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Timeline

OUR HISTORY

EST. 1979

A FAMILY BUSINESS

First Stop Board Barn was started in 1979 by Bill & Coral Elles with one goal in mind, make life more fun. Since day one we've outfitted first timers to world class athletes in skiing, snowboarding, biking, and paddling. Today we have a service center that can practically fix anything and a full rental & demo test center that allows customers to try equipment before they buy.  

 

Ongoing market research and close relationships with key manufacturers like Salomon, Rossignol, Burton, Cannondale and Trek has enabled First Stop Board Barn to offer the latest products; tried, tested and assessed before appearing on the store’s shelves. 

 

At First Stop Board Barn, it is what we have done every day for nearly forty years. From competitive to fitness athletes, commuter, new or returning cyclist, the right bike opens up a world on two wheels.

As more and more customers do their business online, we continue to educate, explore, and reinvest into our retail store, service centers, and rental & demo test centers. While our online store has become a key component to our retail business we believe that the experience customers receive in person by far outweighs that of shopping online.  We utilize each employee's experiences and passion to help customers find the right gear for their next adventure. 

 

Our flagship store takes inspiration from our rich heritage. Funky barn wood, old boilers, and even a tiny Ski & Snowboard museum spread a feeling of respect and passion for those who conquered the mountains before us and inspiration for those who will pursue their dreams after us. We have helped athletes achieve local, regional, and National Championships,  compete in the Olympics, and have been the choice of many figures in the public limelight, ranging from local legends to pro athletes and rockstars.

 

Few mom & pop shops can claim to have their shop as the first bike, snowboard, and paddle board shop in their town. First Stop Board Barn offers Vermont's premier Salomon Test Center, Burton Premier Dealer, Cannondale Lefty Pro Shop, BootDoc Customer Boot Fitting Center, etc.

CRAFTSMANSHIP

At Condor the aim is to provide everything that bicycle ownership entails, from advice, bike fitting, components and clothing, to repairing a puncture on a Monday morning.

Our success over the last sixty years has been dependent on being aware of current and future technologies. Ongoing market research and close relationships with key component manufactures has enabled Condor to offer the latest products; tried, tested and assessed before appearing on the store’s shelves.

In 1948 the majority of race bikes were bespoke but in today’s market place, a bespoke bicycle is a rarity. At Condor, it is what we have done every day for sixty years. From competitive to fitness rider, commuter, new or returning cyclist, the right bike opens up a world on two wheels.

As more and more marques take their manufacturing to the Far East, we continue to produce our frames by hand in Italy. Frames are constructed from our own selection of tubing and manufactured to our own design requirements. We utilise the right materials to produce frames dedicated to each purpose.

The bikes take inspiration from our rich heritage. Condor bicycles have been ridden to World Championship gold medals, ridden in the Tour de France, and have been the choice of many figures in the public limelight, ranging from judges to rock stars. Few brands can claim to have their bikes ridden by cycling household names including Tom Simpson and Bradley Wiggins.

Condor store offers Condor bicycle build, Brompton and Airnimal folding and is a Brooks dealer of excellence. Condor is a Brompton level three accredited dealer and bespoked Brompton centre.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FIRST STOP BOARD BARN

OUR TIMELINE

1979

Bill Elles opens First Stop Ski & Bike Shop in a small space that was once President Calvin Coolidge's meeting house in Killington, Vermont. They connected the former Triangle Motel to expand operations.

His girlfriend at the time Coral Wing was the head buyer. 
1980
We opened our second location at the base of Sunrise mountain, the Northeast passageway to Killington Resort. At the time it was the longest ski lift in the world. Bill's little brother, aka "Uncle Tommy" helped us rent and tune alpine & telemark skis.
Fun Fact: We were Killington's first Telemark & Backcountry XC Ski Demo Center.  

1982

Shortly after the opening of Sunrise mountain Bill met Jake "Burton" Carpenter and we picked up a few of the first Burton Backhill snowboards.

While we couldn't use them at Killington the first few years we were able to try them out at smaller mountains like Pico and nearby Suicide 6.

