key events in michigan snowboarding history
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87/88 1965 - sherman poppen invents the snurfer in his muskegon, mi garage by fixing two wooden skis together on christmas day. it's prompted by his pregnant wife's insistence to get the kids out of the house. they slide down the snow covered lake michigan dune in front of their home standing up and slightly sideways.
1966 - sherman files the "snurfer" with the us patent & trademark office. an excerpt reads "the present invention relates to a snow ski, particularly a surf-type snow ski which is adapted to support both feet of a skier and easily maneuvered therefore without foot bindings, thereby providing a new sport which incorporates features of certain summer pastimes, namely surfboarding, skateboarding, and slalom water skiing."
-sherm also assigns the patent and licences the snurfer to brunswick corp, establishing a mass production source that eventually puts a snurfer within reach of millions of kids nationwide.
1967 -
1968 - first world snurfing championship is held at blockhouse hill, muskegon state park, mi on feb 19. it's hosted by muskegon community college (Mcc). of the 300 participants muskegon's ted slater and sally waite take 1st place in their divisions. blockhouse hill is eventually becomes the mecca of snurfing.
-poppen recieves patent approval on his snurfer from the us patent and trademark offices.
1969 - poppen licenses snurfer patent to brunswick corp. maunfacturing begins in muskegon, mi
1970 - stephens mfg. co., bridgman, mi introduces the fun-ski deck for "snow snurfing" lake michigan dunes.
1971 -
1972 - brunswick discontinues snurfer production. all snurfer rights revert back to poppen. he then licences it for a second time to three ex brunswick employees, each using an initial to form the name "jem" corp, which begins snurfer production in marion, va.
1973 - the earliest documented case of the snurfers use as a "sandboard" on west michigan sand dunes.
1974 - jon albaitis of muskegon, mi wins nat'l snurf championship at blockhouse hill, muskegon st. park.
1975 - nat'l snurf championship cancelled due to lack of snow.
1976 - bill pushaw of muskegon, mi wins nat'l snurf championship at blockhouse hill.
-schlitz beer logo was added to the competition bibs as a supporting sponsor of the national snurfing championships.
1977 - james trim of grand haven, mi winds nat'l snurf championship at blockhouse hill.
1978 - jem corp became an official sponsor of the national snurfer championships by offering a $1,000 in cash prizes to top finishers - possibly making for the first snowboard event to offer compensation. jim trim of grand haven, mi won the $400 1st place prize.
1979 - jake burton drives from vermont to muskegon, mi to compete in the national snurfing championship. his board with rubber bindings is not allowed to compete against bindingless snurfers until a new "open" category is created on the fly. the organizers had no idea that anything other than snurfers existed and mcc never thought to designate separate eligibility categories. since jem sponsored the event, and burton snowboards was suddenly deemed a corporate competitor, jem was relieved when the best overall time in any class was run on a snurfer by ken campenia of north muskegon, mi. burton eventually grows into the largest sb manufacturer in the world.
-this years marks the end of nat'l snurf championships at blockhouse hill. they move it to pando ski resort in 1980.
-the first issue (vol. 1, no. 1) of snurfing news magazine is released. possibly becoming the first snowbaord periodical ever.
-labatts brewing airs a tv commercial in canada focused on snurfing. it features michiganders paul graves and mark & jane halseth. this is possibly the first tv commercial featuring snowboarding.
1980 - burton attends the national snurfing championships again. the comp was moved to from blockhouse hill in muskegon, mi, to pando ski hill in rockford, mi with a 600' run and added slalom event in addition to the downhill of previous years. the move is made to the ski hill in attempt to ensure better snow conditions.
-nat'l snurf champions are bill pushaw, grand haven, mi in the downhill, and doug bouton, bondville, vt in the slalom.
1981 - tom pushaw (downhill) and bob novak (slalom) both of muskegon, mi, each take 1st at national snurfing championships.
-the national snurfing event circut includes stops at marion, va; steamboat springs, co; mt hood, or; jackson hole, wy; and squaw valley, ca.
lenderink wood products, belmont, mi supplies wood cores to various snowbaord manufacturers.
