Snowboarding would not be the same today without the hard, caring work of Paul Alden (shown at the SIA Skullcandy booth in 2009). Mr. Alden died April 9, 2026 from injuries suffered after a slip in his home, according to a post from his son, Skullcandy founder Rick Alden. Mr. Alden was 89.
“My father, Paul Prince Alden, passed away yesterday morning,” Rick said on Instagram. “He slipped in his home, striking his C2 spinal cord on the edge of his desk, rendering him immediately quadriplegic. Our sister Carole began compressions immediately, keeping him alive until he could be stabilized on a respirator. . . About 36 hours after his fall, and in accordance with the directives outlined in his DNR order, his respirator was removed.”
In the mid 1980s, at a time when the wild, punk rock kids of snowboarding needed an adult in the room, Mr. Alden was there to communicate with ski resorts in a calm, consistent, persistent, business-minded style that helped open US resorts to snowboarding. While working at Burton Snowboards, Paul’s kind attention to snowboarding and snowboard competition, helped usher in the biggest boom winter sports has ever seen. In retirement Alden went on to be a Level 2 certified snowboard instructor at Targhee for 22 years, bought a ski resort, and consulted with many movers in Action Sports and business. We are forever grateful for his guidance, support, and true love for the sport and all the people involved.
Our thoughts are with the entire Alden family. Especially, his wife of 67 years, Sharon.