Fun Fact: Suicide 6 hosted  the first US Open Championships of Snowboarding before it moved to Stratton Resort and eventually Vail. 

1984

During the summer of 1984 we brought the wild, wild west back east and we opened Sunrise Stables in the 200 year old barn next to our flagship location for horseback riding tours. 

1985

 

We are an official sponsor of the inaugural Killington Stage Race, a 5-day Professional Road Race with a signature fast finish on the "Sunrise Loop" on Route 100 behind our shop.

This event becomes a premier Stage Race event for road racers with professional cyclists over the next 25 years. After a brief hiatus, we sponsor the newly organized 3-day event and have sponsored every year since.

1988

Team Athlete & Employee Mike Beauregard wins multiple events in Mogul Skiing. 

He qualifies for the US Freestyle Ski Team and competes at the highest level for years to come.

1990

While we had been selling for snowboards for nearly a decade in our First Stop Ski & Bike Shop location we decided to renovate Sunrise Stables and the farm house next to it and repurposed the space as the Board Barn, Killington's first true snowboard shop.

US Open Snowboard Champion Jeff Brushie co-hosted the opening party by throwing some of the sickest grabs and tricks you could imagine on a giant trampoline, after the grand opening we introduced many local students to the sport of snowboarding by allowing them to bounce on the tramp for the next month before the snow flew. 

1993

Shane McConkey (RIP), the original wild man of big mountain skiing, designer of rockered powder skis, and all around bad @$$ spend 4 hours signing posters and happily drinking Bill's Heineken!

1996

Team Athlete and Employee Peter Ruprecht wins Junior Olympics in Giant Slalom held at Killington Resort. 

His athletic talent and good grades earn him a scholarship to Dartmouth College where he goes on to win multiple NCAA Championships.

1994-98

We hosted the Fat Air and Superjump Snowboard big air contests on-site. While the amateurs sent it for great prizes and bragging rights, pros from across New England turned out for a chance to win the cash purse. This event cemented the Board Barn as a legendary snowboard shop for years to come.

Legendary Riders that participated included: Abe Teter (Brother of Hannah Teter, Olympic Gold Medalist), Pat Bridges Snowboarder Magazine Chief Editor, and many more.

1996

We literally paved the way for Rollerblading in central Vermont. After attending the first summer X-Games in Newport, Rhode Island Randy told his dad there were no safe places to skate that weren't dirt. So we poured a 50 foot by 20 foot concrete slab for kids to come and rollerblade. While the X-Games helped boost the popularity of the sport nationwide, it was rather short lived in Vermont. 

1998

Former First Stop sponsored athlete Evan Devbig qualifies and competes in the 1998 Nagano Olympics in Mogul Skiing. After a US National Championship, multiple top 10 World Cup finishes he suffers a torn ACL leading up to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he skis anyways and leads the US team to some of their best finishes. 

1997

First Stop Bike Shop sponsors their first junior mountain bike team, their results garner enough attention to get recognized by Trek Factory Sponsored Junior team. The original team members included Randy Elles, Stefan Hughes, Matt Albertazzi, and Danny Loman.

Stefan Hughes became a Junior World Ski Champion in Slalom before competing 4 years NCAA at University of Colorado. Danny Loman went on to become a top NCAA alpine skier at Bates College while Matt Albertazzi played NCAA soccer.

1999

Killington Chamber of Commerce Awards us the coveted Excellence in Customer Service Award.

2000

With families now consisting of both skiers and riders we decided to connect our ski, snowboard, and bike shop so all services could exist under one roof. Not only did this help us run our business more efficiently but it offered our customers a unique experience to crossover more easily. We believed skiers and snowboarders could co-exist and now a majority of our employees and customers have the opportunity to participate in every sport. 

2007 & 2008

Max Elles wins back-to-back Silver Medals at USASA National Championships in Boardercross. Other team riders and future shop employees Wyatt Mosher, Will Mercer and Kyle Anderson all place in the top 10 in their disciplines. 

