​Some call it the pinnacle US Open spectator moment. In 1996, the editors of East Infection Magazine, Mark Sullivan and Pat Bridges, decided to create their own viewing stand at the half pipe finals. Procuring 4x4s, chicken wire and cases of 40oz beer, the crew arrived at the halfpipe early morning where they were immediately challenged by Stratton staff. Quick thinking in their approach, they told them they were setting up a Burton VIP stand. Once the competition started (probably even earlier),the Cage turned into party central. As the competitors climbed the pipe, many of them hiked the left side, allowing opportunities for mid hike pulls off a beer. Rarely in sports history has the competitor and spectator had such intimate moments! At one point, Sullivan and Bridges donned Tony the Tiger and a muppet -esque costume and performed tricks in the pipe. Eventually the shear amount of partygoers outperformed the amateur carpentry skills and the cage collapsed with the inebriated crowd tumbling down. If there was a building code for halfpipe party, Chicken wire and 4x4 platforms, this one did not make it. Amazingly enough, photographer Skye Chalmers documented the mayhem of both the party and its collapse. Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the Cage remains today a defining moment in what it meant to attend the Stratton US Open during the 1990s.
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credit: Skye Chalmers, Shem Roose, Hubert Schriebl , Vice: Powder & Rails, Eastern Edge Magazine

Some of my favorite US Open posters from the Vermont days, plus the Snow Valley championship and Vermont Open. what’s your favorite? What did I forget?
Discover more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

Joining the ranks of bored alpine skiers who were looking for something new & exciting, Tara Eberhard was a Stratton Mountain School alpine racer who found great success in snowboarding. In 1991, along with Craig Kelly, she was chosen as Best All-Around Rider at the TransWorld Readers' Poll Awards in Las Vegas.
Discover more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo Credits: Hubert Schriebl

ook some pictures at the 1998 or 1999 US Open. Need some help identifying the riders ... any ideas?
These pictures will NOT be found in the new book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont, but there are LOTS of great images from photographers who actually know what they are doing.
Books available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

US Open Champion...New England Cup Organizer...Snowboarding Shop owner...VTSP mentor....Hayes basement frequenter....early Burton factory worker...Volare station wagon driver...Lord’s Prayer poacher....Eastern Edge fundraiser basketball coach three-pete champion....snowboard coach and mentor to so many rising riders.... and so much more....Andy “Dog” Coghlan was the Zelig of Snowboarding in Vermont - his name comes up in frequently in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvetmont.com


Phot credit: Hubert Schriebl, Neil Korn, Bud Fawcett, ISM Magazine, Jack Coghlan

​Named for its lack of hygiene and not illicit behavior, the crack den was a crash pad for Stratton’s half pipe talent in the 1990s. As a revolving cast claimed a bed (or floor spot) at the den as their home, some of its residents included Neary, Seth Miller, Jim Moran, Doug Byrnes, Alvah Wendell, Kris Swierz and the Fusco brothers. Spending as much time in the half pipe and competing in the Green Mountain Series, the crack den folks spent most of their money on the sport, so they lived on a steady diet of microwave hamburgers from the Grampy’s convenience store across the street. “That house was probably the most progressive group of snowboarders at the time.” Seth Neary continued, “It was a four-bedroom house with like twelve people in at a time....You know what, if I could click my heels and go back in time, I would be right there.”
Discover more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credit: Neil Korn, Alvah Wendell, Tricia Byrnes, Patrick Lennox Wright

Named after a part of Magic Mountain which they boarded on a regular basis, the Glebelands crew consisted of Jesse Loomis, Shem Roose, Randy Gaetano, Gavin McMorrow, Scott Lenhardt, and the LaVecchia brothers Nick, Vince and Mike. They met at Bromley where they filmed their boarding and then migrated down to the Burton showroom to watch their daily exploits on the tv. Careful not to annoy store manager Emmet Manning, their consistent presence in the store led to careers with both Vew Do Balance Boards and Burton Snowboards. Lifelong friends, they continue to ride together and all are successful in their endeavors today.
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credit: Vince LaVecchia, Shem Roose, Neil Korn, Jon foster

By the early 1980s, with the granting of snowboarding at ski resorts, the Burton staff grew exponentially. This led to lots of hirings. Any dream jobs in there?
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com​

Photo credit: Christian Robert

Andy Coghlan once said something along the lines of “Bored Skiers go Snowboarding” - here is a 1970s picture from Bromley Mountain showing Andy Coghlan, Jack Coghlan, Betsy Shaw and Scott Palmer. They were probably not quite bored yet in this picture but on their way.
find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credit: Hubert Schriebl, Eastern Edge Magazine, Coghlan Family

During the US Open, Neil Korn, editor of Eastern Edge Magazine (as well as Brew Moscarello of Vew Do Balance Boards) put on charity basketball game to raise money for the Manchester skate park. The game featured snowboarders who were competing in the US event that same week. Andy Coghlan’s tram dominated the event for several years further exemplifying his voracious competitive spirit. One year, Jeff Brushie injured himself playing hoops, negating his chances to compete in the half pipe. In the end, it was a fun, laid back event that allowed fans and riders to interact, all going towards a worthy cause.
find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo Credit: Neil Korn

Long before snowboards were allowed on the Stratton lifts, brothers Mike and Steve Hayes were poaching runs and evading ski patrol. When the certification program started, the two were amongst the first to attain the elusive upper mountain access. They soon joined the Burton team and the only thing that rivaled their on slope performances were the fetes held in their parents basement.
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credit: Michael Devito, Hayes Family, Burton Corporation ,Hubert Schriebl 

Dorset’s Doug Bouton was an early Burton employee and winner of the overall honors at the inaugural 1982 Snow Surfing Championships in Woodstock. He then became a mystery within the snowboarding world. He sadly passed away in 2018. Mark Heingartner said that Bouton “was the man early on. He was the best rider in the country. He had a super natural style, kind of like a skateboard style...he got down the hill, for a couple of years there, quicker and faster and better than anyone else.”
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com


Photo credit: Richard Howard and Burton Corporation

Chris Copley arrived at Burton in the 1980s, performing a variety of jobs, before settling in the marketing department. When the halfpipe became an official US Open event, Copley’s hidden talent rose to the surface when he assumed the role of MC/announcer. His knowledge of the riders and their moves coupled with his wit and humor was an instant hit. As the event grew in size, his duties also expanded as crowd control and dealing with unruly spectators became part of his skill set.
Find out more in the book Snowboarding in Southern Vermont available at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com​

Photo credits: Neil Korn and Burton Corporation

Siblings Tricia and Doug Byrnes fit the profile of many early snowboarders - they were bored skiers. Once snowboarding was allowed at Stratton, the two used the Stratton Allegro Program and the Green Mountain Series, to develop into ranked competitors with Tricia eventually competing in the Olympics. Through the research for the book, Snowboarding in Southern Vermont , a common theme developed when it came to Doug Byrnes - a great guy who loved snowboarding, music and he was a person who was kind to everyone he encountered. We lost this great young man to an asthma attack in 1999. A early departure for a person who had an impact on so many people.
Find out more at www.snowboardinginsouthernvermont.com

​Phot Credit: Tricia Byrnes, Neil Korn, Gary Land