X-Gamers in the great white north
By DEVIN MACNEIL | Dec. 2, 2005In the '60s when the first snowboard was first invented, no one ever thought that it would become the renowned sport that it is today.When creator Sherman Poppen tied those two initial pieces of wood together for his daughter one winter day, he had no idea that the simple innovation would be anything more than a small toy called a "snurf."The movie "First Descent" chronicles the history of snowboarding through stories of snowboarding pioneers Chuck Barfoot and Jake Burton."First Descent" is a docu-drama about a two-week trip to Alaska with snowboarding prodigies Shawn White, Hannah Teter, White Farmer and one of the original "rock star" snowboarders, Terje Haakinson.Teter and Shawn White are 17 and 18, respectively and each has won medals and acclaim in the X-Games and the Olympics.
