Behind the US Open, "Peeps"
2005 Snowboarding Championships in Stratton, Vermont

By George Davis - In the hierarchy of day-to-day priorities at the US Open, advertising undoubtedly ranks very near the top. This is an event run by the Burton marketing department, who've lined up lucrative advertising contracts with companies eager to sponsor this weeklong media feeding frenzy.

Airborne above the mondo half pipe. (Photo by George Davis)

The illustrious banner crew is the hidden link between the talented folks who actually create the advertisements—the brand names, logos and slogans you see on television or in photographs—and the obliging media channels who broadcast them to the four corners of the earth. If Burton Marketing is "the brains" of the US Open, Burton Finance (the banner crew) is "the muscle", efficiently transforming ideas and plans into action and reality. But to let it go at that would be to overlook some of the history and allure. This quirky marriage of marketing and financial departments conceals several subtler idiosyncrasies.

The banner crew is a volunteer group of individuals directly (or indirectly) tied to Burton Finance and comprised of Burton Finance department employees, as well as a half dozen "Banker Boys", and a handful of oddballs like me who are just pleased to be along for the ride.

Chief and fearless leader of the banner crew is Burton's own Chris Sherman. He arrived at Stratton at the beginning of the week, more than willing to trade in his desk for a 600-horsepower Skidoo snowmobile. Over the next couple of days, as his colleagues arrived, he set in motion the routines and schedules to implement the marketing department's master plan for the US Open 2005. By the time the "banker boys" arrived midweek, Chris was marshalling his now-flush ranks with alacrity and precision.

The "Banker Boys"—executives at several prestigious, well-heeled investment banks (JPMorgan, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada, and Citizens Bank) with whom Burton does business—exude unabashed pride in this longstanding tradition. Generously committing their time and energy, they joke about the challenges of explaining this client call to their colleagues and seem to sincerely enjoy receiving orders for several days instead of issuing them.

Frankly, these guys are great. Their enthusiasm for snowboarding, Burton and the US Open has propelled the daily task of mounting, maintaining and dismounting advertising panels and banners for a dozen or more years. (I think the most longstanding member of the banner crew has been helping out for 16 years!) But once the work is done, always with good humor and seasoned camaraderie, these five ostensibly straight-laced bankers, love to let loose and celebrate.

In addition to Burton guys and the "Banker Boys" there are the "Randoms" who fill in the gaps of the banner crew. That'd be the folks like me; a couple of ex-Burton hangers-on (former Burton employees who find it easier to move on from their employer than their annual US Open ritual); and two "old friends" who've been lightening the mood for years. We're the ones who come up to join a week of craziness for no apparent reason other than, well…playing outdoors, partying like rock stars and loading up on all the cool free stuff!

Once the Halfpipe finals begin on Saturday, there's another noteworthy addition to the banner crew: Chill Kids. Chill is a non-profit intervention program that teaches underprivileged and at-risk inner city kids to snowboard. Targeting youth in eleven North American cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, Chill's mission is to "provide these troubled kids with a vehicle for personal achievement and success through snowboarding."

Of the more than 1,500 kids who received lift tickets, instruction, transportation and equipment through the Chill program this winter, twenty seven were selected to attend the US Open as members of Saturday's Halfpipe banner crew.

They instantly integrated themselves into the task of organizing, dispensing and mounting the advertising banners which lined both sides of the Halfpipe during competition. Their hustle was refreshing, and their enthusiasm for participating in the US Open was endearing and infectious.

"The 27 inner-city kids representing Chill at the US Open were a positive, powerful part of the weekend," said Chill Director, Jenn Davis." Some of the kids visiting are wards of the state, some are recovering addicts, they are kids from low-income, crime-ridden neighborhoods in each of the nine cities that Chill serves. It was our pleasure to be able to provide them with a life-impacting experience at the US Open. These kids were absolutely thrilled to be in Vermont and special guests of Burton and Chill." ( www.snowboardermag.com)

So that's the banner crew in probing detail.

Well, almost. There's an essential element of the banner crew's endeavor that gets routinely overlooked. For the last two years that I've volunteered at the US Open, the Stratton Mountain Resort staff have awed me with their ability to produce this multifarious event smoothly and on time. There's the subtle day-to-day assistance like the snowmobile driver—bearing an uncanny resemblance to French actor Gérard Depardieu—who whisked me up from the Base Lodge and transported me to the Halfpipe in time to see the first competitors when I was delayed. But there are two individuals in particular who are absolutely instrumental in the success of the event year after year.

When it comes to setups, to breakdowns, to framing start gates, to securing transportation for material and volunteers, when it comes to all of the technical logistics entailed in producing the US Open, Roger and Rich are the solution. I've never once heard either of these guys say something can't be done. Zipping from place to place on work-worn snowmobiles, permitting them to be everywhere at once, Roger and Rich are the perennial problem solvers, indispensable to the success of the event. In fact, despite the fact that neither works for Stratton Mountain Resort any longer, they were both persuaded to return temporarily to ensure that everything would proceed smoothly.