450 like-minded celebrate the roots of snowboarding at the “Woodstock of Snowboarding”
It was Bob Klein, who summed it up best: “Take it easy, it’s not a race. Wait, it is a race, but you’re all winners!” Last Saturday the snowboard legend used these words to explain the rules of the traditional Le-Mans-start race, highlight of every Longboard Classic. The many longboarders, old-schoolers, and no-schoolers were stoked to follow his advice when they raced down the face of the Albona ridge into town. Together with many legends they celebrated the fun in snowboarding and the village of Stuben.
15 years after the first Longboard Classic the motto stays the same: enjoy a weekend full of great memories, new ideas and interesting encounters with like-minded people. Once again, a number of big brands showed up this year. Twelve brands had set up their demo tents. The Snowboardmuseum.de showed 1980s vintage boards from the brand Barfoot. Screenings of the snowboard film classic Critical Conditions from 1991 and some private Super 8 footage from special guest Chuck Barfoot took place in the party tent. The successful weekend was celebrated to the tunes of Paul Gruber and his band “A Nude A” and the Mortal Kombat DJ crew.
More Snowboard Fans Than Ever Before
With a total number of 450 snowboard-crazed people, more snowboarders than ever before participated in the 15th anniversary of the Longboard Classic. The LBC remains the biggest snowboard event in the world participant-wise.
Most riders showed up in perfectly-styled retro outfits including matching boards. And as if the snowboard Gods were pleased the sun showed up for the start of the race. The riders were divided into three groups: masters, old-school, and no-school. Each of them had to tackle the 1001 meters vertical of off-piste terrain. Despite challenging snow conditions the course was rideable and some riders even discovered untracked patches of snow on their way down. The participants arrived with bright eyes, and most did not care about their ranking. “Being there is all that matters” is a saying that is still lived by at the Longboard Classic.
Woodstock of Snowboarding
At the prize-giving the winners of the race were celebrated and snowboard legend Chuck Barfoot was awarded with a lifetime award. Other snowboard icons like Serge Dupraz, Mike Jacoby or Peter Bauer were also in the center of attention. Chuck Barfoot, one of the four “Godfathers of Snowboarding”, was excited about the LBC: “It’s the European Woodstock, man! There are a lot of people here to have fun. It’s about friendship, having fun and having a good time. I think it’s wonderful to meet old friends who come together and meet new people.”
The French legend Serge Dupraz felt similar: “The Longboard Classic is a state of mind. Here you return to the roots of snowboarding: sharing good moments. This is something that has been forgotten in the snowboard industry.”
2015 Date Confirmed
Organizer Paul Gruber was also happy about the event: “I did not think that we could one-up the unbelievable success of 2013. The number of participants, the vibe during the event and the many new friendships encourage us to celebrate the season end in Stuben for another 15 years!” Thus it was no surprise that he had an important piece of information for the departing snowboarders: The date for next years have been confirmed for Saturday, 18 April 2015. 
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