A Bit of Snowboarding History

In the grand scheme of things, snowboarding is a very young sport. It draws inspiration from several preceding sports - notably surfing, skateboarding, and skiing and it is not surprising that the origin of snowboarding lies with those.

Although it is hard to pinpoint the pioneer of Snowboarding, the ‘History of Snowboarding’ tells us that it was initiated around the 1950s by a few surf and skate enthusiasts using self-made boards to convey their skills to a new terrain: the snow. At that time, due to the novelty of the snowboards, those contraptions often resulted in many broken boards and a lot of bruises.

The first real snowboard hit the market during the 1960's in the form of Sherman Poppen's Snurfer (see the photo at the top of this page). It appeared like a weird crossover between a plywood sled and a skateboard deck. The rope attached to the front tip of the Snurfer offered the rider some control, and the steel tacks poking through the upper deck held the rider's feet in place.

During that time, snowboarding appealed initially to a small group of surfers, skateboarders, and backcountry enthusiasts. Brave souls who rode their own snowboard contraptions were highly frowned upon by majority of skiers (something that to some degree continues today); they weren’t even allowed to ride the regular slopes used by the skiers. Consequently, and to snowboarding’s benefit, snowboarding started Off-Piste; not having to conform to the regulations of the Piste meant that the snowboarders cold experiments more freely, without interfering wit the skiers.

As snowboarding became more popular in the 70's and 80's, true snowboarding pioneers such as Dimitrije Milovich, an East Coast surfer, and Jake Burton Carpenter came up with new snowboard designs, materials and machineries that had slowly developed into the snowboards, snowboard bindings, and other snowboard equipment we know today.

In 1983, less than 10 percent of United States ski areas allowed snowboarding. But by 1997, few resorts excluded it. Today, Snowboarding is now as accepted as skiing in most ski resorts worldwide and its popularity and fan base is growing at such a pace that the number of skiers in the US has declined by 25%. In contrast the number of snowboarders has increased by 77%, making snowboarding the fastest growing winter sport in the United States.

Presently, more than 3.4 million people Snowboard. This number comprises about 20% of the visitors to US ski resorts. Also, the number of people who snowboard is predicted to overtake skiing by 2015.

It can be said that the sport has undergone a lot of changes and developments, making it a fun and enjoyable winter sport activity that millions of people enjoy doing every year.

If you fancy trying snowboarding to see what all the fuss is about, then visit S2As and we can hel you with all your snowboarding equipment needs. We stock snowboards, snowboard bindings, snowboarding gear and snowboarding clothing from top brand names at comeptetive prices.

OK.. So What is Snowboarding?

What is Snowboarding? Well lets cover some basics about this awesome sport.

Snowboarding is a winter sport that evolved from skateboarding, skiing and surfing; combining elements of all three of these high adrenaline sports it's not really that surprising the snowboarding caught on pretty quickly, and has evolved into a major winter sport that is rapidly gaining more and more popularity as time goes by.

Developed in the 1960s, Snowboarding was believed to have originated in the United States, where several inventors explored the idea of surfing on the snow. The sport, however, quickly evolved, and the early, rudimentary snowboards gave way, and boy were the original snowboards bad!

It's highly unlikely that there's anyone who has never seen nor heard of Snowboarding. But if you really have no idea what Snowboarding is, just imagine it as surfing or skateboarding but only on snow, or skiing on one ski... and without the ski poles!

Snowboarding is a relatively new winter sport wherein you ride an epoxy-wood core board (resembling a large skateboard) with your feet strapped on it, and manipulate gravity to go down a ski slope. The principle of snowboarding is to maintain your balance as you surf down a ski slope with both feet securely attached to the snowboard via a high-back snowboard bindings.

In skiing, skiers shift their weight from one ski to the other. In snowboarding, riders shift their weight from heels (heelside) to toes as well as from one end of the board to the other. To stop the boards' motion, they push their heels or toes down hard to dig the edge of the snowboard into the snow. Although most people compare snowboarding to skiing, snowboarding techniques are far closer to skateboarding and surfing than to skiing.

One of the most iconic moments for snowboarding, back in its relatively unknown heyday, came in the 1985 movie 'A View to a Kill', where James Bond ended up on an improvised snowboard after losing a ski in a chase scene in the beginning of the movie, and to be fair it was a great way to give the sport a big boost.

