Burton Snowboards

Burton Snowboards was founded by Jake Burton in 1977. His co-founder, Dimitrije Milovich, was an East Coast surfer and the founder of snowboard company Winterstick. Their snowboards were inspired by the Snurfer, which was created in 1965 by Sherman Poppen. In 1977, Burton moved to Londonderry, Vermont, where he made the first Burton snowboard in his garage, by hand. Since Burton could not afford proper equipment, he applied polyurethane to the prototype. In 1978, the company moved to Manchester, Vermont.

Jake Burton campaigned for local ski resorts to open their lifts to snowboard riders. In 1982, the Suicide Six Ski Area, now called Saskadena Six Ski Area, in Pomfret, Vermont, was reportedly the first mountain to permit snowboarders, followed by Stratton Mountain, and later Jay Peak and Stowe. When resorts began allowing snowboarders on lifts, the public followed suit, and Burton became one of the main suppliers for snowboarders.

In 1982, Burton marketed its product at the National Snowboarding Championships, held at Suicide Six. Snow Valley also allowed snowboarders and, in 1984, hosted the US Open. In 1985, the National Snowboarding Championships moved to Stratton Mountain and became the U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships, which was owned and operated by Burton. This competition helped legitimize the sport.

In 1985, Burton established the European Division of Burton Snowboards in Innsbruck, Austria. In 1986, distribution began in New Zealand. In 1992, the Burton factory relocated to Burlington, Vermont. In 1994, Burton opened its Japan division in Urawa-shi. In 2014, there were 400 employees in Burlington and 1,000 worldwide.

As of 2009, Burton owned ten companies that sold snowboards, outerwear, and shoes. In 2008, Burton began to make surfboards in Vermont.

For many years, Burton and his wife—Donna Gaston Carpenter, whom he had married in 1983—hosted the Fall Bash to promote goodwill among company employees and friends. In 2009, the Fall Bash became the subject of controversy after the company attempted to censor the press about it.

In 2010, Burton announced that Burton Snowboards would cease manufacturing in Vermont and move production to Austria. More recently, the company has shifted some of its snowboard production to China.

In December 2011, Burton named his wife, Donna Carpenter, as president of the company. In 2013, Donna Carpenter estimated that the company had 40 to 45% of the snowboarding market, which totaled $236 million. She said that the U.S. market accounted for 35% of the company's business, with Europe at 30%, and Japan and Canada accounting for the rest.

Technology

The first Burton snowboard was the BB1, a narrow board consisting of single-strap bindings with a rope and handle attached to the nose.

The company started using a single-channel binding-mounting system on its 2008 models. In 2009, this system was installed on other snowboard lines. A binding system was created to give the rider more control and a greater board feel. This binding system, named EST® (Extra Sensory Technology), eliminates weight by mounting the binding to the board from the sides rather than the middle, eliminating the middle baseplate.

Marketing and promotion

To attract rider interest, Burton Snowboards sponsors professional riders and events. Burton's sponsored professional snowboard team includes: Zeb Powell, Mark McMorris, Taylor Gold, Shaun White, Jeremy Jones, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Terje Haakonsen, Ellery Hollingsworth, Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter, and Kevin Pearce. Burton has avoided having complete sponsorship with Burton/Burton-affiliated brands. Burton has come under criticism over its choices regarding team members, such as the removal of David Carrier Porcheron and other riders in 2008.

Burton sponsored the creation of organic terrain parks made of rocks, stumps, and logs. These parks, known as "The Stash" can be found at Northstar, California; Truckee, California; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Killington Ski Resort, Vermont; Avoriaz, France; and The Remarkables, New Zealand.

Controversies

In 2008, several complaints arose when Burton produced snowboards that had illustrations of self-mutilation and Playboy bunnies. As a result, the Burton Love model was discontinued for the 2012 line and replaced by the Mr. Nice Guy.

In January 2022, BBC News reported on Burton's expansion into China and its promotion of Xinjiang for winter sports tourism (ahead of China's hosting the Winter Olympics). Craig Smith, who leads Burton's China operations, told the BBC the company didn't want to abandon the region by refusing to do business there, despite allegations of human rights abuse, including genocide of the Uyghurs.

Allegations that the local Uyghur population of Xinjiang has been forced into labor picking cotton have also been found to be at odds with Burton's membership in the Better Cotton Initiative, an organization that works to eliminate forced labor from cotton production.