Industry News
Jake Burton Carpenter (1954-2019), the snowboarding pioneer and founder of Burton Snowboards, passed away from cancer today at the age of 65.
Burton Snowboards announced Carpenter’s death on Thursday in an email to employees.
“He was the soul of snowboarding, the one who gave us the sport we love,” the company said.
Jake Burton founded Burton Snowboards in a Vermont barn in 1977, selling just 300 “Burton Boards.” The pioneer helped rocket snowboarding into the mainstream by marketing his boards at snowboarding events and campaigning ski resorts to allow snowboarders to use their lifts, according to the Colorado Snowsports Museum.
Over time, Burton Snowboarders would become one of the most recognized snowboarding brands in the winter sports industry, rode by Winter olympic champions and everyday snowboarders alike. The man really changed the game. May he rest in powder.
