The history of snowboarding is short, but actually quite interesting. It is a relative newcomer to the world of winter sports, but it is rapidly gaining popularity among all ages. However, even with such a recent beginning, there are still questions about the sport originated in the history of snowboarding. The most amazing part of this whole history of snowboarding is the way that the pieces interrelate and come together in a spirit of cooperation in a competitive sport.

Some would say that the history of snowboarding started with a piece of plywood, some clothesline, and some horse reins. In 1929, a man named M. J. Burchett, strapped on the plywood and made his historic run down the slopes. However, his moment of recklessness and spontaneity does not appear to have many lasting effects on the history of snowboarding.

It wasn't until 1965 that what many regard as the "true" beginning of the history of snowboarding occurred on a backyard slope in Michigan. Sherman Poppen strapped the noses of two skis together for his daughter and sent her down the hill. He immediately realized the marketability of his product, which he called the "Snurfer" (a combination of "snow" and "surf" and within just a year's time he had sold half a million of them. As a promotional tactic, Poppen held Snurfing competitions. One boy who took advantage of that opportunity was Jake Burton.

Just a few years after Sherman Poppen put the first full chapter of the history of snowboarding on the books, Dimitrije Milovich, another motivated young man tried sliding down a hill on a cafeteria tray using a combination of surfboard and ski techniques. Maybe he was inspired by Poppen. By 1975, Milovich was on the cover of Newsweek with his snowboard called "Winterstick" and the snowboarding industry was in serious motion.

Meanwhile, Jake Burton and Tom Sims, who competed against each other in snurfing competitions, were perfecting their own ideas for their boards using innovative features such as fiberglass covered wood and ski-like bindings. Late in the 70's, Jake Burton went to work with Winterstick. Then in 1982, the first international snowboarding competition was held. It looked like a kamikaze run, but the contestants survived, including Jake Burton and Tom Sims who went on to found to the International Snowboarding Federation.

In 1998, snowboarding "grew up" a little and was introduced as an official Olympic sport in Nagano, Japan. It's still growing.