Group shot. Who do you see? What year is it? i will start from left to right,
standing: mike Jacoby, Peter Bauer, terry Kidwell, Marcus Steininger, Alex humpel, Petra musing, Kelly Jo Legaz, Craig Kelly, Bert Lamar, Amy Howett, Tim windell , David Dowd, kerri Hannon, ????
Kneeling: Evelyne Villeumeier, Andy “Dog” Coghlan, Lori Gibbs, Gayle Gurin, Suzi Riggins
Photo: Hubert Schriebl

Photos from the Burton production barn in Manchester including a “to-do list” and inventory for putting together an early board. If one was slacking on the job, they were often relegated to the unpopular task of grinding fins. The job simply labeled as “dip” required respirators, plastic suits and a sealed room. Giving the workers a sensation equal to that of sniffing glue, they were often given a mandatory time out on the front lawn before the handling any heavy machinery.
Photo: Jack Coghlan, Burton Corporation

nyone know the story behind the picture at Stratton? Spring pipe session? WEQX games?
Photo: Gary Land
This photo, and many others, on display at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum

Jim Zellers, Stratton, 1980s
Credit: Cary Pogson

Rider Matt Mitchell was a fixture on the Stratton Mountain snowboarding scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He was an early Allegro instructor and competitor, making a deal with Suzi Rueck in which he could simultaneously instruct and train. Once the lifts closed, Mitchell’s homes were hang out central. From an A-Frame in Rawsonville to a house on Lower Taylor Road to his parents place at Winhall Acres, Mitchell’s house was a home away from home for many. While maintaining a reputation for his revelry, Mitchell was a top-notch instructor and performer. “He was a huge influence in my early years of snowboarding,” Tricia Byrnes recalled. “He just wanted it so badly. He took it really seriously. He was a really good, good friend of ours.”
Photo: Hubert Schriebl, Tricia Byrnes, Neil Korn

Helicopter spreading the ashes of Rick Lawrence, { who died the year before at the age of 45 } Stratton Vermont Pipe Cutter / snow cat driver, over the 1/2 pipe at the U.S. Open 2010

Words and Image Courtesy of: ​Vermont Works Snowboard Collection

Photo: Trevor Graves

Photo by Gunars Elmuts

In 1988, a Parade Magazine (or Time) article listed snowboarding as 1988’s “worst new sport.” The article stated that according “to traditionalists, the breezy fad is a clumsy intrusion on the sleek precision of downhill skiing.”
In 1992, the magazine bestowed the same honor to lawn mower racing. While this sport did have a
governing body, the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association, it certainly did not have the athletic, recreational and cultural impact like the earlier award recipient.
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Dave Schmidt arrived at Burton Snowboards in 1986, working in sales and guiding the company ‘s exponential growth. Every March, all Burton employees put their office/factory jobs on hold and assisted with the US Open. This allowed for Schmidt to capture the competition with his camera. These photos, plus many more by photographers including Trevor Graves, Geoff Fosbrook, Hubert Schriebl, Bud Fawcett, Jeff Curtes, Shem Roose and others, are now on display at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum exhibit titled Shred Vermont.
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Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Although two examples does not constitute a pattern, what’s up with shark snow sculptures eating snowboarders? Thoughts? Theories?
Any more pix out there to add to this growing collection of images?
Any cheesy captions that you can think of? The skeg meg? Skier’s revenge?
While these pictures are not in the book, you will discover lots of great pix and stories in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Jeff Brushie signing for fans at the US Open. Who else is in the picture? What year is it? Anyone have one of those posters?
Photo credit: Hubert Schriebl

Following the 1982 Snow Surfing championships in Woodstock, Burton hosted a championship at Snow Valley in 1983 and 1984. Drawing competitors from around the country, they had to hike the course and very few made it down the course without a fall or mishap. As the day’s racing served as a precursor to the US Open, so did the evening’s activities. Most of the competitors camped out in the lodge, and reveled through the night, establishing another early US Open tradition.
Photo Credit: Cody Rock, Jeff Grell, Wiley Asher, Jack Coghlan, Burton Corporation, Hubert Schriebl
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Manchester Native Betsy Shaw learned to ski at Bromley, eventually racing for both her high school and UNH. After attending the US Open and witnessing how much fun the women athletes were having, she had a change of heart. Once transitioning to boarding, she also realized that boarding was an easy way to make some extra money on the weekend. She rose through the competitive ranks, and joined the World Cup Tour. Her international success included World Championship medals and titles and culminated in representing the US in the inaugural Snowboard events at the Nagano Olympics in 1998. While traveling world was a great experience, Betsy looked forward to returning home to the US Open, winning the slalom event in 1991.
Photo credit: Hubert Schriebl, Neil Korn, Trevor Graves, Ian McKenzie, Skye Chalmers, @ Manchester, Vermont
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Riders Matt Mitchell and Russell Winfield (and perhaps others?) lived together in a house on Lower Taylor Hill Road (Left). It was the site of many social gatherings, including one memorable celebration of Craig Kelly’s birthday. The basement was known for having a pile of broken glass that was the result of a game akin to beer bottle skeet and trap.
Anyone know of this is the place???

A leter Mirchell home was his parent's place in Winhall Acres (Right)
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Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Austrian siblings Ricky and Marianna Fruhmann were early fixtures on the snowboard scene, with Marianna being an early Burton employee and winning the first Snow Valley event in the women’s category.

Photo Credit: Hubert Schriebl, Burton Corporation

Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsoithernvermont.com

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The Green Door Pub, located in the basement of the clover-themed Mulligan’s Restaurant, is a windowless shrine to the U.S. Open and Stratton snowboarding. While the great legends of snowboarding have left their mark on the trails and pipes of Stratton, it is hard to get “sense of place” while on the mountain. Although one can traverse the slopes that once served as the base for memorable competitions, it is hard to feel the history. A journey down the slightly curved steps and a sharp left into the Green Door is akin to stepping into U.S. Open’s hallowed grounds. The Green Door Pub evokes a tangible sense of heritage and tradition. Started in the early 1990s, Pete Christy, with the assistance of cheap eats and drink, created a comfortable hangout. In the depths of this room, competitors and spectators, carvers and jibbers, Goofy and Regular, Burton and Sims, even skiers and snowboarders came together to create a whole new legend. They seem to be essential rites of passage for U.S. Open spectators—watching the half-pipe finals and a night at the Green Door.
Do you have any photos from GDP? Let’s see them!
Discover more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Craig Kelly and the famous unmarked Mystery Air at the awards ceremony....any pictures out there of the board in action?
Read more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

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Mark Heingartner and Suzi Rueck were both responsible for teaching a cadre of future competitors and free riders. Whether it was the early certification program, Stratton’s Allegro Program or the Green Mountain Series, chances are you were under the tutelage of Rueck or Heingartner or both at some time.
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credits: Bud Fawcett and Hubert Schriebl