In those places where winter brings about a blanket of snow, people always seem to find a way to keep themselves occupied during the winter months. For most people the thought of snow falling on the ground brings to mind skiing, but for some there is another sport that needs to be practiced when the ground is white and the air is cold: snowboarding. While snowboarding has been around in some form or another since the 1960's it has only recently become a recognized international sport when it became an Olympic sport in 1998. Now there are lots of people on slopes all over the world on Rome snowboards and others tearing up the slopes.

The original idea for the snowboard from which Rome snowboards and others have grown, was the snurfer. It was a combination of a surfboard and snow and was made by Sherman Poppen for his children. It was simply a skateboard without any wheels that was steered with a rope with a place where the feet could be attached. As snowboarding became more popular, in the years that followed, other designs were also introduced that would become the popular snowboard brands that we know today. The first, of what could be called the modern snowboard, appeared in 1979 during the first World Snurfing Championship. Jake Burton Carpenter came to the tournament with a snowboard of his own design to compete. While there was a lot of outrage at his own design, his design proved to be successful and the 'modern snowboard' was born.

With snowboards becoming more prevalent and brands like Rome snowboards starting to make their mark on the market, ski areas had to adapt to the new style of 'skiing'. Initially they were loath to allow snowboards because they were considered a dangerous and uncontrollable. These days, however, many ski resorts and areas allow snowboards on their slopes as well as opening areas that are specifically meant for snowboarders. The sport has grown at an immense pace going from a nearly unknown event to a world-famous sport that has various tournaments during the year.

As with most sports, snowboarding has its list of precautions that need to be taken into consideration. In any event where you are speeding down an icy slope there are bound to be dangers that you need to keep in mind. There is a lot of protective gear to protect riders from the various mishaps that may befall them. Snowboarding is, quite frankly, a little more dangerous than skiing even though the amounts of injuries are not necessarily statistically more. You need more than just Rome snowboards to be safe, make sure you know what you are doing before going out on the slopes. Instructors will be able to show you how to handle the slopes and your board. If you think snowboarding is for you then take a few lessons first. Snow looks soft, but it can be really hard.