1980
|
Chris Sanders builds his own
board after his Snurfer disintegrates. He later
founds Avalanche Snowboards. His company makes 3
boards its first year named Huey, Dewey, and
Louie.
|
1981 |
Modern snowboarding begins in
Leadville, Colorado.
|
1983 |
Tom Sims holds the inaugural
World Snowboarding Championships in the Lake
Tahoe area. The contest is the 1st to have a
halfpipe, many threaten to boycott the event
fealing that the halfpipe should not be
considered in the overall scores.
|
1983 |
Jeff Grell designs a highback
binding. The bindings were first used on Flite
snowboards, and later used by Sims. Some claim
the highback was built earlier by Louis Fornier,
and not by Jeff, leaving the highback open to
discussion.
|
1985 |
Mt. Baker holds the first Mt.
Baker Legendary Banked Slalom, the contest
becomes a competitive mainstay. Tom Sims was the
winner.
|
1985 |
Thrasher covers the World
Championships at Soda Springs. The magazine gives
first exposure of a snowboarding contest.
|
1985 |
The first exclusive
snowboarding magazine, Absolutely Radical,
appears in March.The name is changed to
International Snowboard Magazine later that year.
|
1985 |
Metal edges are introduced on
Sims' and Burton's winter models. These models
end the era of surfing-influenced fin design as
snowboards become more compatible with ski
technology.
|
1985 |
Sims introduces the first
signature model snowboard in their winter line.
It is the first freestyle board with a rounded
tail.
|
1986 |
Europeans begin organizing
their own regional events.
|
1986 |
Jos Fernandes, the Swiss
winner of some of those European races, comes to
America with an asymmetrical board. The board is
made by his sponsor, Hooger Booger.
|
1986 |
During this winter, Vermont's
Stratton Mountain becomes the first resort to
offer organized snowboarding lessons.
|
1986- '87 |
With a lace-up, ski-boot
inner layer, Burton produces what will become the
standard design for soft-boot snowboarding.
|
1987 |
Chuck Barfoot and his company
introduce the first twin-tip freestyle shape with
an identical nose and tail. The board is designed
by Canadians Neil Daffern, Ken and Dave
Achenbach.
|
1987 |
Wrigley's chewing gum stars
snowboarding in a national commercial. Craig
Kelly, Bert LaMar, Tom Burt, and Jim Zellers
appear in the commercial.
|
1987-'88 |
The first World Cup is held
with two events in Europe and two in the United
States. The contest lasts the entire season.
Major corporate sponsorship (O'Neill, Suzuki, and
Swatch) is introduced into the competitive arena.
|
1988 |
Veteran surf company Ocean
Pacific developes their own line of winter
clothing. Other surf companies soon follow and
capitalize on the crossover between the two
sports.
|
1988 |
Former amateur surf promoter
Chuck Allen incorporates the United States
Amateur Snowboarding Association (USASA) with a
$500 donation from Transworld SNOWboarding
Magazine. USASA is the first governing body
exclusively for amateur snowboarding.
|
1989 |
Squaw Valley,
California; Mammoth Mountain, California; Vail,
Colorado; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Snowbird, Utah
succumb to snowboarding after previous
resistance.
|
1989 |
In December, the first
National Collegiate Championships are held at
Stratton Mountain, Vermont. Soon, college teams
and clubs sprout up throughout the country. |