Pictures are from Mount. Baker, WA 1979

In 1979, I was bored with skiing, and seeing all the ads in Skateboarder Magazine, I wanted a snowboard. Not having the money, I made my own. I put two skis together and placed a piece of plywood on top. Then I used a velcro strapping system to secure my feet.

I was at Mt. Baker. I would hike up and board down small hills. I used poles to keep myself going on the flat ground. After a while that got old.

So, I grabbed the rope tow, and up I went. Steering wasn't a real easy task for me at this point, and the result was me pulling the rope, and everyone connected to the rope to one side, and then I fell, letting go, and snapping everyone else off the rope. It was pretty funny, actually. The Ski Patrol didn't see it that way however, and asked me to stay off the mountain.

The straps were heavy fabric with velcro on the ends. It wasn't the best binding system. It would loosen, and the snow would stick to the velcro. Oh well.