Snow 360-TV
Join us each week for exciting 360 adventures. From the top of the mountain to the latest high-tech gear before it even hits the shelves. Snow 360 is a production of American Outdoors Television.
The History of Skiing and Snowboarding
Although the sport of skiing in America is little more than a century old, researchers have dated a rock carving of a
skier, found on the Norwegian island of Rodoy as being over 4,000 years old. Skiing was so revered in Scandinavia that the Vikings worshipped Ull and Skade, the god and goddess of skiing. In the US, skiing was introduced by Norwegian gold miners. While the history of skiing is somewhat obscure, historians do have a good idea of the basic history of skiing. The first type of skiing was cross country skiing, which then evolved into downhill skiing.
Skiing and Snowshoeing
It is believed that skiing evolved from snowshoeing in Northern Europe and Asia. Skiing evolved thousands of years ago, as the oldest skis found in France and Switzerland were estimated to be about 5,000 years old. Ski poles evolved from the walking sticks snowshoers used for balance. Skiing was a way of transportation, and the fact that the bindings on old skis were loose toe straps proved that the first skis were cross country skis. After all, these loose bindings wouldn't secure the skis on downhill run, so the first skiers were nordic skiers.
Downhill Skiing
Downhill skiing came later, during a more modern era. In 1850, Sondre Norheim, a Norwegian, constructed a birch
binding that that enabled skiers to ski without the risk of losing their skis. Norheim's bindings were perhaps the first
stiff bindings, which tied his boots to his skis and provided more control than leather straps. While others had built devices similar to this before Norheim, Norheim paired his birch binding with shorter, curved skis that enabled him to win the first Norwegian downhill skiing competition. Most historians believe that Norheim's method of skiing is similar to the modern day form of telemark, or "free heel" skiing. Later on in 1896, even firmer bindings were developed by Matthias Zdarsky. Zdarsky's bindings allowed a skier to turn more effectively. Zdarsky's partnering of stiff bindings and his technique of pushing one ski at an angle down the fall line to control speed led to the development of downhill skiing. With more and more improvements, skiing became the popular recreational activity that we participate in today. Skiing is a 80 Billion dollar industry and people are passionate about skiing and riding. They still seek the sport out. It’s really a lifestyle they choose which the adapt year-around even when there is no snow on the ground. That's the way it is.
Snowboarding
In 1964 a young surf freak called Sherman Poppen was dreaming about surfing the magic winter landscape of the
Rockies. As a consequence, he built a surfboard for the snow. His first prototype was an about 1,20 m long plastic plank: two kids' skis bolted together. It was a present for his daughter Wendy which soon was a winner in the neighbourhood. One year later, in 1965, his idea was put into production: Carried out together with a bowling-ball manufacturer, the now called "snurfer" (snow-surfer) found its way through toy-stores under the Christmas trees. For the unbeatable price of $15, one million snurfers were sold in the 10 years following, and Mr. Poppen soon began to establish a competition series. But the snurfer as a mass phenomenon disappeared as quickly as he had emerged from the white surf of the Rockies. Then in 1970, Dimitrije Milovich, an east coast surfer, had an idea while he was sliding around on cafeteria trays in the snow of upstate New York. He started to develop snowboards following the example of the new short surf boards. He even used rudimentary steel edges - an idea he soon gave up because he only rode in deepest powder anyway. He experimented with laminating glass and gravel on the board and also used nylon straps. His company "Winterstick" is to be considered as the first snowboard company ever. Snowboarding has shown considerable growth ever year since the concept was first introduced. Need a board?
How To Select a Board
In selecting the right snowboard to fit your personality and abilities, you'll want to consider many different elements. Consider your height. While ski length varies directly with your height, snowboard lengths follow a much looser scale. Adults typically ride a freeriding board between 150 and 165 cm; children ride boards of 100 to 140 cm. When stood on end, the board should reach somewhere between the center of your chest and nose. Measure your feet. Width is an important factor in selecting a snowboard because overhanging toes and heels can hinder turning. Feet sized 11 and over usually require a wide board.
Consider your build. Small, light riders may benefit from a flexible snowboard to compensate for a lack of weight. Larger riders should look at longer, stiffer boards to keep them afloat above soft powder. Beginners generally benefit from the easier maneuverability of more flexible boards.
Be aware of board construction materials. Snowboard cores can be made of wood, composites or experimental hybrids. Wooden cores are usually more responsive and durable.
Contact your local board shop or an online merchant for assistance in finding the board best suited to your specifications. Start thinking about colors and graphics only when you have narrowed down your board choices.
