Once an Outlaw: A Brief History of Snowboarding Roots
From Waves and Pavement to Powder
Snowboarding is enjoyed by so many different kinds of riders today, that it’s easy to forget our not-so-long-ago roots. For those of us who were riding in the early days, the progress that snowboarding has made (in so many ways) is pretty impressive.
Listen to this Story on the 1923 Main Street Podcast
Where Snowboarding Began: The Visionaries
If we go back to very beginning (to the true pioneers of the sport) snowboarding didn’t start on the slopes. Snowboarding started with surfers and skateboarders who wanted to bring the board experience to winter sports for a whole new rush (and we all know the names of some of those early trailblazers that led the way: Poppen, Milovich, Burton, Sims, Barfoot and many more).
When the waves went flat and the mountains were calling, riders looked for a way to “snurf” the mountains on a board. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. They strapped boards to their feet, improvised bindings, and discovered the rush of carving lines on snow. It was fun, it was freedom and it was unlike anything the ski world had ever seen.
For me it was the late 1980s. I still remember the days when my trusty Sorel’s were my snowboard boots. It was makeshift in those early days, but one thing was clear: this new board sport was here to stay.
Outlaws on the Slopes
But not everyone welcomed this new way to ride.
It didn’t take long for us to find out that snowboarding (as it eventually became known) wasn’t going to be viewed as “legitimate” and it certainly wasn’t welcomed (at first).
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, snowboarders were treated like outlaws. Resorts banned us outright. Some allowed us only on separate runs. Skiers sneered, calling us rebels who ruined their perfect corduroy. And maybe we did—but evolution means adaptation.
Snowboarding was raw, creative and unapologetic. We weren’t trying to fit in. We were carving our own culture.
The Style That Changed Everything
What started as rebellion quickly became influence.
Snowboard style caught on—baggy gear, bold graphics and a freer approach to riding. Resorts built snowboard parks, complete with halfpipes and rails (a nod to skate and surf roots). One of our favorite local resorts had a VW beetle buried in the snow midway down a run (an early boardpark, basically), so that we could jib and bonk off the front trunk and roof. It was epic and we loved it.
(As a side note: It was around this time that I launched 360 Spins: Snow Skate and Sonics magazine, because riders were a community. More on that here if you’re interested.)
Over time, the very shape of snowboards began to influence ski design, pushing skis toward twin tips and more playful geometry. The same happened with snowboard fashion, elements of which began to crop up in ski wear.
What was once an outlaw culture became the blueprint for modern mountain life. Many skiers won’t admit it, but snowboarding tech and style actually breathed new life into their sport, which had been on a slow decline.
From Snowboard Outlaw to Icon
Today, snowboarding is everywhere.
Resorts embrace it, parks thrive and the outlaw spirit lives on in every rider who drops in. What began as a banned pastime is now a global culture—celebrated in streetwear, music and lifestyle.
Snowboarding is no longer just a sport; it’s a movement that reshaped the mountains forever.
Once an Outlaw™… Now a Legacy: Snowboarding Today
And this story is the inspiration behind one of my personal favorite lines at 1923 Main Street.
The Once an Outlaw™ series by 1923 Main Street® Snowboarding is more than apparel—it’s a tribute.
A tribute to the pioneers who rode when they weren’t welcome.
A tribute to the style that changed the slopes.
And a tribute to the outlaw spirit that still defines snowboarding today (even if we are a lot more respectful now and young riders aren’t even aware of these roots).
Because once you’ve been an outlaw, you never really stop being one.
By Mike Belobradic
Once an Outlaw