1982 - the national snurfing championship is held outside of michigan for the first time. suicide six ski area in vermont borrows from the snurfer's competition success to host the event and changes the name to the national snow surfing championships with burton snowboards being a main sponsor. the event later becomes "the US open". Michigan's top seeds at the event are muskegon's kevin workman and bob novak.
-steve link, midland mI native steve link founds summit snowboards in colorado.
-saunzee snowboards begins production of hand made, hand painted fiberglass boards in spring lake, MI.
-kevin workman (downhill) and bill pushaw (slalom) each take 1st at nat'l snurf championships (future well knowns steve link (3rd) and jake burton (5th).
1983 - A GROUP OF TEENS LED BY BROOKS MARCUS AND BOB NOVAK SUCESSFULLY TALKS MULLIGAN HOLLOW IN GRAND HAVEN, MI TO ALLOW SNOWBoaRDING. THEY ARE GIVEN A SINGLE WEEKDAY EVENING TIME SLOT TO RIDE, BECOMING ONE OF THE FIRST RESORTS IN THE COUNTRY TO ALLOW SNOWBOaRDING.
-steve link of midland michigan places 3rd at us nationals.
-BOB NOVAK is EMPLOYED by jake burton BECOming one of the EARLY SHAPERS OF THE FAMOUS BURTON BACKHILL.
-nat'l snurf championships are cancelled due to lack of snow.
-BOB NOVAK EMPLOYED AT BURTON AND BECOMES AN EARLY SHAPER OF THE FAMOUS BURTON BACKHILL.
1984 - bob novack, muskegon, mi, wins the national snurfing championship at pando ski area, rockford, mi. novak beats some who would become legendary burton team riders... andy coghlan, mark heingartner, and chris karol. andy "the dog" coghlan of manchester center, vt wins the slalom.
-steve link of midland, MI takes 2ed at world cup.
-boyne allows snowboarding on their hills.
1985 - the technical advances of snowboards at burton vs the snurfer staying about the same, coupled with the more national presence of the vt "surf" vs mi "snurf" contest, brought an end to the the national snurfing championships in michigan.
1986 -
1987 - 12 michigan resorts that allowed snowboarding as listed in the 87/88 burton catalog... alpine, caberfae, hanson hills, marquette mt, mt brighton, mulligan hollow, pando, riverview highlands, schuss mt, shanty creek, ski brule, the homestead,
1988 - caberfae is listed in the 87/88 burton catalog as the first resort to offer snowboard instruction, certification, rental/demo in helping to grow the sport.
1989 -
1990 - steve link from midland, mi begins summit snowboards in colorado.
1991 - sherman poppen takes up modern day snowboarding at the age of 67!
1992 -
1993 -
1994 - joyride releases a board called the "edmund fitzgerald" depicting a mermaid on the base releasing stars of the lost souls to the surface of lake superior's whitefish bay.
1995 - sherman poppen is inducted in the snowboarding hall of fame in banff, alberta, Canada.
-century tool MAKES A LIMITED RUN OF BOARDS OUT OF FLINT, MI AUTO PARTS PLANT PRESS.
1996 -
1997 -
1998 - side note: snowboarding makes it debuts at the winter x-games and the olympics.
1999 -
2000 - CRAIG FUGATE BEGINS PRESSING BOARDS UNDER THE NAME "EPIC SNOWBOARDS" NEAR ALPINE VALLEY (?)
2001 - sherman poppen is inducted into the muskegon mi area sports hall of fame.
2002 -
2003 - michigander (arron) of draplin design co. is awarded project design for the iconic burton custom.
-huck finn snowbaord series begins.
2004 - middle earth snow series begins.
-nubs nob installs the first superpipe in the michigan and midwest.
2005 - michigan high school snowboard association begins. it's originally called "the bonehead boardercross series" with races taking place at mt. holly and alpine valley. mt. brighton took over for mt. holly later. what started as an "idea" for a snowboard club and beer league by greg flowers and joel bredowin 2004, changed completely and ended up taking root at the high school level. the current president greg flowers was instrumental in it's beginnings and development into what it is today.
