Picture this if you will: a pack of wildly colored snowboarders stand atop a short hill looking over a series of 20 or so racing gates. The snow is rock hard and the contestants all don some sort of neon or crazy swallow tailed boards. Burton Safari's, Sims Shredder's, and a few Burton Airs are strapped to their
Sorel boots.

Story> Jay Rosenbaum
Camera> John Quigley

What late-80's event is this you ask? But look next to them slightly to the left, and gaze upon a perfect 12' machine cut halfpipe. Getting confused? No reason, its all part of Killington's first annual Retroboard Championships. What are the Retroboard Championships you ask? Quite simply the brainstorm of one Eric Webster, snowboard program manager at the resort. The idea is quite simple: gather a bunch of friends from back in the day and recreate some of the fun and laughter of days gone by with old equipment; anything pre-1990. Hold three fun, mostly non-competitive events on old equipment and have one hell of a good time partying afterwards in the base lodge.

Did somebody forget their speed suit? Camera: John Quigley

> Located on the Highline racing trail, the venue was set for a short slalom course, a small late-80's style kicker, and halfpipe jam in the modern day pipe. The old-schoolers of yore from the East Coast turned out to do battle on edgeless boards, highbackless bindings, and non-supportive boots.
80's legends like Chris Karol, Mark Heingartner, Andy Coglan, and Eric Webster all showed that the boards might have gotten radically better since 1987, but they could plain ole' shred on whatever was on their feet. Other old-schoolers like Nick and Craig Pedimonti, owners of the Cutting Edge shops (where I got my first board in 1986) also showed up to revel in the fun. After the best of two runs in a go as you please start order, Chris Karol showed he had the need for speed by taking the title of slalom champion, just as if he never knew it was the new millennium.

Ernie Smith rocks the Mambosok while Journey blasts over the sound system. Camera: John Quigley

> After every one got their runs, both young and old participated on a small kicker with two categories being judged, best method and best overall air. Early 90's ripper and now master category pipe fiend Ryan Mrachek showed he had the style no matter what year it was taking the best method with a 1984 Burton Backhill. In the best overall air division Leon (sorry buddy I don't remember your last name) from the Cutting Edge North shop out of Bennington, Vt took the title hands down, with a switch rodeo on a
Burton Mystery Air with no hands down and no tail kick tail either. Quite impressive indeed. Other highlights of this fun kicker session included a backflip on a Look Lamar Trick Stik, and some very poked out methods by VT ripper Ernie Smith on a Sims Blade, and Web who spun his first frontside three of the year on a board with no highbacks. A few poachers hit the kicker with their 1999 boards but didn't come back as the sentiment of the day was definitely old school.

Leon's switch rodeo by any other name is still a mystery air.
Camera: John Quigley

> A short halfpipe jam announced by Snowboarder Magazine's own Pat Bridges and Mark Sullivan kept the crowd entertained as trick like laybacks, J-Tears and inverts were being thrown down as if it actually was yesterday. When the flurries that were falling started to get everyone chilled, the event continued in the base lodge where prizes and beer were given to everyone. Old footage of past U.S. Open's played on a big screen and everyone reminisced about the glory days gone bye until the kegs ran out and the day was over. Bigger and better for next year was promised by Killington, and all who attended vowed they would come back for some more retroboard fun. -Oldschoolfool Jay Rosenbaum.

entry02 >the_management >nasdaq_tip >illusion >Andy_Mac >the_powers_that_be
>f.stop >retroboard >u.s. open >pandamonium >Beatbox >product|media-tion
>In Focus >the_unsaid_everything >the end

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