Sherman Poppen, the man most responsible for inspiring the idea of snowboarding with the creation of The Snurfer died Wednesday, July 31, 2019 in Griffin, Georgia, according to a story on Michigan Live. He was 89 years old.
Poppen’s legacy as a venerable pioneer of extreme winter sports proceeds him, but in Muskegon, he was known as so much more. The inventor spent much of his life and his fortune helping others through philanthropy and service to his community.
Poppen’s Snurfer was the device that inspired Jake Burton, Tom Sims, Dimitrije Milovich and a host of others to explore sliding on snow standing sideways. For the entire story on the creation of the Snurfer, please click here for an interview we did with Sherm on November 10, 1994 on FLAKEzine.com. He was an innovator and a kind man. We’re thankful for all he contributed to snowboarding. Our thoughts are with his family and close friends. He will be missed, but never forgotten.
[Link: MLive]
