Beginnings - Snurfing to Snowboarding with Paul Graves

Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum

The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, Beginnings - Snurfing to Snowboarding with Paul Graves

Snurfing may have been born in Michigan, but Vermont played a pivotal role in its evolution from backyard experiment to full-fledged sport. From the late 70s through the 80s, a passionate community of riders, organizers, and entrepreneurs helped shape the transition from Snurfing to modern snowboarding; often pushing boundaries and challenging ski area norms along the way.Join us on the Red Bench as we explore this transformative era and the people and defining moments that made it happen.Our featured speaker, Paul Graves, was at the center of it all. He organized the 1982 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.The evening will feature a screening of The Dawning, a short documentary produced by East Street Archives. The film focuses on the early pioneers who built the foundations of modern snowboarding. Narrated by Paul Graves, the documentary showcases boards, film footage, and archival materials from his personal collection, generously opened to international award-winning filmmaker and photographer Gary Land. The Dawning is a touching tribute to the individuals whose passion and persistence shaped a new winter sport.We’ll also be joined by Mark Heingartner, Eric Brammer, and others from those early days to share firsthand stories from the 70s and 80s, when ski areas slowly began opening their slopes to snowboarders and a new chapter in winter sports history was written. The conversation will be moderated by Chris Copley.Come relive the early days, hear the stories behind the movement, and celebrate Vermont’s role in shaping snowboarding as we know it today.

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