8 Interesting Snowboarding Fun Facts You Never Knew

Since its invention in 1965, snowboarding has come a long way. The game has constantly been evolving from the original “snurfing” that was created by Sherman Poppen.

With more than 7.2 million enthusiasts and international championships held all over the world, the game has continued to gain popularity. In turn, this has given snowboarding enthusiasts a space for innovation within the sporting industry, pioneered by some of the best snowboard brands.

Let’s look at some snowboarding fun facts about the sport that developed from humble beginnings into a worldwide phenomenon in less than 5 decades.

Facts About Snowboarding:

There are many facets of snowboarding that do not receive as much mention in the modern snowboarding world. What started with Sherman Poppen has transpired into a collective passion for the sport. This has driven skiers, surfers, and skateboarders to create a world of adventure and innovation. Here are just some of the fun facts about snowboarding.

1. Snowboarding culture started out with some reluctance

Since its inception, the history of snowboarding suggests that as a legitimate sport, it was faced with some attitude from skiing enthusiasts. In the early days, the two subcultures differed between snowboarders and skiers.

Their differences ranged from: talking style, game style, attire, and communities. Thanks to the similarities between snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding, it was easy for more people to become snowboarding fans.

The stereotype associated with snowboarders has decreased as there has been a significant rise in snowboarders, which has lead to demographic changes.

2. Snowboarding resorts were not as popular

Up until 20 years ago, the rivalry between skiers and snowboarders was so bad that snowboarding enthusiasts could hardly find resorts that supported them. However, now there are hardly any skiing resorts that don’t have snowboarders.

3. There are three snowboarding techniques

Before selecting your preferred types of snowboard, you need to decide which kind of snowboarding technique you’ll be practicing. There are 3 types of snowboards; namely: freeride, freestyle, and racing.

The structural composition along with the shape of each board is tailored to suit the snowboarding technique you’re going to use. Freeride, however, is the most popular among the three.

4. Snowboarders make up 30% of all revenues in the skiing industry

According to a number of reports, snowboarders now make up more than 30% of all revenues in the skiing industry. In particular, this includes the revenues of skiing resorts and equipment. Before adding to this statistic, be sure to get one of the best beginner snowboards that the market has to offer.

5. There are over 10 snowboarding styles

Over the years, more than 10 snowboarding styles have evolved among snowboarding fans. Most of which have also been introduced into national and international competitions. Some of the most common ones include Jibbing, Freeriding, Freestyle, Alpine Snowboarding, Slopestyle, Half-Pipe, and Big Air.

6. Snowboarding has an injury rate of less than 1% 

Medical reports suggest that more than half of all snowboarding injuries occur in the upper body and the remaining half occurs in the lower body. However, the injury rate is less than one percent (about 4-6 per thousand snowboarders) per day. This is twice the injury rate for alpine skiing.

7. Most Snowboarding injuries are sprains to the wrist

Medical reports also suggest that most snowboarding injuries are from sprains to the wrists, which may sometimes become severe in the form of wrist fraction and sprains. Altogether, there are around 100,000 wrist fractures among snowboarders every year.

Statistics also suggest that these injuries are more common among non-trained and beginner snowboarders without professional instructors (Check out snowboarding for beginners).

8. Snowboarding only gained popularity in 1998

A bonus fun fact about snowboarding, the sport was inspired by surfing and skateboarding. The game reached its peak popularity in 1998 when it was introduced in the Olympics.

Final Say on Interesting Facts About Snowboarding

The dynamic sport of snowboarding has some new tricks and styles introduced every now and then. The rise of snowboarding has constantly found new enthusiasts from all corners of the skiing industry. So much so, that there are tons of snowboarding movies. Here’s our list of top snowboard movies of all time.

If you’re craving to practice your alley-oop or shred along the slopes, here are some of the best ski resorts with the most snow.