Only 9 decades ago, alpine skiing was an elite venture practiced by a few hardy souls in a half dozen mountain resorts in the European Alps where inns and hotels had just begun to stay open in winter. The rapid radiation of alpine skiing from these small mountain towns out to every continent and remote corners of the earth was a completely unforeseen phenomenon, a profound surprise in size and extent. Snowboardingís history shows many influences, such as surfing, skateboarding and skiing. Its roots may even be traced back to the early 1920ís. Back then children would build what would now be considered makeshift snowboard out of barrel staves and ride them sideways down a snowy hill.