After Nearly Dying, the Founder of Burton Releases His Own Personal Line of Snowboarding Gear

When we heard whispers that Jake Burton, the guy who founded his now iconic namesake snowboarding brand out of Burlington, Vermont, had been secretly creating and testing Mine 77, his own line of apparel and gear as a passion project, we were stoked. Especially since, only years ago, Jake found himself nearly on his deathbed with Miller Fisher syndrome, an extremely rare disorder where the body’s own immune system attacks the nerves. Jake experienced temporary paralysis of his entire body.

Mine 77 is a highly personal collection of outwear, apparel, bags, accessories, and snowboard hardgoods that has been “a way for me to be hands-on again with every detail of a product collection — from the features, fabric and fit, to the words on the hangtags and the style of a photo shoot,” Jake says.

Jake’s wife and Burton co-CEO, Donna, was the one who suggested he start getting more creative and “do his own thing” after Jake recovered from being on full life support for nearly two months.

“I changed,” Jake says. “I wanted to live for the moment, be more creative and do some things that were outside the box … so Mine77 was born.”

While it would take us average folk years to complete a full line, it took Jake nine months (that’s why he’s the father of snowboarding goods). He personally directed every detail of the making, from product design to writing all the copy to picking packaging and, of course, all the powder-testing and tweaking that comes with getting something perfect.

Mine 77 has 17 different products that span techy outerwear for snowboarding badasses to street-style hoodies, pants, and even a rawhide backpack. The gear and apparel are already selling out in sizes online.

Jake says his favorite pieces in the collection are the Bib Pant and the first-layer Stash Pant. (We’ll take two, thanks.)

“I’m pretty obsessed with pockets, and the Bib Pant has eight for storing everything. It also has side vents that you can open to access zippered pockets in the first layer Stash Pant. This is a breakthrough feature in my mind because sometimes when you’re hiking or riding in frigid conditions, you want your phone or whatever else directly on your body for warmth/security/privacy reasons. The combination of the Bib and Stash pants is really functional, and I think it’s by far the best bib pant ever made,” he explains.

It seems Mine77 will be a long-standing installment in the Burton house and a new measure for innovation and cool gear. “Through Mine77, I can test all my ideas and see if they stick. If Burton decides to put a style in a future line that originated out of Mine77, I’ll consider it a huge victory… (because) I’m not trying to please anybody but the rider,” Jake admits.

You can find Mine77 online, but in brick-and-mortar locations, Burton is only releasing the line in the OG Vermont flagship. “This pays tribute to the company’s early days when Burton headquarters was home to the brand’s only stand-alone store in the world,” a rep for Burton explains.

Of course, even if you order online, the gear comes hand-packed from the Vermont HQ with the end-user in mind. For instance, the StrapOn boots have been unlaced by hand so you can get them on easily straight out of the box. I mean, my mom doesn’t even do that for me anymore.

We love you, Jake Burton.