October 10, 2013

[GALLERY] Industry legends come out to celebrate Jeff Brushie and the VT Snowboarding Hall of Fame Inductions

The VT Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, Vermont celebrated Jeff Brushie and the VTSP with the opening of a new exhibit and VT Snowboarding Hall of Fame inductions. These guys went deep. It was sick.

words: Kelli Lynn Hargrove

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Words and photos by Josh Brown

On Friday, October 4th The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe, Vermont celebrated Jeff Brushie and the VTSP (Vermont Slope Posse) with the opening of a new exhibit and Vermont Snowboarding Hall of Fame inductions. The event was organized and hosted by Todd Kohlman and Lance Violette who did a fantastic job of collecting and displaying VTSP memorabelia including boards, shirts, photos, stickers and even Brush’s dreads from back in the day. These guys went deep. It was sick.

Terje Haakonsen, Todd Kohlman, Jeff Brushie | Josh Brown/Capacitor
Terje Haakonsen, Todd Kohlman, Jeff Brushie | Josh Brown/Capacitor

DJs Luis Calderin and Eric ‘Niceness’ Fitzgerald, who have been running with the VTSP crew from the beginning, blessed up the room cuttin’ and slicin’ some era-specific VTSP hip hop and 7″ dancehall favorites. VTSP had a selection of shirts and stickers for sale and generously donated 100% of the night’s proceeds to the Museum.

You couldn’t have asked for a better and more appropriate setting for this crew with Vermont roots. The blazing fall foliage and mountain town vibes seemed to provide the perfect compliment to the excitement of the event.

The VTSP crew are pioneers and that was evident from the huge turnout. ‘Huge’ meaning the Museum could barely hold everybody on 2 levels. It was packed. It was awesome. It was overwhelming. The event went until 10pm and they had to literally kick people out who were still studying the photos and gear on display. Roots!

The museum did a fantastic job of collecting many rarities including t shirts on display from Jeff Brushie's personal collection. | Josh Brown/Capacitor
The museum did a fantastic job of collecting many rarities including t shirts on display from Jeff Brushie’s personal collection. | Josh Brown/Capacitor

What’s the VTSP you ask? To paraphrase text provided by the Museum, in 1985 a group of kids from Northern Vermont saw advertisements for snowboards in their BMX and skateboarding magazines and soon started shredding the sled hills of the Champlain Valley standing sideways. Once resorts began opening their doors to riders this pastime transitioned into a lifestyle and a brotherhood was born. The VTSP became renowned for their technical skills and new school style.

While most all original members of the crew which included Cole Bouchett, Josh Brownlee, Matt “Matty L” Lawrence, Greg “G Man” Manning, and Kris Swierz went on to enjoy success at various levels in professional snowboarding, it was Jeff Brushie who took his style and skills to a whole new level of global recognition. The influence that Jeff and the VTSP had on snowboarding changed the way we were riding on east coast forever and continues to inspire countless snowboarders.

Jeff Brushie, Brush's dreads on display, John Jackson | Josh Brown/Capacitor
Jeff Brushie, Brush’s dreads on display, John Jackson | Josh Brown/Capacitor

These guys are the real deal and I was stoked to be a part of the event and witness an important part of snowboarding’s history.

The Museum relies on donations and needs your help to keep it going so please support it at www.vtssm.com/support.

Keep up with Josh Brown on Twitter: @CapDesNet, or on Instagram: @iluvmycapacitor