Since those early days it has become a major winter sport, with three main styles of competition exist: Alpine, Freestyle, and Boardercross. Snowboarding has even joined the Winter Olympics, having been part of it since it was introduced in 1998 at Nagano in Japan. Originally in only covered 2 disciplines - Halfpipe and Giant Slalom, but since then it has evolved to now include 3 disciplines - Halfpipe, Parallel Giant Slalom and Boardercross.

We at Surface2Air Sports hope this helps your under standing of snowboarding and we will keep adding info here.

Thanks for reading.

The S2AS Team

IKF and KPWT Have Entered into a Cooperation Agreement

Below are two press releases from the IKF (International Kiteboard Federation). the first gives information about the cooperation agreement between the IKF and the KPWT (Kiteboard Pro World Tour), the second is a press release containing information about the IKF themselves.

Press Release 1

The International Kiteboard Federation (IKF) and the Kiteboard ProWorld Tour (KPWT) announced that they have entered onto a long-term cooperation. All events of the KPWT tour will be sanctioned by the IKF.

This is a huge step forward for Kiteboarding and promises to further the sport into a hugely successful future.

Both organizations look to govern the sport with a unified system of rules and rankings, which will only benefit the riders and all involved.

IKF president Andrea Siqueira Silva says: “It is exciting for us to work with the KPWT, who started the first world tour back in 1998. We are looking forward to this collaboration and to develop the sport under one umbrella and successful system.”

“I have been working on and building the KPWT since 1998. I have seen the sport grow from year to year and will continue to do my best to take Kiteboarding into the future. This is a great step for the KPWT and I look forward to the 2010 season.” Frederic Gravoille tour promoter of the KPWT stated.

Both KPWT and IKF agree that all future endeavors are to unify the sport under one ranking and rule system and to develop Kiteboarding into a structured, well-governed sport.

Look out over the next few weeks for the ranking systems to be published as well as the schedule for the 2010 World Championship season.

IKF/KPWT

Press Release 2

About the IKF:
The IKF (International Kiteboard Federation) is the World Governing Body for kiteboarding. The IKF have been granted full World Championship Title rights for the sport

The IKF is an organisation that is working to develop the sport of Kiteboarding at all levels. This includes competitions, education within the sport, judging courses and stringent criteria for judges, kitesurfing activities for the young riders (junior competitions) and a unified blanket under which the sport will fall.

The IKF provides guidance and advice to its members around the world on matters such as competition, judging, education, anti doping and other areas of development of the sport.

The IKF creates added value for everybody involved in Kiteboarding on a national and international level and will offer manuals and other forms of feedback and advice.

Objectives:

• To work with the national associations
• To protect the interest of the Kiteboarding athletes
• To guarantee Kiteboarding continues to encourage the freedom of selfexpression
• and creativity.
• To promote and support the sport of kiteboarding in order to further it’s stand in
• the future.
• To establish and maintain an international association to promote the interests of
• kiteboarding in all its forms throughout all countries of the world.
• To promote the values of good sportsmanship, particularly amongst the younger
• generation.

Future:
The IKF creates added value for all parties involved within the sport of Kiteboarding on an international and national level. The future will depend on cooperation with all parties, including pro-riders, national association , eventorganizers and the sponsors to further the growth and development of kiteboarding worldwide.

The IKF is taking the steps towards positive development of this sport. It is supporting the riders by implementing strong criteria within each IKF event and encouraging the brands and sponsors within the sport.

It has now become possible to compete under consistent rules within each sanctioned IKF event. Thereby the sport becomes more attractive and evident to athletes, spectators and the media.

Members:
The management is located in Brazil - Ceara, financed by membership-fees. The board members consist of delegates from Czeck Republic, Canada, Spain, France, Brazil, England, USA, Australia, South Africa, Italy.

IKF
International Kiteboarding Federation
World Governing Body for Kiteboarding

Best regards,
ANDREA SIQUEIRA SILVA
IKF/PRESIDENT

Snowboarders Hit the Slopes to Help Needy Kids

Extreme sports are ‘snow’ joke for one man, as he embarks on a snowboarding tour of England.

Dan Jesse, 23, from Gretna, will set out on Thursday, November 19 to conquer as many of the country’s 43 indoor ski slopes as possible in three days. He will be joined by hundreds of fellow skiers and snowboarders, taking part in a charity Snowball Rally.

The event has been organised to raise money for Snow-Camp, a group that offers skiing and snowboarding lessons to underprivileged teenagers.

