HomeHyped UpWhat Was Snowboarding Like Before?
What Was Snowboarding Like Before?
As with any burgeoning industry, snowboarding had a past worthy of remembering. Compared with today’s scene, the sport seemed dull and everything was very experimental. Maybe it’s down to the myriad of entities trying to make it to the snowboarding scene that the past seemed monotonous. After all, costumes while riding the slope?
The year 1995 was seen as a significant year in extreme sports. The first X Games was held in Rhode Island, and practically birthed a subculture of skaters. As for snowboarding, the 90s was its heyday. Many would argue that more play the sport today. Nevertheless, everything snowboarding is right now is laid on the foundation made from a decade before.
Mobile phones used to be clunky, so did the turntable and the computer. That’s the truth: the start of innovation usually involves something big. The marshmallow shoes are the perfect example of how snowboarding footwear was in its infancy.
Nevertheless, this was all happening when snowboarding organizations were taking shape. In America, the National Association of Professional Snowboarders disbanded, making way for the International Snowboard Federation (ISF). The USASA and USSA, both American ski organizations, planned to merge, but ultimately failed.
The Finns were usual competitors at U.S. snowboarding competitions, with Terje Haakonsen leading the line. The Victoria World Cup, the best funded snowboarding competition, happened in Hokkaido in Japan. ISF, on the other hand, held the first world championships in Austria.
By this time, snowboard makers were opening everywhere. Not much else survived, but those that did are worth a fortune today. People can now use their money to buy Burton snowboards or purchase a collectible.
From then on, the sport grew in Europe, America and Asia exponentially. Most of the premier competitions are still in Europe, but the Americans and the Japanese are not too far behind. Delving more into snowboarding’s history will need a lot more reading.