Q 01/05

Sherm Poppen's 1965 invention, the ancestor of the snowboard, was called what?

A) The Snurfer

B) The Skiboard

C) The Snowsurf

D) The Winterstick

Answer · why

A) The Snurfer

His wife Nancy coined the name by combining snow and surfer; Brunswick sold about a million of them.

Q 02/05

In which US state did Sherm Poppen build the first snowboard prototype?

A) Colorado

B) Michigan

C) Utah

D) Vermont

Answer · why

B) Michigan

He was an engineer in Muskegon, which later hosted the National Snurfing Championships.

Q 03/05

On what day did Poppen originally build the toy for his children?

A) Thanksgiving

B) Halloween

C) Christmas Day

D) New Year's Day

Answer · why

C) Christmas Day

Brunswick marketed it as a novelty toy rather than sports equipment.

Q 04/05

Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards in 1977 in which state?

A) California

B) New York

C) Colorado

D) Vermont

Answer · why

D) Vermont

He worked out of a barn in Londonderry, improving the Snurfer with rigid bindings and no rope.

Q 05/05

What key feature did Jake Burton show off at a 1977 snurfing contest?

A) A moulded fibreglass core

B) Bindings securing his feet to the board

C) A steel edge for carving on hardpack

D) A detachable rope handle for steering

Answer · why

B) Bindings securing his feet to the board

His early boards cost $38, which was thought too expensive, and most ski hills would not let them on.