Corliss 1 the World of Snurfing Living in the Pocono Mountains Of
Corliss 1
The World of Snurfing
Living in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, and living under the roof of my father,
I had two choices in life—to ski, or not to ski. Inevitably, I chose to ski. My father thought I could not have made a better decision, as I followed in his footsteps and rose to the peak of the mountain where he once skied as a child. Living next to the largest ski resort in Pennsylvania, there was no excuse to not become a proficient and devoted skier. However, when I chose to begin snowboarding after seven years of skiing, my parents looked at me as if I had seven heads.
Snowboarding was originally viewed as rebellious, wild, and unruly, however in today’s world, snowboarding has not only evolved into a popular sport, but also into a culture of its own.
Snowboarding had evolved in the 1960s, at the height of surfing’s popularity. Sherman
Poppen, an engineer from Michigan, created what was called “The Snurfer”, a combination of the words snow and surfer. On Christmas morning in 1965, Sherman began building a new toy for his daughters. He tied two skis together, and attached a string to the front that one could hold for stability. Poppen wanted to incorporate features of other sports into his new invention, so the snurfer was a combination of surfing, skate boarding, and water skiing (“Inventor Sherman
Poppen, Snurfing His Way Into History). “In 1966, Sherman licensed the concept to Brunswick
Bowling to manufacture Snurfers, and so, snowboarding was born” (Howe).
Shortly after, a man by the name of Jake Burton Carpenter participated in Snurfing competitions and went on to create his own versions of the Snurfer. In 1978, Jake Burton quit his job as a Manhattan stockbroker to make different designs of snowboards in Vermont. His first design was similar to the original snurfer, however this design contained single strap bindings to place your feet in. This board became known as the Burton Backhill. Jake Burton continued to evolve the aspects of his snowboards, making high back bindings and different board shapes, Corliss 2 developing into what snowboards are today (www.burton.com). His company, Burton
Snowboards, is now known worldwide, and he is known to be snowboarding’s chief pioneer
(Thomas & Cavanaugh).
Tom Sims is another man who is credited with inventing some of the earliest snowboards. Sims was a passionate skateboarder and in 1963, he invented a “ski-board” in his middle school shop class so he could continue to ride throughout the winter. Although the invention was not successful, it inspired him to persevere and he polished his “ski-board” design.
He moved to California and founded the company Sims Snowboards in 1976. The company was recognized for inventing the first snowboard with metal edges, and also the first board created for women, which was lighter and shorter (Slotnik). Along with Burton, Sims was also known as one of snowboarding’s pioneers.
However, Burton and Sims shared a bitter rivalry. Both men and their companies wanted to dominate the snowboarding world and they both emerged on their respective sides of the country—East Coast and West Coast. Yet it was obvious who ultimately came out on top.
Graduating from New York University with a degree in economics, Jake Burton was clearly more of a businessman with a passion for snowboarding. On the other hand, Sims was not as ardent about running a company (MacArthur). Burton was dedicated to being number one, and spread awareness of snowboarding. Although both men are still important in the establishment of snowboarding, Jake Burton takes the cake. Being from the East Coast, I have never ridden on anything other than a Burton board. In fact, I had never heard of Tom Sims before. When it comes to snowboarding, I personally prefer Burton equipment compared to other brands, such as
K2 or Solomon, because of its high quality and well-known reputation. My snowboard, bindings, Corliss 3 boots, jacket and pants are all Burton, just showing how dominant the company is in the world of snowboarding.
At its onset, snowboarding was viewed as rebellious compared to the respected and unrivaled world of skiing. Skiing was the sport of the heroic elite, so it was supposed, and snowboarders were not deemed “good enough” (Boroff). So, before snowboarding was accepted and became popular, skiers were the only people on the mountains. Joe Stevens, a spokesman for
West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort stated, “Downhill skiing still accounts for the majority of crowds at ski resorts from Maine to Northern California” (Clothier)
However, snowboarding was beginning to make a mark on the world, thanks to fanatics like Jake Burton and Tom Sims. According to SnowSports Industries America, participation in alpine, or downhill, skiing in the United States had dropped about forty-seven percent, just to over 7 million people. As the percentage of American skiers had decreased, the amount of snowboarders had been escalating. “Participation in snowboarding increased more than 300 percent, to 5.5 million, over the same period” according to SIA (Clothier).
At first, it was looked down upon to even think about strapping into a board.
Snowboarders were banned from all ski resorts until the 1980s. In 1982, Suicide Six ski resort in
Vermont hosted the National Snowboarding Championships, which later came to be known as the U.S. Open. This was the first time snowboarders were ever allowed on a mountain
(www.burton.com). After this, Jake Burton had a goal: allow snowboarders to ride on mountains with skiers. Later, in 1984, Burton had been given the chance to snowboard at Stratton Mountain in Vermont, as long as he was not a dangerous threat to the skiers. Once Burton and his riders were in the clear, Stratton Mountain and other resorts finally respected them and allowed them to stay. These boarders had also helped the Stratton Mountain ski resort by increasing their sales. Corliss 4
“On the first day of the season, 50% of their customers would be snowboarders, even though in those days boarders represented only 1% or 2% of their ticket sales overall” (Carpenter &
Dumaine). After Burton conquered Stratton, other mountains started allowing snowboarders, and the sport continued to grow. Camelback Ski Resort in the Poconos, where I snowboard annually, was one resort that tried to separate skiers and snowboarders. “At Camelback, trails were set aside as snowboard-only, or ski-only to keep the peace” (Wilkerson). However, those rules were quickly diminished, as skiers and snowboarders currently enjoy the mountain together, doing what they love.
