Those of us who snowboard usually do so because we seek that adrenaline rush only found by throwing oneself down the side of the biggest mountains one can find. But check out these thrill-seeking junkies who are pushing the bar to get their names in the record books.
1. Longest Jump
Norway’s Mads Jonsson holds the record for the longest table top jump, throwing himself off a monumental 40 metre table top and travelling 187 feet before landing. The table top took three weeks to build on the perfect back country mountainside that allowed Mads to gain the speed he needed without the help of a snow mobile. After two hours of practice, Mads performed a perfect 360 indy, travelling 187 feet and straight into the record books with one of the most impressive jumps to date. This definitely takes snowboarding to the next level
2. Highest Speed On A Snowboard
All snowboarders will know that the feeling of travelling at 50 miles on a snowboard is hard to put into words. Imagine then travelling down the side of a mountain at 125 mph with just your board between you and the ground! Darren Powell did just this in Les Arcs resort on the second of May 1999, earning himself the record for the highest speed on a snowboard ever recorded.
3. First Double Cork
With tricks becoming more and more impressive the first double cork was performed in competition by David Benedek, at the 2006 Air and Style in Munich. The breathtaking new manoeuvre became the new benchmark in competitive snowboarding, with the riders of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics all trying to land the trick.
4. First Triple Cork
Snowboarding is becoming increasingly competitive with mounting pressure on athletes to perform the hardest most impressive tricks while competing on the slopes. With the likes of Shaun White performing double corks and double Mctwists in this year’s Olympics, the urgency to find bigger and better tricks is becoming ever more apparent. This year Torstein Horgmo stomped his way into the record box with the world’s first triple cork.
5. World Record Cliff Jump
Jamie Pierre, a big name in free skiing held the world record for the highest cliff drop at 75m. That is, until Fred Syversen smashed this when he “accidentally” hit a 105m cliff drop through one of his lines this year.
6. Most Vertical Feet Snowboarded in 24 hours
The most Vertical feet snowboarded in 24 hours is currently held by Tammy McMinn, done in 1998 in Atlin, Canada. Tammy snowboarded down a slope 101 times in 24 hours amounting to 305,535ft (93124 metres) travelled in 24 hours.
7. Highest Air
The Highest air world record is currently held by Terje Håkonsen, who dominated freestyle snowboarding in the 1990s. He set the world record during the qualifying for The Artic Challenge in Oslo 2007, jumping a whopping 9.8m off the quarter pipe with a backside 360.
8. Youngest Medal Winner
Shaun White, nicknamed “The Flying Tomato,” is currently one of the most influential snowboarders currently in the snowboarding scene. Starting Snowboarding at the age of 6, he became pro at the age of 13 and the youngest boarder ever to win a medal in competition. This was at the Winter X Games in 2003 where we won gold in slope style and the Super Pipe.
9. Most Medals Won
The most medals won by any individual snowboarder is held by Barret Christy. She won 10 Winter X Games medals between 1997 and 2001 for various snowboard disciplines, including a gold medal in slope style in 1997 and gold for big air in the same year. This is both interesting and inspiring as the record is held by a woman.
10. Worlds Longest Snowboard
Most Snowboarding world records focus on the biggest, fastest, and highest most spectacular riding that a snowboarder can perform on a snowboard. But what about the longest snowboard? Snowboarder, Butch Brady built a two-man snowboard at a length of 9 feet and 7 inches which made it into the world record books. Brady managed to ride the snowboard along with Eric Sweet making two man turns down a slope in Jackson HoleMountain resort. Brady is now considering manufacturing the snowboard as a teaching tool.
Looking at the spectacular things that riders are now achieving should be inspiration enough for you to pick up your snowboards and hit the slopes this winter.
