The First Ever Snakeboard

The Prototype

The first board was, to put it mildly, rudimentary.  Two pieces of board, some hacked up rollerskates and some plumbing pipe. 

At first the trio focused on downhill.  But it quickly became apparent that they could also ride the board along the flat, and even uphill. without ever needing to take a foot off the board. 

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Disturbed 1996 Snakeboard Video

The Name

  • Nonholonomic Motion

    This movement has a snappy name: Nonholonomic Motion. The act of self-propelling the board with only the wheels doing the work to move you forwards. 

  • Balance The Equation

    If you can’t remember that, then you can shorten it to the equation above.  This equation was from a science paper by Andrew Lewis et al exploring the potential for this new found movement to be used in robotics.

    You can read the paper HERE. Take notes. There will be a test at the end. 

  • Life Finds a Way

     So when it came to naming their brand under which they would launch these boards, they looked not to the scientists, but to nature. 

    The movement of the board resembles, you’ve guessed it, that of a snake.  The Snakeboard was born. 

OG Snakeboard Merch

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A Global Ride

It’s worth noting at this point that the brand name Snakeboard was trademarked. Also, unfortunately,  the design of the board allowing this unique movement was also patented.  

Innovative design and materials were thrown at the prototypes, resulting in the first range of Snakeboards to hit the streets. 

Groups of riders started popping up all over the world, with The UK, Germany and California leading the way. 

The Battle Begins.

By 1994 the first ever World Championships were held in Guernsey.

Riders had by then taken the boards on the next natural step. If you don’t need to take your foot off the board to move, you can strap yourself to it.

Opening up a whole world of tricks that were closer to the fast growing early 90’s snowboard scene than those normally seen at skateparks. 

The first Men’s Snakeboard World Champion was Jay Beatty, winning with the first ever 720. 

The Snakeboard Scene in the 1990's

Full on videos, pro riders, magazines and tours soon followed.  Note it was only in 1996 that Carver released their first truck that would kick off the Surfskate scene.  The first Ripstick style board was much later in 2003. 

Snakeboard Straps

1997-1999

Then sometime after the 1997 World Championships in Orlando, Florida everything went south. 

Now there are quite a few stories floating about around the exact details of what happened in this period, but it ended with Snakeboard, the trademark and the patent being sold to a toy focused company MV sports. 

Soon the Snakeboard name was splashed over all types of wheeled kids products and no boards with serious credentials for cruising or the skatepark were being produced.

With the patent restricting production of boards to only those with a licence, a whole generation of kids who found freedom in the addictive flow of snakeboarding, were free no more due to protectionism rearing its ugly head. 

And this would not be the last time in the history of the scene. 

Shedding Skin.

From 2000 to 2023 the sport went underground.  A hardcore few not only carried on carving, they strapped in for the long haul. Boards were developed for tricks rather than cruising. 

They were produced in small runs. Many in that castle of the tinkerer. The humble garden shed.

First was to decide what to call the sport now that Snakeboard could not be used. 

At a meeting of the World Streetboard Association in the year 2000 it was decided that Streetboard would become the catch all name for the boards. 

It still leaves the question. Which came first? The Association or the Streetboards?

  • Push things Forward

    Riders like Sergi Nicolas, Gabi Muñoz and Ismael Calvo took tricks to a level that James Fisher and co could never have imagined. 

  • Build Together. Roll Together.

    Snakeboard UK founder Jay Nowman of Red Pen Streetboard Magazine, Ositos boss Thomas Kienle and Streetboarding.com head Victor Murstig formed the backbone of a small but bubbling industry.  An international group of friends linked together by the love of these wonderfully wavy boards. 

  • Keep Calm and...

    The Streetboard World Championships continued only breaking for Covid, having now stepped up into the fully fledged Streetboard World Series. 
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Join the Movement.

And with Snakeboard now back making it easier than ever to learn to ride, and a range that is fully focused on giving you the deepest carves when cruising across town. A new chapter has begun.  So strap in and start riding today, because you could be written into Snakeboard history. 

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The Definitive History of Snakeboarding