Noun

Singular snowboarder

Plural snowboarders

snowboarder (plural snowboarders)

1. Someone who snowboards

Snowboards are boards, which resemble a wide ski, with the ability to glide on snow. Users of such equipment may be referred to as snowboarders. Commercial snowboards generally require extra equipment such as bindings and special boots which help secure both feet of a snowboarder, who generally rides in an upright position. These type of boards are commonly used by people at ski hills or resorts for leisure, entertainment and competitive purposes in the activity called snowboarding.

History

Some argue that the first snowboard was invented by Sherman Poppen in 1965 and was called a Snurfer (combination of Snow Surfer). The snurfer was fairly simple and had no bindings. However the state of Utah claims that the first snowboards were developed and manufactured there in the early 1970s, and was commemorated in 2007 by the United States mint among the three semi-final designs of the Utah state quarter. At least one source believes that Jake Burton Carpenter (founder of Burton Snowboards) and/or Tom Sims (founder of Sims Snowboards) invented snowboarding.

In 2008, selling snowboarding equipment was a $487 million industry. In 2008, average equipment ran about $540 including board, boots, and bindings.

Users

There were 6.6 million riders in 2005. Females comprised 25% of snowboarders. In 2008, there were 5.1 million participants. Manufacturers believed that the decrease in the number of riders was because of poor weather.