A snowboard is a thin, hourglass shaped board ridden down a sloped section of earth covered in snow. It is often thought of as the winter equivalent of a wakeboard, as the rider's feet are bound to the board via bindings. Snowboards generally have a length between 140-165cm and a width between 24 and 27 cm (For teenagers and older. There are children snowboards available) . The size variants are to accommodate the many varieties of people, skill levels, snow types, and riding styles that exist within the activity known as snowboarding. Snowboards are usually constructed with a laminated wood core sandwiched between multiple layers of fiberglass. The bottom or 'base' of the snowboard is generally made of various constructions of plastic, and is surrounded by a thin strip of steel, known as the 'edge'. The top layer, where a printed graphic usually resides, is usually made of Acrylic.
Snowboarding History
The first snowboard was originally made by Sherman Poppen in Muskegon, Michigan when he bolted two skis together for his children to slide downhill sideways on. This soon became the Snurfer, which is widely accepted as the first commercial snowboard. At least one source believes that Jake Burton Carpenter (founder of Burton Snowboards) and/or Tom Sims (founder of Sims Snowboards) invented snowboarding. Bryan Johnston, Global VP of Marketing for Burton, stated in 2008 that a book which describes Jake Burton Carpenter as the inventor of the snowboard is "misleading".
In 2008, selling snowboarding equipment was a $487 million industry. In 2008, average equipment ran about $540 including board, boots, and bindings.
Types of boards
Snowboards come in several different styles, depending on the type of riding intended:
* Racing/Alpine: long, narrow, rigid, and directional shape. Best during machine groomed slopes. Most often ridden with a "hard" boot, but also ridden recreationally with soft boots, particularly by riders in Europe.
* Freeride: longer in length, and semi-directional. Moderate to stiff in flex. Used for long, fast turns in various types of snow from groomed hard-pack to soft powder.
* Freestyle: Generally shorter in length with a Semi-directional or twin-tip shape. Moderate to soft in flex. Incorporates a deep sidecut for quick/tight turning. Used in the pipe and in the park on various jumps and terrain features including boxes, rails, and tables.
* Park/Jib (rails): flexible and short, twin shaped with a twin flex to allow easy switch riding, wider stance, with the edges filed dull. Used for skateboard-park like snowboard parks.
* All-Mountain: A hybrid between freeride and freestyle boards. The 'jack of all trades, master of none.' Normally directional in shape with either a twin or directional flex. Moderate in flex for various types of terrain.
* Split: Not to be confused with the swallow-tail, the split board consists of a stable powder board that can be broken down into two touring skis, used when hiking in deep backcountry conditions.
Snowboards are generally constructed of a hardwood core which is sandwiched between multiple layers or fibreglass. Some snowboards incorporate the use of more exotic materials such as Carbon Fibre, Kevlar, Aluminium (as a honeycomb core structure), and have even incorporated Piezo dampeners. The front (or "nose,") of the board is upturned to help the board glide over uneven snow. The back (or "tail") of the board is also upturned to enable backwards (or "switch") riding. The base (the side of the board which contacts the ground) is made of Polyethylene plastic. The two major types of base construction are Extruded and Sintered. An extruded base is a basic, low-maintenance design which basically consists of the plastic base material melted into its form. A sintered base uses the same material as an Extruded base, but first grinds the material into a powder, then, using heat and pressure, molds the material into its desired form. A sintered base is generally softer than its extruded counterpart, but has a porous structure which enables it to absorb wax. This wax absorption (along with a properly done 'hot wax'), greatly reduces surface friction between the base and the snow. Snowboards with sintered bases are much faster, but require semi-regular maintenance and are easier to damage. The bottom-edges of the snowboard are fitted with a thin strip of steel, just a couple of millimeters wide. This steel edge allows the board to grab or 'dig in' to hard snow and ice (like the blade of an ice skate), and also protects the boards internal structure. The top of the board is typically a layer of acrylic with some form of graphic designed to attract attention, showcase artwork, or serve the purpose similar to that of any other form of printed media. Flite Snowboards, an early and often underquoted designer, pressed the first closed-molded boards from a garage in Newport, RI in the mid 1980's. Snowboard topsheet graphics can be a highly personal statement and many riders spend many hours customizing the look of their boards. The top of some boards may even include thin inlays with other materials, and some are made entirely of epoxy-impregnated wood. The base of the board may also feature graphics, often designed in a manner to make the board's manufacturer recognizable in photos.