2006 - danny davis finishes 5th overall on world snowboard tour.
-novak snurfboards begin operations in muskegon, mi using plastic blanks heated in a pizza oven, shaped on a home made truck fender jig, and machine finished.
2007 - antix snowbaords begins.
2008 - danny davis wins euoropean open.
2009 - poppen's snurfer is acquired by the smithsonian institute in washington, DC to to display as the precurser to the snowboard.
-nick baumgartner bronz world sbx championships, and ranked 3rd fis world cup standings.
-marhar snowboards begins operations in grand rapids, mi.
-transworld snowboard magazine votes the nubs nob superpipe one of the top 5 east coast pipes.
-glss is created by merging the huck finn and middle earth snow series.
2010 - nick baumgartner, competes at the turin, italy olympics.
-sherman poppen tribute statute is unveiled in downtown muskegon, mi.
2011 - kyle mack makes the us snowboard team.
2012 - A 14' bronze statute commemorating the snurfer is unveiled dedicated in downtown muskegon, mi. it's called "the turning point" and depicts the evolution of snowboarding with a female snurfer on top, and a modern day snowboarder at the bottom.
-antix snowboards begins manufacturing.
-novak snurfboards beging marketing snurfer type boards.
2013 - danny davis 1st us grand prix
-shaggy's skis begins pressing snowboards for antix in boyne city, mi
2014 - danny davis, karly shorr, and nick buamgartner represent michigan in the sochi, russia olympics. -shorr places 6th slopestyle.
2015 - kyle mack, world championships, bronze, big air & and slopestyle.
-nick baungartner bronz world sbx championships.
-jake vedder 3rd rev tour ski cooper.
2016 - kyle mack, born royal oak, mi/raised west bloomfield, mi, wins gold in slopestyle at us open.
2017 - mhssa state sbx championships "sportsmanship" controversy ignites when a brighton H.S. rider "spins" during state sbx race event. rider deemed disqualified by opposing judge (also a competing coach). bhs team protests by flying jerseys as flags overhead on sticks, while turning the course into an impromptu park event. in doing so the entire brighton, MI team disqualifies itself voluntarily.
2018 - michiganders kyle mack and nick baumgartner represent michigan at PyeongChang, olympics,south korea. mack takes silver in the very first olympic big air comp, also competes in slopestyle. baumgartner makes the final sbx heat and just misses the podium TAKING 4TH.
-meanwhile on the amateur circuit michigan riders brent behm takes 1st, and drake warner 3rd, in finals at the burton NATIONALs at seven springs, PA.
2019 - sherman poppen inventor of the snurfer passes away at 89.
-jake burton passes away at 65.
-DURING A 24 HOUR PERIOD BEGINNING 9:00 PM JANUARY 11, 2019, MICHIGAN RESIDENTS DAVID ZEMENS AND SABATO CAPUTO BROKE THE NORTH AMERICAN RECORD OF SNOWBOARDING THE MOST RESORTS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. THE 430 MILE JOURNEY WITHIN MICHIGAN BEGAN AT BOYNE HIGHLANDS, INCLUDED NUBS NOB, BOYNE MT, TREETOPS, OTSEGO CLUB, SCHUSS MT, SHANTY CREEK, MT HOLIDAY, HICKORY HILLS, CRYSTAL MT, CABERFAE PEAKS, SNOWSNAKE, MT. HOLLY, ALPINE VALLEY, PINE KNOB, ENDING AT MT. BRIGHTON WITH 30 MINUITS TO SPARE. IN ALL THEY HIT 16 RESORTS BESTING THE PRIOR RECORD OF 12 SET IN VERMONT, BUT SHY OF THE WORLD RECORD 17 SET IN HOKIDO JAPAN. DAVID IS OWNER AND EDITOR OF WWW.ANGARCHY.COM ESTABLISHED IN 2009, PUBLISHING REVIEWS & NEWS ABOUT ANYTHING RELATED TO STANDING SIDEWAYS ON SNOW.
