STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt. – The first riders have registered for the first-ever Vermont Open, a snowboard competition and music festival at Stratton Mountain on March 15-17.

The first registrant for the Vermont Open is a so-called “washed-up” rider, a snowboarder who once competed on the pro circuit. “It’s on!” cheered organizer Steve Hayes.

The Vermont Open will be a weekend of competitive events for snowboarders of all ages and resumes. Riders can enter in one of four categories (junior, amateur, pro and “washed-up”) and compete in three events held over three days: a rail jam, halfpipe and a banked slalom representing the original Washed Up Cup.

Registration is now open online at www.vermontopen.com.

Hayes himself is well-known in “washed up” circles as a former pro rider, a competitor in the early days of the US Snowboarding Open and owner of Hayes Brothers Snowboards. For years, Hayes helped put on the annual Washed Up Cup, a banked slalom competition held by Stratton’s resident washed-up riders.

He is now behind the new Vermont Open and envisions a “truly open event. We’ve created this event so that a young kid from Londonderry, Vt., can compete on the same stage as a well-known pro or a legend,” says Hayes.

Helping Hayes launch the event is an advisory board made up of friends from the pro snowboarding circuit. It includes Olympic medalist Ross Powers, three-time US Open champion Andy Coughlin and the other half of the Hayes Brothers, Mike Hayes. Also on the board are Seth Neary and Scott Palmer.

With the help of Stratton’s Events staff, they will organize everything from competitions to after parties to concerts.

For more information on the Vermont Open, please visit www.vermontopen.com.