The Snurfer was the first marketed snowboard. It uses a noboard type of snowboard binding alternative. The Snurfer was created in 1965 by Sherman Poppen in Muskegon, Michigan. Poppen was outside his house one day sledding with his daughters, when his 11 year old was going down the hill, standing on her old sled. Poppen then ran inside his shop and bound two skis together. Poppen used a string and tied it to the nose of the board so the rider could have control of the board. Poppen's wife called it the Snurfer, and soon after creating the first one, Poppen's daughters' friends all wanted one. Sherman Poppen licensed the concept to Brunswick Corporation to manufacture the Snurfer. Soon the whole country was excited about this. The Snurfer's retail price was $10-$30. Poppen sold about a million Snurfers through 1966-1976.
Poppen also held Snurfer Competitions at Pando Winter Sports Park (Rockford, MI) in the 70's which attracted Snurfers from all over America. The competitions spawned innovations and improvements. In 1979, Jake Burton Carpenter showed up at one of the competitions with a custom board that had a prototype binding to secure his feet to the deck. This innovation led to the establishment of Burton Snowboards.If it was not for the snurfer who knows where snowboarding would be.
