The key to the initial success was Burton’s development of a certification program. Realizing that they had a gigantic opportunity, Carpenter did not want to make any mistakes. The first instructor was Mark Heingartner. Under his direction, the fledgling program established a two-tier certification program. The instructors first certified neophyte snowboarders for the lower mountain and then they graduate to the advanced upper mountain. Jason Goldsmith grew up riding on a homemade board in his backyard in Dummerston. Eventually claiming the now defunct Maple Valley as his home mountain. Goldsmith eventually made the transition to Stratton where he was certified by instructor, JG Gerndt, who “would go down ahead of you and they want you to make a couple turns and then they want you to brake and they would want you to traverse. Depending on how you did, they would either give you lower mountain or to give you upper mountain." Mark Heingartner recalled that the Burton “wanted no one to F*&§k it up. We were pretty conservative. Looking back, it was kind of silly, it was almost to a point where you had to be as good as a team rider to get upper mountain pass the first year or two."