1966 - sherman files the "snurfer" with the us patent & trademark office. an excerpt reads "the present invention relates to a snow ski, particularly a surf-type snow ski which is adapted to support both feet of a skier and easily maneuvered therefore without foot bindings, thereby providing a new sport which incorporates features of certain summer pastimes, namely surfboarding, skateboarding, and slalom water skiing."
-sherm also assigns the patent and licences the snurfer to brunswick corp, establishing a mass production source that eventually puts a snurfer within reach of millions of kids nationwide.
1967 -
1968 - first world snurfing championship is held at blockhouse hill, muskegon state park, mi on feb 19. it's hosted by muskegon community college (Mcc). of the 300 participants muskegon's ted slater and sally waite take 1st place in their divisions. blockhouse hill is eventually becomes the mecca of snurfing.
-poppen recieves patent approval on his snurfer from the us patent and trademark offices.
1969 - poppen licenses snurfer patent to brunswick corp. maunfacturing begins in muskegon, mi
1970 - stephens mfg. co., bridgman, mi introduces the fun-ski deck for "snow snurfing" lake michigan dunes.
1971 -
1972 - brunswick discontinues snurfer production. all snurfer rights revert back to poppen. he then licences it for a second time to three ex brunswick employees, each using an initial to form the name "jem" corp, which begins snurfer production in marion, va.
1973 - the earliest documented case of the snurfers use as a "sandboard" on west michigan sand dunes.
1974 - jon albaitis of muskegon, mi wins nat'l snurf championship at blockhouse hill, muskegon st. park.
1975 - nat'l snurf championship cancelled due to lack of snow.
1976 - bill pushaw of muskegon, mi wins nat'l snurf championship at blockhouse hill.
-schlitz beer logo was added to the competition bibs as a supporting sponsor of the national snurfing championships.
1977 - james trim of grand haven, mi winds nat'l snurf championship at blockhouse hill.
1978 - jem corp became an official sponsor of the national snurfer championships by offering a $1,000 in cash prizes to top finishers - possibly making for the first snowboard event to offer compensation. jim trim of grand haven, mi won the $400 1st place prize.
1979 - jake burton drives from vermont to muskegon, mi to compete in the national snurfing championship. his board with rubber bindings is not allowed to compete against bindingless snurfers until a new "open" category is created on the fly. the organizers had no idea that anything other than snurfers existed and mcc never thought to designate separate eligibility categories. since jem sponsored the event, and burton snowboards was suddenly deemed a corporate competitor, jem was relieved when the best overall time in any class was run on a snurfer by ken campenia of north muskegon, mi. burton eventually grows into the largest sb manufacturer in the world.
-this years marks the end of nat'l snurf championships at blockhouse hill. they move it to pando ski resort in 1980.
-the first issue (vol. 1, no. 1) of snurfing news magazine is released. possibly becoming the first snowbaord periodical ever.
-labatts brewing airs a tv commercial in canada focused on snurfing. it features michiganders paul graves and mark & jane halseth. this is possibly the first tv commercial featuring snowboarding.
1980 - burton attends the national snurfing championships again. the comp was moved to from blockhouse hill in muskegon, mi, to pando ski hill in rockford, mi with a 600' run and added slalom event in addition to the downhill of previous years. the move is made to the ski hill in attempt to ensure better snow conditions.
-nat'l snurf champions are bill pushaw, grand haven, mi in the downhill, and doug bouton, bondville, vt in the slalom.
1981 - tom pushaw (downhill) and bob novak (slalom) both of muskegon, mi, each take 1st at national snurfing championships.
-the national snurfing event circut includes stops at marion, va; steamboat springs, co; mt hood, or; jackson hole, wy; and squaw valley, ca.
lenderink wood products, belmont, mi supplies wood cores to various snowbaord manufacturers.
