June 29th, 1994, is a day that’s cemented into Australian meteorological folklore.
As a ferocious cold front passed through Charlotte Pass in the early hours of June 29th 1994, the mercury plummeted to a mind-blowing -23 degrees Celsius, a number that stands to this day as the coldest ever temperature recorded in Australian history.
Coincidence, maybe, that 94’s record breaking winter also heralded snowboarding’s ‘arrival’ down under. Not only was it recognised as an official discipline that year, Australian resorts started rolling out parks and half-pipes in support of what was becoming a worldwide phenomenon, and riders of the time began to shape snowboarding as we know it today.
To accommodate the growth of snowboarding, ‘94 saw the opening of the Sunset Snowboard Park at Perisher, featuring a half-pipe, a wave-wall and snow-covered car bodies, and gave snowboarders their own ‘special area’ to cater to their ‘pack mentality’.
‘94 also saw the best international riders of the era – Brian Iguchi and Terje Haakonsen to name a few – descend on Thredbo for the iconic Coke Classic event, and it’s believed that snowboarding icon Craig Kelly was even seen in Charlotte Pass in the mid 90s on a Burton product launch.
Between the tricks, the board graphics, the fashion and the counter-culture attitude, ‘94 was smack bang in a golden era of snowboarding, a special time in the history of our sport – with not a triple cork in sight.
June 29th,1994 provides the inspiration for a new collaboration between two long-time friends; Burton and Pirate Life. The fourth iteration in a long-standing brand partnership, the two have partnered on a new drink, appropriately called Minus 23 – a nostalgic blue raspberry alcoholic lemonade that tastes it’s straight out of the slushie machine.
To tip a cap to Australia’s coldest ever temperature event and the glory days of ‘94, Burton and Pirate Life grabbed Josh Vagne and Jye Kearney and their re-release Brushie and Kelly Airs for a 90s inspired trip down memory lane on board the Hans Oversnow to Charlotte Pass. Although nowhere near as cold – it was nothing short of iconically Australian – drizzle, a hot Chinese lunch and the Charlotte Pass road gap.
Here’s what they came up with
Minus 23 is now available via Pirate Life and in all good bars around the resorts.
