product – such as the Snurfer – Carpenter intended to create a line of custom-made boards that would elevate snow surfing and redefine the limits of the sport .
Carpenter left the hustle and bustle of New York City behind , and relocated to the town of Londonderry in Southern Vermont . After refining his woodworking skills , he opened a small-scale shop and hired three local workers – including his relatives , Mark Wright , and Mimi Wright , who designed the iconic original Burton logo . When Carpenter initially began production , he made hundreds of prototypes before he created a product that he felt comfortable selling to the public .
According to Mimi Wright , Carpenter “ didn ’ t really have a lot of support , but he had an incredible amount of drive . He was determined like no one I had ever seen before .”
Carpenter introduced the first official Burton production model in 1979 . Known as the “ BBI ,” the board was available in both “ regular ” and “ goofy ” stance settings to accommodate left-footed and right-footed riders . It was made of strong and light material , and featured a beautifully silkscreened graphic design on the front side . After the initial product run sold only 300 boards , Carpenter became disillusioned and disappointed with his lack of immediate success . He left Vermont and returned home to Long Island , where he attempted to come to terms with the emotional burden of his entrepreneurial letdown . At the lowest point of his crisis of confidence , he decided that the project meant more to him than just money . He wanted to dedicate his life to the advancement of snowboarding .
After coming back to the Green Mountain State with a renewed sense of vigor and purpose , Carpenter worked tirelessly to perfect his snowboard building operation . In a time when snowboarding was still a fledgling sport , Carpenter went above and beyond to create a magnificent product . His meticulous attention to detail and commitment to quality was manifested in the perfectly-balanced rudder fins on the early models , as well as their durable and lightweight construction . He recruited a crew of inspired and dedicated workers to assist him in the manufacturing process , including Londonderry local Ian Martin , and skilled Dorset-born snowboarder Doug Bouton . Together , they began to build a reputation through hard work and community outreach .
One pivotal moment for Vermont Snowboarding was the inaugural National Snow Surfing Championships in 1982 . Held at Suicide Six in Woodstock , Vermont , the event consisted of slalom , giant slalom , and freestyle contests . The championships drew the attention of both local and national news outlets and publications , such as Newswire and Vermont Life . Bryant Gumbel and Willard Scott were noticeably amused when they discussed the championship during an episode of The Today Show . During the course of the nationwide broadcast , they could barely control their giggling . Though Gumbel and Scott ’ s lighthearted jokes somewhat undermined the serious nature of the competition , the publicity helped to introduce the sport to a wider audience .
Over the next few years , Carpenter was able to work closely with local ski resorts to advance the cause of snowboarding on a local level in Southern Vermont .
The 1983 and 1984 National Snow Surfing Championships held at the Winhall-based Snow Valley resort helped to develop a tight-knit community of riders in the sport ’ s early years . Due to the fact that the resort was open to allowing snowboarders on their lifts , it became a natural gathering spot for Vermont ’ s riders in the early 80s .
As Southern Vermont ’ s preeminent snowboarders continued to push the craft forward , they became captivated by the continual pursuit of longer and more advanced trails and terrain beyond the low-lying hills of Snow Valley . Before large-scale ski resorts such as Stratton and Bromley permitted snowboarders to ride on their slopes , Southern Vermont-based snowboarders would often try their skills on steeply-inclined hills that ran off the edge of Route 100 in Londonderry .
-- VTMAG . COM HOLIDAY 2020 43