“They’re Dangerous”: Resurfaced Video Shows People Terrified of Snowboarding Long Before It Became an Olympic Sport

Today, the entire world knows about snowboarding. Players like Shaun White, Travis Rice, Chloe Kim, etc. are some of the best to compete in the sport. But was it always like this? The answer will be no. Even its birthplace was skeptical of the sport. The US was terrified when it came into a trend in the mid-80s. Six years ago, a video from 1985 resurfaced and was uploaded by a YouTube channel.

In the video by D T, we can see how innovation and novelty disturb the equilibrium of interests in the beginning. The hill operators were terrified of the high probability of accidents skiing and snowboarding in one place may cause. Lets us dive deeper into the past to see what the actual problem was.

What was the problem with snowboarding?

Snowboarding began as a winter activity in 1960 in the United States. Overall, snowboarding is a combination of skateboarding, skiing, and surfing. But in the 80s, the novelty of the sport was perceived as dangerous.

In the 1985 video, the hill operators look anguished about the snowboarding activity on the hills. One of the hill operators said, “As the skiers, we try and keep them separated but the snowboarders come down there, slopes and they will go right in between the skiers, will kick them off and they’ll just lift us off.”

He continued, “And they’re dangerous because if one of these skateboards or ski-boards whatever they are called hit a person they’d break their leg because they’re just like a missile and most of them have no brakes on them so nobody is allowing them on any of the mountains around.”

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Snowboarding was first introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1998. But before was it accepted well? Let us have a look at what the video suggests.

Snowboarders had their defense against the complaints 

Although the US has many incredible legendary snowboarders on the list now, yet like anything else, the change came slowly. Snowboarding was misunderstood and considered terrifying for other winter sports activities at the same place. But when the reporter asked a snowboarder about the consequences, they had this to say.

The snowboarder said, “You got this powder strap right here. Hold you on like a break. Your board can’t go any more than three feet away from where you are. Skiers have brakes on their skis or straps about the same thing.” Moreover, he explained why it is difficult for some people to accept the sport. He added, “They just don’t like how it looks. They think it’s dangerous. They don’t want to know new equipment or anything, probably up there some gadget or something.”

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What do you think about the opinions of the hill operators? Let us know in the comment section.