There’s nothing better than a gushing write-up in the nation’s largest daily newspaper and USA Today writer Bruce Horovitz does it up proper with Jake Burton (not to imply that he doesn’t deserve it). It is rare to see newspaper profiles so filled with love. It’s almost like Horovitz works in Burton PR.
This is Jake Burton’s life — a major cool one. . . As the founder, cultural guru and chief prankster of the world’s largest snowboard company — and the guy who almost single-handedly turned snowboarding into a multibillion-dollar sport — he’s got a lot to do. Like snowboard 100 days a year. And surf for another 50, or so.
We all know the rest of the story story, but for a reminder read it all. It almost sounds too good to be true.
We know we said we were done, but: today Jake and Donna “Burton” Carpenter appeared on Vermont Public Radio (on whose board Donna is a member) to “respond to criticism of the graphics on some of their boards.” (Click here for the MP3 version)
Jake Burton Carpenter and Donna Carpenter said that for them, the controversy and stories in the media have been hurtful and out of line.
“Hurtful” and “out of line”? Really? Guess everyone is a victim in this love story. Here are a couple more quotes from snowboarding’s first family. First off, Donna is fine with the Playboy boards:
When I first heard about the Love board – I heard the idea that we were putting Playboy centerfolds on the boards and I said, you know, ‘no way.’ And honestly, I was totally prepared to fly off the handle. . .
But she didn’t because after seeing the designs she thought they were tasteful and had a sense of humor. She added that:
The young women that I speak to are not offended by these images at all. They’re really not. I’ve actually had women in the U.S. but also around the world who are buying these boards because they think the images are beautiful.”
And when asked if Burton would create boards like these in the future Jake said, “Yes.”
There might be some moms out there that are part of this, that aren’t going to buy a Burton for their kid. But we’ve never been the brand that builds our graphics about what mom wants. And that was a conscious decision that we made years ago… we make the product and design the product for the person who’s going to use it.”
We guess the bigger question is was all this really worth it? Our answer would be no, but VPR didn’t ask that one.
[Editors’ note: For a longer, nicer interview with Jake and Donna check out Transworld Business.]
Smuggler’s Notch, and Vail Resorts (Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Heavenly) have joined the protest and banned Burton’s Love and Primo boards for use while employees are on duty.
Vail-owned areas prohibit employees from using the Love boards, or any other inappropriate, offensive or suggestive equipment while on duty, said Amy Kemp, senior corporate communications manager for the company.
Guess that’s means no Playboy bunnies in the snowboard school lineup.
With Culture Shifters 2022 at Aspen/Snowmass Burton Snowboards is spreading the inclusivity of snowboarding with the help of a few friends and influencers.
Building off the success of last year’s Culture Shifters, @Zeb Powell, Selema Masekela and the #BurtonTeam assembled a new group of legendary athletes, musicians, artists, and cultural icons to celebrate their love for snowboarding and its community.
Looks like a pretty good trip all around. But one question: what happened to all that Gary Rogers footie?
Burton has teamed up with the Disney owned Marvel Entertainment for a new “high-tech, youth outerwear jacket and pant” which features an all-over print staring The Avengers’ Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, and Hawkeye.
The perfect choice for Avengers fans, Burton’s new Marvel Jacket and Pant doesn’t just look superhuman – it plays the part with performance that’s upgraded in every respect. Loaded with more tech than Iron Man’s armor, the new Marvel Jacket boasts many of Burton’s high-end outerwear technologies, including DRYRIDE weatherproofing and strategically placed Thermacore™ insulation for super-powered warmth and waterproofing. Aspiring Avengers will also love the jacket’s hidden face mask, removable waist gaiter and extra waterproof welded seams.
The kids they do love them some super heroes. It’s a fact. For the official word from Burton, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
This just keeps getting funnier. Today approximately 100 people reportedly gathered at Burton Snowboard’s offices in Burlington, Vermont to “demand that the two lines of snowboards be pulled from the market,” according to a story on Fox News.
Women’s groups and a group of men working against domestic violence have joined a growing chorus of criticism directed at the snowboards. . . . Two community groups have withdrawn their participation in a Burton-sponsored program to introduce disadvantaged kids to snowboarding.
Burton CEO Laurent Potdevin even released a statement to The Burlington Free Press saying that Burton “stands behind it’s products and has no plans to recall the Love and Primo models that have caused anger in portions of the community.”
Good-bye Burton US Open of Snowboarding. Sure, it limped along for eight years in Colorado. But we all know the Open died in 2013 when, after 30 rad years at Stratton Mountain, Vermont, it moved to the middle of the country. Now, according to a press release from Burton Snowboards, the US Open of Snowboarding is finally and officially done for good.
What will rise in its place? Who knows. But we do know that it will be called — The Burton Mystery Series. With a nod to the Craig Kelly Mystery Air, this new series will apparently be a collection of “global grassroots” marketing efforts eventually culminating sometime in the future at a big Mystery event that is not limited by the United States of America.
Burton’s vision is to build up the Mystery Series into a global series of snowboarding events that welcomes all levels of riders. Then, down the road, the ultimate goal is to host a pinnacle Burton Mystery event that includes elements from the global grassroots events and features the world’s best riders. Unlike the Burton U·S·Open which was always held in the United States, this final, pinnacle event would ideally be hosted in a different country each time, opening up the new event series to more international riders. . . “One of the major goals of the Mystery Series in the years to come is to get back to the roots of what events like the original Opens were all about – the idea that a young unknown rider could break into snowboarding through Burton events,” said Donna Carpenter, owner of Burton. “With all the passionate people working to build the new Mystery Series, Burton will continue its long legacy of hosting the greatest snowboard events in the world.”
So, RIP US Open of Snowboarding. It was really fun while it lasted. We will always remember bombing those hardwood Vermont forests hot on the tail of Jake Carpenter, laughing till we cried trying to untangle ourselves from those pesky Beech trees. Here’s the Queen of the US Open’s take on all the feels.
Jake Burton Carpenter’s final personal project was called Mine 77. With it he reportedly got to build, design, and create products for himself without thinking about the market, or Burton’s customers, or anything else that gets in the way of personal creativity. At least that’s the brand story.
Burton just dropped the latest collection (in commemoration of Jake) and it includes this rocket Gore-Tex 11-Pocket Coverall. Here’s what Timi Carpenter says about it:
We pulled out all the stops – Gore-Tex fabric, strategic durability patches, and a long list of features. Every detail has a purpose — that was always a big thing with my dad. He also loved pockets and this one has a shitload of them. 11 to be exact including one that’s insulated to protect you phone. Some pockets have magnetic closures for easy access while others are zipped for locking down your valuables.
Pull this on over a base layer and you’re good to go for all day powder blasting. No snow down the butt, no belly gap. Just all over function, warmth, and steez. Click the link to buy one before they’re gone (smalls and mediums are already sold out).
Burton Snowboards continues with their work supporting dead artists with a new capsule featuring the artistry of trail blazing NYC graffiti artist Keith Haring who died February 16, 1990.
The collection includes a Keith Haring Deep Thinker snowboard, a Keith Haring Anorak jacket, and a Keith Haring tech T-shirt. Would Keith have loved this collab? Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
There’s nothing better than a gushing write-up in the nation’s largest daily newspaper and USA Today writer Bruce Horovitz does it up proper with Jake Burton (not to imply that he doesn’t deserve it). It is rare to see newspaper profiles so filled with love. It’s almost like Horovitz works in Burton PR.
