30 Years of Snowboarding

Out on the mountain on Friday morning it was obvious that the original Thredbo snowboard crew was back in town for the 30 years of snowboarding event.

This group of guys and girls started riding here in 1982 with guidance from Adrian Gibbs and Geoff Sawyer who were at the forefront of the Australian Snowboarding scene. The bright fluorescent outerwear and yells from the crew on Friday morning whilst they flew down the Supertrail was enough indication that this was going to be one weekend not to miss! It’s not every day you get to ride side by side and celebrate the rich Australian Snowboarding culture with the first people to ever snowboard in Australia.

Friday night was the 30 years of Snowboarding exhibition which provided an in-depth look at the history of Australian Snowboarding through a rare collection of vintage snowboards, archived images, competition bibs, trophies, memorabilia and guest speakers Geoff Sawyer and Adrian Gibbs.

Once the floor was filled with more than a few familiar faces the banter begun, the beers were shared and the young conversed with the old over classic stories that highlighted the history of Australian Snowboarding.

On Saturday, all competitors awoke to a bright shining sun and the perfect spring shredding conditions…bring it on! The mountain braced itself as over 300 like-minded shredders took to Antons Terrain Park for a day jam-packed with ripping, shredding and tearing. The Rad Gloves Sausage Fest kicked off the day with a BBQ and park shred put on for all boarders. There were some of the best snowboarders in the world in attendance putting on a jaw dropping show for all to enjoy.

The Hand Dug Halfpipe session kicked off around midday and was an amazing site to see as the new age kids blew the original Australian snowboarders minds as they flipped, spun and stomped a variety of radical manoeuvres off the awesome features built by the Terrain Park crew. However the original snowboarders had their time to shine showing 30 years of experience riding a hand dug halfpipe. There were slashes, airs, tweaks and plants going down left right centre.

After the lifts closed the crew descended upon the village for the highly anticipated awarding of the 2016 Burton Tight Lines. Jye Kearney took home the Industry vote while Angus Waddington won the people’s choice with thousands of votes!

The final Skyy Vodka Full Moon Party kicked off after that with the biggest turn-out yet. Danny Satan, The Slippery Trouts and DJ Butcher lit up the the Keller Bar into the earlier hours to send out what was an incredible weekend.