The International Snowboarding Federation was a body organised to run snowboarding competition. Following the collapse of the National Association of Professional Snowboarders in 1990, five nations and 120 racers established the International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) with the goal of keeping the officiating by riders and for riders. It sought to bring the world's best competitors together to test their skills in an environment which embraced competitiveness, but stressed the idea of having fun. The ISF eventually attracted riders of varying ages and abilities, which allowed one-time rising stars such as

Terje Håkonsen Terje Håkonsen (born 11 October 1974 in Vinje, Norway) is a Norwegian professional snowboarder. He is considered one of the most influential snowboarders in the history of the sport. In the book ''The way of the snowboarder'', Rob Reed wrote that ...

Daniel Franck Daniel Franck (born 9 December 1974) is a Norwegian professional snowboarder. He started riding in 1991, professionally since 1993. After winning the National and Nordic championships he aimed higher and started riding world cup competitio ...

and

Danny Kass Daniel "Danny" Kass (born September 21, 1982) is an American professional snowboarder who has competed at the Olympic level. Kass was born in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and began snowboarding in the area at the age of twelve. His home slopes a ...

to sharpen their skills at an early age on their way to joining the professional ranks. The ISF set the standard for snowboarding competition, which contributed to the development of it as an Olympic sport in the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in the ...

. In a controversial move, the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

recognized the International Ski Federation (FIS) as the sport's official governing body. Three-time world champion Terje Håkonsen boycotted the Olympics as a result of the FIS being appointed to oversee the officiating. Other riders followed in Håkonsen's footsteps and concluded FIS rules to be inappropriate for snowboarding. The FIS has maintained its control over the Olympics, giving credence to the position that snowboarding is a discipline of

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

and not its own, individual sport. Although the ISF continued to represent snowboarding on an international level, it began to lose influence, sponsors and finances to the FIS, and ceased operations on June 22 2002.

Members

Pro Snowboarders Association The Pro Snowboarders Association (PSA) is organized to promote and protect the rights and personalities of professional snowboarders. The Association was created in March 1990 in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. At that time, event sponsors and the Na ...

s *National Snowboard Associations *Snowboard Industry *Resorts Associations

Notes

ISF Folds Operations
Snowboarding Snowboarding {{sport-org-stub