Snowboarding remains one of the most popular winter sports next to skiing. People of all ages and genders enjoy gliding down slopes all over the world. Numerous resorts in various countries, which are known to welcome winter sports enthusiasts, readily welcome snowboarders. The sport was accidentally born during the 1960s when Sherman Poppen joined two boards together with a rope, which enabled his daughters to stand and slide along the snow. The activity gained the attention of local youngsters, and eventually, snowboard manufacturing grew into a commercial enterprise.
In the 1980s, as the sport gained in popularity, snowboarders were not welcomed at resorts, which traditionally accommodated skiers on the slopes. But, the sport began growing as individuals quickly discovered that learning to snowboard was easier than learning to ski. Resorts began offering instruction for beginners in addition to offering ski lessons. The ease of picking up the sport also enables participants to quickly gain a mastery of the activity. Snowboarders began challenging each other and making the sport more exciting by developing various tricks.
By 1995, the X Games initiated snowboarding events in an attempt to attract the attention of younger crowds. A love of the sport steadily grew as boards became less expensive and were created in a variety of styles that accommodated athletes of various skill levels. Boards were also manufactured for the benefit of gliding along with different terrain types.
The first snowboarding events took place at the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998. By the year 2000, the rift between the snow sports athletes eventually diminished. Resorts became more accepting and accommodating too. In 2002, Olympic hopeful Shawn White competed and won a gold medal as a slopestyle snowboarder. His career influenced many young snowboarding athletes. Today, wherever winter sports competitions occur, snowboarding is an event.
Snowboarding interest peaked in 2007. Millions of winter sports enthusiasts of all ages took their boards to the world’s mountains, slopes, and trails. By 2010 and beyond, many world countries had snowboarding communities. In 2013, it was estimated that there were approximately five million snowboarders in the United States alone.
