Hot on the heels of migrating Giant Beaver, Muskox, and Woolly Mammoths, it is believed that the first human inhabitants entered Canada via the Berring land bridge about 20,000 years ago.

For the next… well… 20,000 years or so, the people of Canada carried on as any other people do. There were good times and bad, some wars were fought and some treaties were signed. Industries and culture developed as the population swelled from those first few inhabitants to over 30 million in 2008.

While on the surface everything seemed great, something was missing. Why was a country great enough to invent french fries and gravy left with such an empty feeling? For years scholars toiled over the nation’s infrastructure, but couldn’t seem to put their finger on what was leading them astray.

Then last year, we figured it out. They had never had a Canadian Open. Problem solved. In February 2009, Calgary’s Olympic Park played host to the first ever Canadian Open of Snowboarding. Below are a few highlights from last year’s event, all pretty cool…

Starting tomorrow, the event will be broadcast live on Opensnowboarding, so tune in for that.

...Also, don't forget to upload photos of your best method for a chance to win a 2011 Method. Click here for more details.

Misty Nug: Although they look kind of like buffalo, muskox (top right of first photo up top) are more closely related to sheep and goats than oxen.

Part  of a well balanced week of Burton blog posts officially known as "Now Read This,"

Throwback Thursday is a window to snowboardings past, or maybe it's future