The grandfather of snowboarding is dead

Sherman R. Poppen, a man whom many consider the father of modern snowboarding, has died according to family members. Poppen died on Wednesday, July 31 and turned 89 years old.

Poppen is best known for his invention of the Snurfer, a board with a holding rope on the front.
He created the board on Christmas Day 1965 and it was built as a simple toy to entertain his children who, by all accounts, thought it was a hit.
Poppen saw their joy and patented the Snurfer a year later, and the rest is history. Soon after, the inhabitants of Michigan, the United States and eventually the world would take notice of Poppen's innovative snowboard.