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

The Snurfer got its name when Poppen's wife Nancy fused 'snow' and 'surfer'; Brunswick licensed it and sold over a million in the following decade.

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

Poppen built it in Muskegon, Michigan, where he worked as an industrial-gas engineer; Muskegon later hosted the toy's national 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

On Christmas Day 1965 Poppen fastened two children's skis together so his daughters could stand and surf down a snowy hill.

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

Burton started out in a barn in Londonderry, Vermont, in 1977 and sold only around 300 hand-built boards in his first season.

Q 05/05

Snowboard bases are typically made from which material?

A) Polyethylene

B) Fibreglass

C) Carbon fibre

D) Aluminium

Answer · why

A) Polyethylene

Polyethylene, usually sold under the P-Tex brand name, forms the base of nearly all snowboards because it slides well and absorbs wax.