Words by Matt Kruszelnicki
The Frendly Gathering [no I in friends] is an annual summertime event that takes place on the Timber Ridge ski slope in Vermont. A three day festival of music, camping & good vibes where thousands of like-minded people come together to connect, share, and create new friendships. Organized by Pro Snowboarders Danny Davis and Jack Mitrani, they reached out to Michael Cohen [SHUT] and us [Gnarmads] to take charge of the mini ramp located on-site and spread stoke through skateboarding, handing out product and getting kids on boards.
Omar Rivera of BB Social Club volunteered to take his van to accommodate all of us, including Kevin [SkateYogi] Scott Furkay, Mike Powley, and Larry Nunez. We all loaded up in Lower East Side at about 4:30am and hit the road, making it to southern Vermont by 9am. After checking in, setting up and skating we all went about exploring the mountain.
There were over 4,000 people there camping, sharing food, stories, music, treats, and stoke. The mini ramp was located on a raised platform at a crossroads between two stages, the Burton compound and the pond. With about 30 bands and more DJ’s there, the festivities lasted all day and all night. It was great running into frends there, including Craig Wetherby, Dean Blotto Gray, Greg & Anne Marie Dacyshyn, Luis Calderin, Ali Kaukas, and Robbie Greib. Many people preemptively brought boards, however most passerby’s just stopped to watch.
The Frendly Gathering started about 5 years ago with just a group of frends on a camping trip. Every year since it grew, and the owner of the Timber Ridge Resort always has one rule- next year, everyone has to bring back 10 more frends. So, for the Frendly Gathering 2016 you’re all invited- who’s coming back with us?!?!
https://instagram.com/p/05-XxyoCWl
video by Kevin Banahan (@skateyogi)
Photos via Furkay:
