Bud Fawcett Photo Retrospective, Feb 4-27 at Pheasant Run Winery Tasting Room

A new exhibit of the Bud Fawcett Photo Retrospective will start at the tasting room of the Pheasant Run Winery in downtown Aurora, Oregon. The photographer’s reception will be held at the opening from 6-10 pm this Friday, February 4. Food and a great wine sampling are available for a fee. This retrospective contains 16 images from 1985 to 2009. The reference prints are up to 10 x 14 inches on 12 x 16 glossy/luster photo stock.

The Pheasant Run Winery Tasting Room is located in the old Aurora State Bank building at 21690 Main Street, Aurora, Oregon. You can checkout their website for wine selections and hours of operation.

Facebook Link to the Event

Mike Chantry, “Master Blaster” Snowboarding Pioneer

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Mike Chantry, Homewood Ski Area, Lake Tahoe, 1988

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Mike Chantry, Sand Mountain, Nevada 1988

Excerpt from Lee Crane’s story at Transworld Snowboarding, History of Halfpipe:

In 1978, resorts in California’s Lake Tahoe basin hadn’t realized snowboarding’s potential and refused to allow snowboards on their mountains. Because of this, snowboarders spent most of their free time searching for good spots to ride. “Back then not everyone in high school had cars so we needed places to ride that were close by,” remembers 29-year-old Tahoe local Bob Klein.

Klein’s friend Mark Anolik was hiking around Tahoe City in 1979 when he discovered the perfect hit on land owned by the Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Company. It was literally the city dump. No one is quite sure if the spot was a bend in a creek bed, or the edge of the land fill. It had an entry and a couple hits, which was all these snowboard pioneers needed. Word of the pipe spread and within a few days Mark, Bob Klein, Allen Arnbrister, and Terry Kidwell were beginning to session the spot. They named it the Tahoe City Pipe.

By the spring of 1980, thanks to a local phone company employee and skateboard fanatic named Mike Chantry, the pipe was exposed to the skateboard world. ”Mike Chantry took me there nearly blindfolded because Bob Klein didn’t want anyone to find out about it,” remembers Tom Sims, founder of Sims Snowboards.

“What’s wrong with other snowboarders finding the pipe. At that time there weren’t even that many snowboarders in the world, let alone riding the Tahoe City Pipe.”

Over the next few years pro skateboarders Rob Roskopp, Steve Cabellero, and Scott Foss began visiting the pipe. Lensmen from Thrasher magazine and later International Snowboard Magazine were close behind, not as much for the pipe, but because of the people who were there.

By today’s standards the Tahoe City Halfpipe was not even a halfpipe. “The pipe itself was really just one-hit,” Chantry says. “To make it good took a lot of shoveling.”

That didn’t seem to bother Terry Kidwell or Allen Arnbrister. “Once Kidwell and Arnbrister got into it, it became more of shaping thing,” Klein explains. ”They would spend more time shaping it than riding.”

Keith “Slasher” Kimmel, Snowboarding Pioneer

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Keith Kimmel, Donner Quarterpipe, Lake Tahoe, 1986

Along with Terry Kidwell, Bob Klein and Allen Arnbrister of Tahoe City, Keith Kimmel was one of the original pioneers of modern day snowboarding. He was featured on the cover of the first International Snowboard Magazine (ISM) in March of 86, ripping the original Tahoe City halfpipe, a natural gully near the TC dump.

In this photo, published in the ISM Interview and Thrasher Magazine, Keith is pictured here in one of the first “switchstance” moments in snowboard history. You can read more about the early days of snowboarding halfpipe here.

Tom Burt and Damian Sanders, Snowboard Pioneers

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Tom Burt and Damian Sanders at Mt. Rose Nevada before mainstream ski area acceptance, 1987

Tom Burt and Damian Sanders were two of the original founding fathers of snowboarding. While Damian’s freestyle flare and movie debuts drove mainstream acceptance and explosive growth, Tom (and Jim and Bonnie Zellars) fathered the backcountry movement in early media. Damian was FLF Films early poster boy and starred in their earliest snowboard movies which further fueled snowboarding’s popularity into the early nineties. Together, the four were sponsored by Chris and Bev Sanders/Avalanche Snowboards of South Lake Tahoe.