Finally, you might consider renting a "demo" board before purchasing, if possible. Renting a demo for a few days is a good idea, especially if you're not certain which board type you want.
Your dominant foot should be anchored on the front of your snowboard. To determine which foot is dominant, stand with your feet next to each other, side by side. Have a friend give you a gentle shove in the back; the foot you instinctively move forward to break your fall is the dominant one. Step-in bindings are dominating the market these days over the older strap-in types; ask your vendor about the possibility of trying them. Thanks to a rigid boot and metal attachments on the soles, snowboarders can click in and go without having to strap in.
After every snowboarding session, make sure to repair any scratches or nicks on your board as soon as you can. This will prevent any further damage of your snowboard and dramatically increase the life of your board. You can find repair kits at your local board shop or online.
Whenever possible, sharpen the edges of the snowboard so you can turn on a dime and be ready to handle even the most challenging conditions. You can use a board sharpening tool they sell at board shops or have the job done 
professionally. Heat your board to clean off your old wax and then resurface your snowboard with a fresh coat of wax regularly. Remember, there are two kinds of waxing - hot and cold. Use the hot wax method when your board is feeling sluggish, while cold waxing can be used before every shred session. Wax makes your snowboard much more effective on the snow and will protect the board from all the friction the snowboard generates from making contact with the snow.Make sure to bring a towel with you every time you snowboard. When you finish you session, make sure to completely whip down your board and bindings to prevent water damage and to extend the life of you board. If you keep your board dry, it will last much longer than if you never wiped it down.
2010 Trends
Snowboards, unlike skis, offer superior flotation in powder, but you can’t walk into the backcountry on one. Thus was born the split board, which separates into two skis for uphill hiking and then reassembles for descents. The drawback with early designs from manufacturers such as Venture and Burton was the difficulty of reassembling the two halves out in the cold. Atomic Snowboarding’s Poacher is the fastest-assembling split board yet due to a simple rotating cam and spring-loaded pin on the bindings that make it easy to convert from uphill to downhill mode.
Length
Boards for children are as short as 90 centimetres; boards for racers, or "alpine" riders, are as long as 215 cm. Most people ride boards in the 140–165 cm range. It is a myth that the height of the rider solely dictates the length of the snowboard. Rather, the length of a snowboard corresponds mainly to the style, weight, and preference of the rider. A good rule of thumb is to stay within the recommended manufacturer weight range. The longer the board, the more stable it is at high speed, but it is also a bit tougher to manoeuvre. Another factor riders consider when selecting a snowboard is the type of riding it will be used for, freestyle boards being shorter than all-mountain boards.
Width
The width is typically measured at the waist of the board, since the nose and tail width varies with the sidecut and taper. Freestyle boards are up to 28 cm wide, to assist with balance. Alpine boards are typically 18–21 cm wide, although they can be as narrow as 15 cm. Riders with larger feet (US size 10+) may have problems with narrower boards, as the rider's toes and/or heels may extend over the edge of the board, and interfere with the board's ability to make turns once it is set on edge, or 'get hung up on the snow.' This is called toe/heel-drag, and can be cured by either choosing a wider board (26 cm or more), adjusting the stance angle, or a combination of the two.
Sidecut
The edges of the board are symmetrically curved concavely, so that the width at the tip and tail is greater than the centre. This curve aids turning and affects the board's handling. The curve has a radius that might be a short as 5 meters on a child's board or as large as 17 meters on a racer's board. Most boards use a sidecut radius between 8-9 meters. Shorter sidecut radii (tighter turns) are generally used for halfpipe riding while longer sidecut radii (wider turns) are used for freeride/alpine/racing riding. One new development in sidecuts was the introduction of Magne-Traction by Mervin, which owns: Lib Tech, GNU, and Roxy. Magne-Traction incorporates seven bumps on each side of the board which LibTech speculates will improve edge holding.
Flex
The flexibility of a snowboard affects its handling and typically varies with the rider's weight. Usually a harder flex makes turning harder while a softer flex makes the board less stable at high speed. There is no standard way to quantify snowboard stiffness, but novices and boarders who mostly do rails tend to prefer softer flex, racers stiffer flex, and everyone else something in between.
Width
Many freestyle boards have equal nose/tail specs for equal performance either direction. Freeride and alpine boards, however, have a directional shape with a wider and longer nose. Boards designed for powder conditions exaggerate the differences even more for more flotation on the powder.
Camber
The curvature of the base of the snowboard effects handling and carving. Typical modern snowboards have an upward curvature of a few degrees along the effective edges. Experimentation has led to boards with rocker, or upward curvature, which makes for a more buttery board and can improve float in deep powder.