Snowboarding was an emerging sport, with its new acceptance on ski mountains, and its ongoing design innovations. However, it was not until 1998 that snowboarding had truly made its mark on the world, as it appeared in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Winter sports authorities had finally accepted that snowboarding was here to stay; as a result, snowboarding received Olympic status (“Snowboarding-A subculture Hits the Olympics”). The snowboarding portion of the 1998 games featured two events—The Giant Slalom and the Half-
Pipe. The Giant Slalom consists of competitors racing to the bottom of the mountain, maneuvering quickly through gates. In the Half-Pipe, competitors perform tricks, jumps, and flips on a course that looks like a pipe carved out of snow (“Snowboarding-A subculture Hits the
Olympics”). One of the most famous half-pipe snowboarders is Shaun White, has a total of nineteen medals from the Winter X-games, twelve of them being gold. He also is a two time
Olympic gold medalist in the Half-Pipe competition (Fast). His appearances on the Wheaties box, the cover of Rolling Stone, and late night talk shows have transformed him into a celebrity.
His popularity and snowboarding skills have helped the sport become mainstream. Corliss 5
Snowboarding also owes its development to other sports, such as skateboarding and surfing. These two sports view themselves as anti-establishment, and snowboarding naturally follows suit. Their lingo is sometimes referred to as “Shredonics” as they often refer to snowboarding as shredding. “Ride the pipe,” “rip around,” “bombed the hill,” and “beefed it” are also phrases that are used by snowboarders (Wilbon).
The fashion statements of snowboarders has also set them apart. “Many boarders opt for baggy jeans; big sweatshirts; baseball caps turned backward; pierced ears, noses, tongues and even navels” (“Snowboarding-A subculture Hits the Olympics”). In my personal experiences as a snowboarder, I have witnessed the unique fashion sense that snowboarders claim as their style.
In the Poconos, snowboarders wear baggy waterproof jackets, with patterns ranging from elephants and giraffes to fluorescent colors—certainly one of a kind. Michele Taggart, a member of the United States first Olympic Snowboarding Team, said “It’s hard for snowboarders in general to accept the authority deal…I want to be unique and individual, and wear clothes that represent me” (Snowboarding-A Subculture Hits the Olympics). In my experiences, I have seen that most snowboarding outfits are mismatched, or put together haphazardly. On the other hand, skiers look neatly put together and polished. So, in contrast to those of skiers, who wear solid colored, expensive brand name jackets and pants, snowboarders differ greatly. Thus, giving them a sense of individuality.
Rob Kingwill, a 1998 Olympian, explains that snowboarding allows him to make a mark on his own little world. He says, “His motivation comes not from competition, but from his love of snowboarding” (“Athlete Profile: Rob Kingwill”). In his heart, snowboarding is important and it plays a significant role in his life. Neil Elliot, a priest from British Columbia who recently received a doctorate in snowboarding from Kingston University, believes that snowboarding and Corliss 6 spirituality intersect. He explored the term “soul-riding” which explains this connection between snowboarding and life. “Soul-riding starts with powder, it starts with some kind of almost transcendent experience in riding powder and in the whole of your life, so soul-riding is about being completely focused, completely in the moment” said Elliot (“Soul-Riding the Slopes”).
So does this culture of snowboarding affect the way these rider live their lives? Or do the snowboarders affect how this culture has been molded? Perhaps it is a little of each. It’s possible that the influences of the past, and the present have shaped this lifestyle into what it is today.
Unconventional or not, snowboarding has grown as a sport and a culture in a short amount of time, and has made a large impact on today’s world.
Corliss 7
Works Cited
“Athlete Profile: Rob Kingwill.” CNNSI. 3 February 1998. Web. 30 September 2012.
Boroff, David. “A View of Skiers as a Subculture.” SIVault. 23November 1964. Web.
30 September 2012.
Clothier, Mark. “Snowboarding: the latest thing going down.” CNNTravel. 21 January
2004. Web. 30 September 2012. http://articles.cnn.com
Fast, Annie. “Shaun White’s Gold Medal Tour.” TransworldSnowboarding. 25 February 2010.
Web. 10 December 2012.
Howe, Susanna. (Sick) A Cultural History of Snowboarding. First St. Martin’s Griffin
Edition. New York, New York. February 1998. Web.
“Inventor Sherman Poppen, Snurfing His Way Into History.” Smithsonian National Museum
of American History. 9 September 2009. Web. 9 December 2012.
MacArthur, Paul J. “The Top Ten Important Moments In Snowboarding History.”
Smithsonian.com. 5 February 2010. Web. 9 December 2012.
Slotnik, Daniel E. “Tom Sims, Pioneer in Sport of Snowboarding, Dies at 61.” TheNYTimes. 18
September 2012. Web. 9 December 2012.
“Snowboarding-A Subculture Hits the Olympics.” BBC News. 5 February 1998. Web.
30 September 2012.
“Soul-Riding the Slopes.” TheNYTimes. 12 March 2011. Web. 30 September 2012.
Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. and Cavanaugh, Jack. “Sports World Specials; Snowslide.”
NYTimes.com. 9 March 1987. 2 October 2012.
Wilbon, Michael. “U.S. Snowboarders Toss Out the Script.” WashingtonPost. 8 February 1998.
Web. 4 October 2012.
Wilkerson, James E. “Surfin’ the Slopes Once Viewed as Rude, Snowboarders Are Now
Seen as Sportsmen.” The Morning Call. 10 January 1999. Web. 1 October 2012.
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