Dan, of Africanda Road, said: “Snowboarding changes your perspective, and it basically gave me all the friends that I have now. I like the freedom and the culture involved – if you meet other snowboarders you know you’ll be able to have a good craic with them.”

Giving the lessons to youngsters is a great way of teaching them life skills like perseverance, he added.

The graphic designer will face the challenge with friends Tom Napper, Andrew Gray and Nic Claypole, all former students at the Cumbria Institute of the Arts. They will set out by car from Milton Keynes at 11am on Thursday and aim to return by 7pm on Saturday.

He added: “I saw the event a couple of months ago and I didn’t think it was possible -but then Nic emailed about it and I thought we might as well give it a go. I think it’s around 1,800 miles in total, so it’s going to be a challenge.”

The team will be awarded points for each slope based on their location, with cups and trophies for the winning groups.

“It should be fun, and it’s for a good cause,” said Dan. We were aiming to raise about £250 each, but I’ve already passed that and the others have met their targets as well.”

Also a keen mountain biker, Dan organises outdoor activities around Cumbria through his website, www.jackrabbitt.net or follow him on twitter at twitter.com/jackrabbittuk

Two Kite Surfers Jump Over Pier

Pretty awesome story on BBC News today!



'Two kite surfers from West Sussex took advantage of strong winds on the south coast to realise an ambition to jump over Worthing pier.

Jake Scrace, 25, and Lewis Crathern, 24, had been planning Monday morning's jump for three years but had to wait for perfect weather conditions.

They took off from Goring to the west of Worthing in gusts of wind that were more than 40mph.

Mr Scrace described the build up to the jump as "terrifying".

Carpenter Mr Scrace, who makes kite boards, and professional kite surfer Mr Crathern are both from Worthing.

Between them they have 16 years' experience in the sport.

The pair said the jump was quite hazardous and should not be attempted by amateurs.

"It was probably the most terrifying thing I've ever built up to," said Mr Scrace.

"We were practising down the road and we were pretty confident we were going to do it but as soon as we got nearer the pier it was quite hard."

Mr Crathern said the jump was "epic".

"It was everything I've lived for - amazing," he said.'

Source BBC News - To read the original post and view the video click here.

F-One Acid Kite Board Review

At a Glance
Wow, when you look at this kiteboard you can’t help be captivated. We saw some images of this on the web a while back, but these were just mock ups and we were eager to see the board in the flesh. The graphics and colours are so bright and vivid that it just jumps out at you.

The F-One Acid is a dedicated freestyle board from F-One, aimed at the younger more radical rider out there looking for a weapon to do battle with. The board has a short wide outline, the biggest size being just 2cm longer than the 130 we had on test. The width is carried all the way to the tips and there is a small concave on the underside of the board. The top deck is simple and flat, giving the Acid a clean business like look.

The new footstraps on the Acid are really easy to put on the board, and for once you can adjust both sides of the strap giving you a really locked in feel.

On the Water
Quite often these days freestyle kiteboards are pretty stiff, allowing the rider to load up and get lots of pop. The Acid however isn’t super stiff like some of its rivals; it has a softer flex, which feels a lot smoother over the water. It isn’t a total sponge and certainly isn’t as smooth as the Trax 4 but it does make for a more enjoyable ride in choppy conditions than some of the other freestyle beasts we have tested. The wide profile and wide tips allow the rider to really drive off the back foot when edging for a trick, this ensures the board has plenty of pop for freestyle tricks whilst also allowing landings to be secure and easy.

Smaller riders will definitely enjoy the 130, the wide shape means that larger riders can get something out of it too, but if you’re over 6 foot tall you might find it a little small underfoot. The board drives well upwind and even gets going fairly early for such a small craft.

Pros
Stunning graphics, solid wood core construction, great fixtures, the Acid is a freestyle kite board that offers a little bit more to the regular rider too, excelling in choppy conditions.

Cons
We’d love to see a bigger version for those of us who are a little on the larger side!

Overall
A great freestyle board that offers lots of top end performance, whilst retaining a smooth comfortable ride. You don’t need to be a freestyle guru to enjoy the Acid, but if you are, you’ll love it!

Shaun White on Ebay - For Charity!

Ever wondered how much Shaun White costs? Well you may well find out as he is up for auction on eBay! Well ok, he’s not up for sale per se, but the opportunity to hit the slopes and snowboard with the Olympic gold medallist is up for grabs to the lucky winning bidder.

