2+ day, 1+ hour ago (947+ words) Three decades ago, what were then dubbed "extreme sports" were going to supplant traditional recreational and spectator activities, and the X Games were on their way to becoming the new Olympics. As the HQ town for Burton Snowboards, Burlington, Vt., became a petri dish for the new culture. Then, as now, brands targeting youth saw the cachet of those sports, but needed guidance to tap into their appeal. Fuse has been their sherpa of sorts, as it has evolved from purely an action sports agency to one specializing in youth and campus marketing, but still firmly astride a snowboard. That expertise is not coincidental. Founder Jenson departed in 1997, but not before bringing in Brett Smith, who was then working at Killington Resort and perhaps the only person there who preferred snowboarding to skiing. Bill Carter came from Vantage Marketing in…...