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Damian Sanders at the first Squaw Valley Halfpipe (Lake Tahoe, 1989)

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Tom Burt at the first Squaw Valley Halfpipe (Lake Tahoe, 1989)

John Cardiel – Skate and Snow

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John Cardiel, FS Rock-N-Roll, Original Burnside Bowl, Portland, Oregon, 1991

One of the easiest riders I ever had the luck to work with was John Cardiel. I’m glad to hear that John is recovering from being hit by a very large truck many years ago. Our roadtrip was the first story that I had ever been assigned to write and photograph. It was for Snowboarder Magazine in 1991 and featured John going to summer camp, namely High Cascade Snowboard Camp. Halfway through the week John treated us with a skate session at the original Burnside Bowl.

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John Cardiel with Chew, High Cascade Snowboard Camp, Mt Hood, Oregon, 1991

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John Cardiel, Timberline at Mt. Hood, Way Above Palmer Snowfield, 1991

The weather was pretty uncooperative during the week until we hiked up Mt. Hood above cloud level and John spun off a crystal ridge line several times. In the days before digital, I was glad to see all the Kodachromes had turned out nice and sharp.

Craig Kelly – Legend

Craig Kelly at Soda Springs, 1985
Craig Kelly Backside, Soda Springs, Sims World Championships, 1985

At the third world championships, Craig ruled the pipe along with Kidwell, Kimmel, and Palmer. Craig had just picked up his sponsorship from Tom Sims a month before, and he’s sporting Raybans, Moto Gloves and Levis. In this photo it’s funny to see people sitting on the walls which is generally prohibited at today’s events. The World Championships moved to Breckenridge the following year.

Craig Kelly at Mt. Baker, 1991
Craig Kelly, Mt. Baker, 1991

Six years later, Craig had switched his sponsor to Burton and we had another miraculous sunny photoshoot at Mt. Baker during New Years vacation. Craig bounced off the tree top which was unexpected. The posse that day was pretty large and included Mike Ranquet (who was sharing a house with Craig), Shawn Farmer who was wearing all black, Jeff Fulton, Carter Turk, and Eric Jenko. Anyone else?

Chuck Barfoot – Lake Tahoe

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Jamie Johnston, Chuck Barfoot, and Brian Judge at Carson Pass, Lake Tahoe, 1984

My first day of snowboarding was quite a challenge not even considering the camera equipment in a fanny pack on my ass. Chuck, Jamie, Brian and I hiked the flats at Carson Pass to reach a small ridgeline where the snow was fresh. Many failed
attempts that day at turning which made me want to try even harder on another.

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Jamie Johnston, Carson Pass, Lake Tahoe, 1984

Jamie had some good turns going. See the non-highback bindings and rubber surf leash … He inspired me to try again!

Snowboard Pioneers – Roadtrip 1985

Snowboard Pioneers 1985

Snowboard pioneers from a 1985 roadtrip from Lake Tahoe to Park City to Jackson Hole.

(l-r) Chris Karol, Evan Feen (with Grell prototype high-backs), Terry Kidwell (father of freestyle), Matt “Boy Aggro” Vining, Jeff Grell (high-back inventor), Jim Sechrist, Steve “007” Link and seated is Bob Klein (Octagon sports agent).

World’s Greatest Athlete – Shaun Palmer

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Shaun Palmer, Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, 1989 Photo

Shaun Palmer was one of the first athletes I photographed and learned to respect. His drive, passion, and desire to win is matched by no one. Since this photo was taken at Lake Tahoe, Shaun has won nine gold medals at Winter X and championships in snowboarding, skiing, motocross, mountain biking and has even successfully competed in car racing and skateboarding. He was named the World’s Greatest Athlete by USA Today in 1998 and won the ESPN ESPY in action sports in 2001. In 1995, Shaun founded Palmer Snowboards (and Skis), who remain an innovative leader in snowsports to this day. Just turning 40 years old last November, Shaun still actively competes in several sports against other youth half his age.

Snowboarder Magazine Story (2008)