The bidding will run through until Friday 13th November and will close at 7pm PST, which is 8 hours behind the UK. Also (rather annoyingly) the bidding is restricted to pre-approved buyers only, and those interested must email the seller beforehand to gain approval.

So what does the winner get? Well a snowboarding session with Shaun White himself, which many would consider impressive on its own, and then there is lunch with the man himself, to allow you time to have a chat with Shaun.

But wait there is more! Also included are two one-day VIP passes (so you can bring a friend) to the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championship on March 16th to the 21st which is held at Stratton Mountain in Vermont.

If you need some snowboarding gear for your session don’t worry as that is included too, as a matter of fact there will be a complete set-up from Burtons ‘The White Collection’. This will include a snowboard, snowboard bindings and full outerwear. Oh and you get one nights accommodation in a four star hotel on March 20th.

So what’s the downside? Unfortunately travel to and from Stratton Mountain will be the winning bidder (and/or guests) responsibility.

All benefits from the auction will go to Right to Play, a great organisation that uses sports and play programs to improve health and develop life skills in children and communities in some of the globes most disadvantaged and underprivileged areas. Check out the video below of Shaun in Rwanda spending time with the children there and teaching them how to skateboard.

Design and Win Your Own Pro Snowboard!

Ever fancied having your own pro snowboard? We don’t mean owning a board, as you probably already do; no we mean having your OWN pro snowboard, designed by you with your unique stamp and style on it. Well now could be your chance!

The UK’s premiere snowboarding and snow sports centre – The Snow Centre –and HEAD snowboards have come together to launch this competition for aspiring designers to create a truly unique snowboard design of their own and have it made into a one of a kind HEAD Transit snowboard. To sweeten the deal there will be a bunch of freestyle passes or lessons to give you the chance to put it to the test in one of the UK’s best snowboarding venues!

Judges will be looking for individuality, originality and flair; go wild with shapes and text and be vibrant with colours, let your imagination get a full grip and go for it! Speaking of judges it’s won’t be a bunch or corporate rank amateurs deciding who is the winner, for a start they have half-pipe specialist Dan Wakeham, the UK’s highest ranked snowboarder and the first British male snowboarders to compete in the Olympics (back in 2006). Along with Dan are the designers at free publication, Don’t Panic, The DWA (The Snow Centres park shapers and Diggers With Attitude) and Pete Gillespe, The Snow Centres director of snow sports.

So if you think you have what it takes to come up with a snowboard design this good, then just follow this link and best of luck to you! Full rules and all that can be found there along with the closing date (which is 24th November, in case you want to know if you still have time!).

For those who are looking for something slick, stylish but perhaps tad less individual, then check out www.s2as.com for our great range of snowboards, including names such as Ride, Rapture, Forum and K2

London Freezes Over - The London Freeze Festival 09

"Well the London Freeze '09 has been and gone, and it was awesome! Hard to sum up what it is like, but the undertaking itself is amazing. I mean, come on! It had a 30 metre high slope (Actually it was bigger but i forget the exact dimensions) of real snow! In the middle of London's Battersea Power Station! This isn't some European or American skiing resort, this is an urban jungle that's lucky to get a few days of snow a year, which makes it so much more impressive. Glad to see the things we can pull together and achieve in the UK when we want too! Go GB!

Speaking of which Ben Kilner, one of our Winter Olympic hopefuls did pretty well against some very stiff competition, finishing a respectable 14th out of over 50 competitors, though he'll have to push harder next year in Vancouver, but then again this wasn't exactly a massive competition, but more of an exhibition, but that isn't to say the guys out there took it easy and there spectacle and competition was intense!

I freely admit I watched less of the skiing events, but those I did see were very good, I guess I'm just a one board guy.

So that left the music, and it was hella good! I most of the boarding, little of the skiing and every little bit of the partying and music! That alone was worth the price of admission, the atmosphere was amazing, the music baning and the crowd so up for it. Oh and as it fell on Halloween there were plenty of peeps dressed like freaks, though it wasn't as embraced as much as perhaps it could have been, but a bit more pushing of the fact might have helped.

All in all it was a blast and anyone who missed it - missed out, I know several people who have now decided they might grab themselves a snowboard and see what it's all about themselves.

If your curious about it all, then pop over to the website www.londonfreeze.com for a whole slew of vids and pics of the events and a run down of the results."

Jay