There was great harmony mixed with light hearted banter at the Snowfall Cocktails held by the Thredbo Historical Society on Saturday June 11th, when snowboarders from the 1980’s, and skiers gathered together to hear Adrian Gibbs speaking about the history of 30 years of snowboarding on Thredbo’s ski slopes. Adrian Gibbs and Geoff Sawyer were Thredbo’s first snowboard instructors in 1986,. Over seventy guests attended the function, which was to launch the Ski Museum’s display of early snowboards celebrating 30 years of snowboarding in Thredbo. Legends in the snowboard industry arrived with their treasured early snowboards which had survived in one piece. Darren Powell accompanied the Vöikli snowboard on which he broke the Australian snowboard speed record of 204 km At Les Arcs, France in 1900. Cal Goodman proudly showed
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30 Years ON THE BOARD
off his Sims Racing snowboard. Victorian Geoff Lang brought along a Force snowboard which he donated to the Museum, and Adrian Gibbs had his O’Neill snowboard, Raichle hard boots and one-piece suit featuring in the Ski Museum’s special exhibition. The sport has come a long way since 1978 when surfer Nat Young was seen on a snowboard. Gone are the long, straightsided boards without edges, steering fins, split fish tails, all designed for the deep, deep powder snow of north America where one could actually surf the snow and totally unsuitable for Australian hard pack conditions. Today’s snowboarders with their short, shaped, metal edged snowboards, will marvel how the Australian pioneers of the sport actually rode the long boards, competed on slalom courses designed for alpine skiers and dug their own jumps with shovels – there were no fancy half-pipes carved out
by Kassbohrers in those days! You can see the snowboard collection in the Thredbo Ski Museum which will be open daily except Mondays, during July and August between 1 and 5 pm and at weekends in September.
Snowboarders at Thredbo Snowfall Cocktails Front Row L-R: Wayne Ryan, Jim Murray, Tye Rogerson and Geoff Lang (standing) Back Row: Margot Williams, Mark Cowley, Rick Fely, Anita Fäh, Richard Burton, Bart Joseph, Adrian Gibbs, Darren Powell, Cal Goodwin. man
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