A snakeboard is a board that was invented in 1989 by James Fisher and Oliver Macleod Smith. It evolved from the original skateboard, and brought with it elements of snowboards & surfboards. The original version was built utilising square wooden boards, an old roller skate and a piece of plumbing pipe. Many variants were built before manufacturing trucks from plastic. Wheels are attached to the footplates via a form of "truck" as they are with regular skateboards.

The rider of a snakeboard stands with one foot on each footplate, the feet are usually fixed to the board using bindings, and by moving his/her feet in and out in conjunction with the shoulders and hips- the rider is able to propel the board in any direction using only his/her body weight. This transfer of energy is called non-holonomic locomotion. The board moves in a motion similar to that of a snake, hence the sports original name of snakeboarding. The rider of a snakeboard can ride the board on almost any terrain (depending on the set-up and model of board) and even propel themselves up-hill and perform extreme stunts similar to those done by skateboarders & snowboarders. Snakeboards allow the rider to gain momentum without the need to push themselves with their feet like skateboarders.