The Totally Board 1 snowboard video produced by Standard Films is one two that kicked off the industry of snowboard specific film. You probably won’t recognize any of these riders and quite possibly none of the gear. But riding posi/posi stances on directional boards made for a very different style of riding. One that is mostly only seen in countries where snowboard slalom is still a thing.
Standard Films continued on to make 20 of these films, highlighting everything that you would want to know about snowboarding. And when you watch TB1, filmed in 1990, you can tell the culture was different then. At the time, there were still several ski only areas (There are just three remaining) and tensions ran high between the two sports. Which is probably part of why this movie looks more like an educational marketing film than being directed entirely at snowboarders.
"I think the skiers and snowboarders are finally starting to unite and just rip it up and have fun together. Before they kinda used to resent each other and I think that’s kinda fading out. And I think that everyone this year is just gonna be one big group of shredders just out there killin it." -Dave Hatchet
While there was plenty of animosity between skiers and snowboarders, there was still plenty of infighting. Skate influenced snowboarders didn’t always get along with the surf style, just like Jake Burton and Tom Sims didn’t get along. But jibbing had to be born, and it was that skate influence that really helped push it along.
This was also a time when snowboarders weren’t afraid of moguls, either.
“Yeah this year a lot of my skier friends started snowboarding, but not a lot of my snowboarder friends started skiing. So I think we’re gonna see a lot more people snowboarding on the hill, and a lot less people skiing.”
-Dave Hatchet
This one obviously didn’t age well.
If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of snowboarding, of its skate and surf history and snowboards not being allowed at ski areas, this film is worth checking out. With plenty of cliff drops and powder riding, the riding itself is still good to watch. Particularly since this style of riding is essentially no longer seen on the mountains today. But the cultural history here should not be missed by anyone who wants to know anything about the origins of the sport.