Industry News
Burton Snowboards announced yesterday that due to uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, they are canceling next year’s US Open Snowboard Championships scheduled for March 2021 at Vail Mountain, CO.
Burton has run the event since 1983, and it is the longest-running snowboard event in the world. Pretty much every iconic rider has competed at the Open at some point.
Full press release below:
Burton Snowboards today announced that due to ongoing uncertainties around the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships, which was slated to take place March 1-6, 2021 at Vail Mountain Resort in Vail, Colorado.
“This was a difficult call to make since we’re so many months away from the next Burton U.S. Open, and we’re not sure what will be happening with the pandemic nine months from now. After playing out multiple options for the 2021 event, we realized there is too much at stake due to the potential public health risk and the financial risk for Burton to invest millions in an event that could end up being cancelled.”
– Burton CEO John Lacy
The Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships is the world’s longest running snowboard event, and Burton has owned and run the event since 1983. Nearly every iconic rider in the sport of snowboarding has at one point competed at the U.S. Open, and a title is one of the most coveted in the sport.
“This is disappointing for everyone. The riders, crowds, brand partners and crews who work the event are all what has made the Open the favorite event of the snowboarding community for 38+ years. It’s more like a snowboarding family reunion than anything else, and the impact of this decision is widespread throughout the snowboard community. But as disappointing as it is, protecting the long-term health of this community is what’s most important. If we need to miss a year of the Open to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we’ll get through it.”
– Burton CEO John Lacy
When asked if the Open would come back, Donna Carpenter, Burton’s owner and chair of the board said, “Of course the Open will be back. It’s the greatest event in the world!”
