Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

Jake Burton Carpenter, Founder of Burton Snowboards, Passes Away at Age 65

Clay Abney
By

Earlier this month, Jake Burton Carpenter (1954-2019) announced that his cancer had returned. On the morning of November 21, the Burton company issued a statement announcing that the godfather of snowboarding had passed away.

In 2011, Jake was initially diagnosed with testicular cancer. After a course of treatments, he was given a clean bill of health. Aside from his bout with cancer, Jake had faced several health challenges in recent years. Despite all of this, Jake remained optimistic until the end.

Related Videos
1 of 9
Jake Burton Carpenter
Late '70s Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter
U.S. Open Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter
1981 Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter
1988 Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter
1989 Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter Wife Donna
Jake with his wife, Donna, in 1990. Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter
Burton
Jake Burton Carpenter
Burton
Jake Burton Mine77
Burton

Jake was born in 1954 and raised in Long Island, New York. After college and a short hiatus in Colorado, he returned to the Northeast where, in 1977, he founded the company that bears his name. Over four decades later, Burton Snowboards continues to push the envelope in the billion-dollar industry that he was instrumental in founding and promoting. In addition to the namesake apparel and gear label, Jake, a passionate surfer, also owned Channel Island Surfboards, a company he purchased over a decade ago. He also founded the eyewear brand Anon.

Related

“It is with a very heavy heart that I share the news that Jake passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his family and loved ones as a result of complications from recurring cancer. He was our founder, the soul of snowboarding, the one who gave us the sport we all love so much,” Burton’s co-CEO, John Lacy, said in a company-wide email. “As a start of our celebration of Jake’s life, I’d encourage everyone to do what Jake would be doing tomorrow, and that’s riding.  It’s opening day at Stowe, so consider taking some turns together, in celebration of Jake.”

While the winter sports world will miss this patriarch of the sport, I believe he would prefer we celebrate his life by embracing the season ahead. As a snowboarder for nearly three decades myself, I have always had at least one Burton board in my winter arsenal. This season, I’ll gladly take a few (or a hundred plus) laps in your honor.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
What’s still to come in the Snowboard World Cup? All dates and venues
High speed snowboarding, huge tricks, and podium places still up for grabs: Check out the FIS World Cup
Slopestyle course at olympics.

We're well over halfway through the Snowboarding World Cup season already, but if you've not managed to catch any of the events yet, don't panic, there's still plenty to come. The U.S. is currently leading the way in both men's and women's slopestyle and providing stiff competition in the boardercross — among other events. With so much still at stake, there has never been a better time to get into the Snowboarding World Cup.

The FIS — responsible, among other things, for skiing safety rules and regulations — put on a skiing and snowboarding world cup each season, bringing elite competitors from around the world together to compete for glory. Stages around the world host race events like giant slalom, parallel, and boardercross, alongside freestyle-oriented snowboarding competitions like halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air. Here's what's still to come this season and how you can catch all the action.

Read more
How to set up a snowboard: A beginner’s guide
There are tons of options when it comes to setting up your snowboard, so we're here to help you get it right
The best ski and snowboard racks secure and protect all your most precious winter gear.

Unless you're planning to ride a rental snowboard until the end of time — not always such a bad thing, by the way — you'll eventually be faced with a challenge. You'll have your swanky new snowboard in hand, and on the bench in front of you will be a box containing the new snowboard bindings you deliberated over for weeks. I'm imagining that at this point, you've got a whole bunch of snowboarding gear scattered around your house, too. But then what? Well, I'm afraid you've got to set up your ride.
Suddenly, you're presented with a load of options. Why are there so many holes on your snowboard to screw bindings into? Why do they now sit at a weird angle? Then there are all these optional extras: The stickers, the spikes, the pads, the leashes. Do you need all of that?
Well, you've come to the right place. We've got you covered. Put down the snowboard, back away from the bindings, grab a beer, and find out all you need to know about getting your snowboard set up and ready to hit the slopes.

Choosing the right board for you
While there is some truth in the idea that a good snowboarder can ride any board, it's undeniable that every snowboarder will have a better time on the right snowboard. Most snowboarders will benefit from an all-mountain board, which balances shape, size, and rocker or camber profile to ride groomers and a little off-piste.The ideal beginner snowboard will have a little flex to make it easier to learn your turns.

Read more
Yes, there are real rules for skiing and snowboarding, and here they are
Prevent accidents and ski more with these safe skiing rules
Skiing Snowboarding Lake Louise Ski Resort Canada

It's generally acknowledged that skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous sports. Heck, any sport where you hurtle down the mountain propelled by gravity will have the potential for injury; that's why we always recommend wearing a helmet. We're not trying to put you off on your ski holiday here, but it's always good to be aware of the potential risk of the sport.

Crashes are an unavoidable reality of learning the sport, and even experienced skiers and snowboarders will fall over as they push their abilities on new slopes. What is avoidable, though, is crashing into other hill users or having them crash into you. The worst accidents I've seen on the slopes have been caused by someone riding completely out of control — usually because they've put themselves on a higher level of ski run than they were ready for. To try to keep everyone safe on the mountain, the FIS - Fédération Internationale de Ski — has put together a set of skiing instructions that every mountain user should follow.

Read more