1982 - the national snurfing championship is held outside of michigan for the first time. suicide six ski area in vermont borrows from the snurfer's competition success to host the event and changes the name to the national snow surfing championships with burton snowboards being a main sponsor. the event later becomes "the US open". Michigan's top seeds at the event are muskegon's kevin workman and bob novak.
-steve link, midland mI native steve link founds summit snowboards in colorado.
-saunzee snowboards begins production of hand made, hand painted fiberglass boards in spring lake, MI.
-kevin workman (downhill) and bill pushaw (slalom) each take 1st at nat'l snurf championships (future well knowns steve link (3rd) and jake burton (5th).
1983 - A GROUP OF TEENS LED BY BROOKS MARCUS AND BOB NOVAK SUCESSFULLY TALKS MULLIGAN HOLLOW IN GRAND HAVEN, MI TO ALLOW SNOWBoaRDING. THEY ARE GIVEN A SINGLE WEEKDAY EVENING TIME SLOT TO RIDE, BECOMING ONE OF THE FIRST RESORTS IN THE COUNTRY TO ALLOW SNOWBOaRDING.
-steve link of midland michigan places 3rd at us nationals.
-BOB NOVAK is EMPLOYED by jake burton BECOming one of the EARLY SHAPERS OF THE FAMOUS BURTON BACKHILL.
-nat'l snurf championships are cancelled due to lack of snow.
-BOB NOVAK EMPLOYED AT BURTON AND BECOMES AN EARLY SHAPER OF THE FAMOUS BURTON BACKHILL.
1984 - bob novack, muskegon, mi, wins the national snurfing championship at pando ski area, rockford, mi. novak beats some who would become legendary burton team riders... andy coghlan, mark heingartner, and chris karol. andy "the dog" coghlan of manchester center, vt wins the slalom.
-steve link of midland, MI takes 2ed at world cup.
-boyne allows snowboarding on their hills.
1985 - the technical advances of snowboards at burton vs the snurfer staying about the same, coupled with the more national presence of the vt "surf" vs mi "snurf" contest, brought an end to the the national snurfing championships in michigan.
1986 -
1987 - 12 michigan resorts that allowed snowboarding as listed in the 87/88 burton catalog... alpine, caberfae, hanson hills, marquette mt, mt brighton, mulligan hollow, pando, riverview highlands, schuss mt, shanty creek, ski brule, the homestead,
1988 - caberfae is listed in the 87/88 burton catalog as the first resort to offer snowboard instruction, certification, rental/demo in helping to grow the sport.
1989 -
1990 - steve link from midland, mi begins summit snowboards in colorado.
1991 - sherman poppen takes up modern day snowboarding at the age of 67!
1992 -
1993 -
1994 - joyride releases a board called the "edmund fitzgerald" depicting a mermaid on the base releasing stars of the lost souls to the surface of lake superior's whitefish bay.
1995 - sherman poppen is inducted in the snowboarding hall of fame in banff, alberta, Canada.
-century tool MAKES A LIMITED RUN OF BOARDS OUT OF FLINT, MI AUTO PARTS PLANT PRESS.
1996 -
1997 -
1998 - side note: snowboarding makes it debuts at the winter x-games and the olympics.
1999 -
2000 - CRAIG FUGATE BEGINS PRESSING BOARDS UNDER THE NAME "EPIC SNOWBOARDS" NEAR ALPINE VALLEY (?)
2001 - sherman poppen is inducted into the muskegon mi area sports hall of fame.
2002 -
2003 - michigander (arron) of draplin design co. is awarded project design for the iconic burton custom.
-huck finn snowbaord series begins.
2004 - middle earth snow series begins.
-nubs nob installs the first superpipe in the michigan and midwest.
2005 - michigan high school snowboard association begins. it's originally called "the bonehead boardercross series" with races taking place at mt. holly and alpine valley. mt. brighton took over for mt. holly later. what started as an "idea" for a snowboard club and beer league by greg flowers and joel bredowin 2004, changed completely and ended up taking root at the high school level. the current president greg flowers was instrumental in it's beginnings and development into what it is today.
