Thursday, March 12 at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
Vermont Business Magazine The Red Bench Speaker Series continues on Thursday, March 12, with a special presentation, Snurfing to Snowboarding with Paul Graves.
While snurfing may have originated in Michigan, Vermont played a pivotal role in its transformation from a backyard experiment into the global sport of snowboarding. From the late 1970s through the 1980s, a passionate community of riders, organizers, and entrepreneurs helped drive this evolution; often pushing boundaries and challenging ski area norms along the way.
Featured speaker Paul Graves was at the center of it all. In 1982 he organized the National Snow Surfing Championships at Saskadena Six (then known as Suicide Six), opened Vermont’s first snowboard shop, and became one of the sport’s earliest rider representatives in professional snowboarding.
Graves will be joined by Mark Heingartner and Eric Brammer, along with others from the era who will share firsthand stories from the 1970s and 1980s, when ski areas gradually began opening their slopes to snowboarders and a new chapter in winter sports history was written. The discussion will be moderated by Chris Copely.
The program will also include a screening of The Dawning, a short documentary produced by East Street Archives. Narrated by Graves, the film highlights the early pioneers who built the foundations of modern snowboarding. Featuring boards, archival footage, and materials from Graves’ personal collection, The Dawning serves as a moving tribute to the individuals whose passion and persistence shaped a new winter sport.
Guests are invited to relive the early days, hear the stories behind the movement, and celebrate Vermont’s lasting influence on snowboarding.
Event Admission is $10 and can be purchased in advance at www.vtssm.org/new-events.
Doors open at 6:00 PM at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, located at 1 South Main Street in Stowe. Guests are encouraged to explore the exhibits before the program begins at 6:30 PM. Proceeds support the Museum’s mission to collect, preserve, and celebrate Vermont’s rich skiing and snowboarding history.
Red Bench Speaker Series sponsors include rk Miles, Spruce Peak, and Sisler Builders.
About VTSSM - Since 1988, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum has been dedicated to collecting, preserving, and celebrating the rich history of skiing and riding in Vermont. The museum is a 501c3 non-profit that survives on the support from the ski and snowboard community.
The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum thrives by collecting, preserving, and celebrating Vermont's skiing and snowboarding history. The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum is a 501c3 non-profit organization that welcomes visitors from around the world to share, reminisce, and enjoy the collections and their stories. The museum creates visually stimulating and historically in-depth exhibits, along with year-round educational programming and statewide community events.
Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum www.vtssm.org
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