2009

After winning both Moguls and Dual Moguls at 2008 US National Freestyle Championships in Deer Valley, Utah Team Athlete Michael Morse takes 3rd Place in a World Cup Moguls event held in Norway. In 2010 he competed in the Vancouver Olympics. 

2010

Team Athlete Chelsea Marshall joins Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

While Chelsea didn't win, she was recognized for the "most epic crash" by ESPN! Cheers to sending it, we were proud! 

Today you'll occasionally see fresh baked "Chelsea's Cookies" in-store and you'll also see her coaching the next generation of speed skiers at Killington Mountain School. 

2012

Max Elles sustains a life-changing spinal cord injury. With the help of surgeons at Dartmouth, rehab at Spaulding Medical Center and financial support from the greater Killington Community and High Fives Foundation he get's back on snow in April 2012.

2015

Based on a recommendation from Jake Burton. We take part of the First Stop Board Barn crew on a Guided Adventure to the Far East with friends and customers on the trip of a lifetime.

"JaPOW" was filled with epic powder skiing, snowboarding, culture, food and adventure. 

2001

Team Athlete and Employee Megan Hughes qualifies for the US Ski Team and skis alongside future Olympic champion Julia Mancuso.

Her efforts on the US Ski Team earn her a scholarship to Middlebury College where she went on to win the Slalom Title in the 2005 NCAA National Championships.

2005

Team Athlete Stefan Hughes was a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 2005-06, and won the U.S. Junior Slalom Championship as well as the Junior Combined Championship during that span. He skied alongside Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, and Andrew Weibrecht. 

His efforts on the US Ski Team earn him a scholarship to University of Colorado where he went on to become a 2-time All American.

2014

Former US Ski Team athlete Kristen Legget returns to Vermont and decides to join Team First Stop Board Barn in the local Killington Ski Bum Race Series.

She beats every girl and nearly every guy in the field of 150 competitors over the course of the next 2 seasons and solidifies the team for Ski Bum Glory and late night bar bragging rights for years to come.

2015

Team Athlete Kirk Kardashian takes 2nd Places in the Vermont 50 Mountain Bike Race. The grueling 50-mile mountain bike race is something most people strive to finish, Kirk and the rest of the team dominated with Andy Boxer in XX, Lou Bregou in XX, and Will Legendre in XX. 

2015

Team Athlete and Brand Director Randy Elles lands on the cover of Ski Vermont for a full-length feature of Killington powder skiing.

The following season photos of Randy shot by Justin Cash end up in both Powder & SKI Magazine.

2016

Team Athlete and Employee Ian Clarke decides to try out skimo racing (an event where you race uphill, before skiing down). Turns out he was fast enough to qualify and compete in the 2017 World Skimo Championships in XXX, Italy. 

The following summer he raced across the US, Canada, and Europe with the Junior Pro Cycling Team CCB. 

2017

Team Athlete Mike Barton wins four of the biggest cycling events of the season in New England. Tour of the Battenkill, Pave Madness, Vermont Overland, & Green Mountain Stage Race.

Other rider's joke that he's the fastest dad with Twin toddlers, but it turns out he really is.

2017

First Stop Board Barn becomes an official sponsor of the Castleton Cycling Team. Team Athlete Andrew Borden takes top 10 in the Collegiate Division at the 2018 US Cyclecross Championships in Reno, Nevada.
1st Annual Make A Wave Paddle Board Race

2017

First Stop Board Barn hosts the 1st Annual Make A Wave Paddle Board Race to benefit the planning and design of a multi-purpose bike path that would eventually connect the towns of Killington to Bridgewater, Woodstock, Plymouth, & Ludlow. 

2018

Max Elles takes 1st Place in the 2018 Killington Ski Bum Series for Mens Snowboard Division. An astonishing achievement thanks to the support of our extended family of friends both near and far. 

2018

Second Generation Team Athlete Ian Beauregard qualifies 2nd in Dual Moguls at the 2018 US Freestyle Championships in Waterville Valley, NH.

This earns him a spot at Junior World Ski Championships in Åre, Sweden.