2006 - danny davis finishes 5th overall on world snowboard tour.
-novak snurfboards begin operations in muskegon, mi using plastic blanks heated in a pizza oven, shaped on a home made truck fender jig, and machine finished.
2007 - antix snowbaords begins.
2008 - danny davis wins euoropean open.
2009 - poppen's snurfer is acquired by the smithsonian institute in washington, DC to to display as the precurser to the snowboard.
-nick baumgartner bronz world sbx championships, and ranked 3rd fis world cup standings.
-marhar snowboards begins operations in grand rapids, mi.
-transworld snowboard magazine votes the nubs nob superpipe one of the top 5 east coast pipes.
-glss is created by merging the huck finn and middle earth snow series.
2010 - nick baumgartner, competes at the turin, italy olympics.
-sherman poppen tribute statute is unveiled in downtown muskegon, mi.
2011 - kyle mack makes the us snowboard team.
2012 - A 14' bronze statute commemorating the snurfer is unveiled dedicated in downtown muskegon, mi. it's called "the turning point" and depicts the evolution of snowboarding with a female snurfer on top, and a modern day snowboarder at the bottom.
-antix snowboards begins manufacturing.
-novak snurfboards beging marketing snurfer type boards.
2013 - danny davis 1st us grand prix
-shaggy's skis begins pressing snowboards for antix in boyne city, mi
2014 - danny davis, karly shorr, and nick buamgartner represent michigan in the sochi, russia olympics. -shorr places 6th slopestyle.
2015 - kyle mack, world championships, bronze, big air & and slopestyle.
-nick baungartner bronz world sbx championships.
-jake vedder 3rd rev tour ski cooper.
2016 - kyle mack, born royal oak, mi/raised west bloomfield, mi, wins gold in slopestyle at us open.
2017 - mhssa state sbx championships "sportsmanship" controversy ignites when a brighton H.S. rider "spins" during state sbx race event. rider deemed disqualified by opposing judge (also a competing coach). bhs team protests by flying jerseys as flags overhead on sticks, while turning the course into an impromptu park event. in doing so the entire brighton, MI team disqualifies itself voluntarily.
2018 - michiganders kyle mack and nick baumgartner represent michigan at PyeongChang, olympics,south korea. mack takes silver in the very first olympic big air comp, also competes in slopestyle. baumgartner makes the final sbx heat and just misses the podium TAKING 4TH.
-meanwhile on the amateur circuit michigan riders brent behm takes 1st, and drake warner 3rd, in finals at the burton NATIONALs at seven springs, PA.
2019 - sherman poppen inventor of the snurfer passes away at 89.
-jake burton passes away at 65.
-DURING A 24 HOUR PERIOD BEGINNING 9:00 PM JANUARY 11, 2019, MICHIGAN RESIDENTS DAVID ZEMENS AND SABATO CAPUTO BROKE THE NORTH AMERICAN RECORD OF SNOWBOARDING THE MOST RESORTS IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. THE 430 MILE JOURNEY WITHIN MICHIGAN BEGAN AT BOYNE HIGHLANDS, INCLUDED NUBS NOB, BOYNE MT, TREETOPS, OTSEGO CLUB, SCHUSS MT, SHANTY CREEK, MT HOLIDAY, HICKORY HILLS, CRYSTAL MT, CABERFAE PEAKS, SNOWSNAKE, MT. HOLLY, ALPINE VALLEY, PINE KNOB, ENDING AT MT. BRIGHTON WITH 30 MINUITS TO SPARE. IN ALL THEY HIT 16 RESORTS BESTING THE PRIOR RECORD OF 12 SET IN VERMONT, BUT SHY OF THE WORLD RECORD 17 SET IN HOKIDO JAPAN. DAVID IS OWNER AND EDITOR OF WWW.ANGARCHY.COM ESTABLISHED IN 2009, PUBLISHING REVIEWS & NEWS ABOUT ANYTHING RELATED TO STANDING SIDEWAYS ON SNOW.
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