pop videos highlight a spirit of rebellion in snow boarders, creating the stereotype of dreadlocked kids in baggy clothes who listen to grunge, hip hop and enjoy flinging themselves into the air with no thought for what lies below. Research reveals that although 70% of snowboarders are under 25, the majority are high achievers from affluent backgrounds. They cannot afford to be otherwise. Winter sports like snowboarding require money, and keeping up with the latest trends and developments quickly becomes an expensive habit. Snowboarding has become the number one most popular sport in the world. Let me explain what I mean by that. To be truthful, its all for the adventure. When we need a rush of true adventure we turn most often to the growing field of extreme sports. Surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, rock climbing, BMX and mountain biking, and skydiving, are all sports in which we take big chances as a trade off for the energizing experience of an adrenaline rush. Extreme sports help us overcome fear and helps us push ourselves past the comfort zone. .
Snowboarding had a humble beginning back in the 60's and 70's although legend has it that the first boards were even earlier than that. An inventor named Sherman Poppen in the 1960s" created the first snowboard, called the "Snurfer". Snurfers were made of wood and were steered by a rope. This toy-like invention sparked ideas for future designers of snowboards. American teen Tom Sims emerged from a woodworking class holding what is generally agreed to be the first real snowboard. Made from a combination of wood and metal with no bindings and only a rope for balance, it barely resembled the modern board in shape or performance.
