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Burton (Snowsports)
Encyclopedia
Burton Snowboards is a manufacturer of snowboard
s. Founded by Jake Burton Carpenter
in 1977, the company specializes in a product line aimed at snowboarders
: snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, and accessories.
The company's flagship store is in Burlington, Vermont
.
Besides selling Burton products, Burton stores sell several sub-brands which focus on specific market niches. These sub-brands include Anon Optics (snowboard goggles and eyewear); RED (helmets and body armor), Analog (outerwear) and Gravis (footwear). In 2005, Four Star Distribution sold four of its snowboard brands to Burton, including Forum Snowboarding
which designs hardgoods and softgoods, outerwear and streetwear. Burton, a privately-owned company, also owns a surfing distributor.
The Burton line is split into three types of categories. They are: Freeride, for big mountain; freestyle, for versatile ride; and park, for freestyle disciplines like half-pipe and park. Each of the categories has different levels of performance and price. In 2009, Burton's line included 61 snowboards in men, women, and youth.
Board prices range from $300 to $1,500.
In February 2008, Burton acquired DNA Distribution, which includes the skateboard manufacturer Alien Workshop
, and two other companies.
In 2008, the snowboard equipment industry had grown to $487 million. Burton had 40–70% of these sales, depending on the category.
Average age of employees was 30 in 2008.
in 1977. Carpenter was inspired by the snurfer
, invented by Sherman Poppen. He modified it. In 1977 Carpenter moved to Londonderry, Vermont to make the first Burton Snowboards. Carpenter first made snowboards by hand in his garage. He couldn't afford the proper equipment—so he applied polyurethane wearing a scuba mask. His co-founder Dimitrije Milovich, was an East coast surfer and founder of Winterstick.
In 1978, they moved to Manchester, Vermont. During the early years 4 or 5 workers sold, shaped, and repaired their snowboards.
Carpenter campaigned for local resorts to open their lifts to snowboard riders. The first mountain to have reportedly let snowboarders in was in 1982, the Suicide Six
ski area in Pomfret, Vermont
. Next was Stratton Mountain
, and later, Jay Peak and Stowe
. When resorts started to accept riders, the public did too. Burton was in place to supply them with snowboards.
In 1982 Burton was marketing their product at the National Snowboarding Championships, which were organized at the Suicide Six Resort. In 1985 the National Snowboarding Championships moved to Stratton Mountain and became the U.S. Open Snowboarding championships which was operated and owned by Burton. This competition helped legitimize the sport.
In 1985 Burton established the European Division of Burton in Innsbruck
, Austria
. In 1986 distribution started in New Zealand
. In 1992 the Burton factory relocated to Burlington, VT. In 1994 they opened the Japan
division in Urawa-shi
.
In 2009, Burton owned 10 companies that sold snowboards, outerwear, and shoes. R.E.D, Gravis, Anon, Analog, Forum, Special Blend, Foursquare, Jeenyus, and most recently Channel Islands. Channel Islands is a surfboard company, and surfboards seems to be Burtons next goal. In 2008 Burton began to make surfboards in Vermont.
In 2008, a number of complaints arose when Burton produced snowboards with topsheets illustrating self-mutilation and Playboy bunnies
. The Burton Love being one of the board series which has been discontinued for the 2012 line. In its place, Mr. Nice Guy.
Each year, Jake Burton has hosted the Fall Bash, to promote good will among employees and friends of the company. In 2009, the Fall Bash became the subject of controversy after the company attempted to censor press about it.
In 2010, Carpenter announced that Burton Snowboards would cease manufacturing in Vermont, moving production to Austria. "[S]imply put, it costs us significantly more to produce a board in Vermont than we are capable of selling it for, and sadly, this is not sustainable in the current economy."
, Jeremy Jones
, Jussi Oksanen, Kazuhiro Kokubo
, Terje Haakonsen, Ellery Hollingsworth
, Kelly Clark
, Hannah Teter
, Kevin Pearce
, Zac Hale, Mark Mcmorris
, Mikkel Bang, and Keegan Valaika. Burton also has steared away from having complete sponsorship with Burton/Burton affiliated brands. Nicholas Mueller rides Burton bindings/boards with Nike boots/outerwear. Burton has come under criticism over for its choices regarding the team, 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 can be found at Killington Ski Resort
, Vermont, USA; ; Avoriaz
, France
; The Remarkables, New Zealand
and Flachauwinkl Resort, Austria
.
Burton Snowboards created a program called Learn To Ride (LTR) in 1998. They were the only snowboard company to focus on instruction methods and beginner-specific equipment. The goal was to give beginner snowboarders the best initial snowboarding experience possible so they would continue to snowboard. Burton teamed up with the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors, and major resorts around the world.
The Chill program was founded in 2005 to provide kids with the opportunity to learn to snowboard. Chills works in conjunction with inner city youth programs to take kids and teens to local mountains and teach them to ride over a 6-week period. Burton provides everything needed for the experience: gear, lift tickets, and instruction. Founded in 1995, Chill has provided over 12,000 underprivileged kids the opportunity to learn to snowboard. Because of the 2008 graphics controversy and concern over effects on youth, a local beneficiary severed its ties with Burton.
Snowboard
Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
s. Founded by Jake Burton Carpenter
Jake Burton Carpenter
Jake Burton Carpenter , also known as Jake Burton, is an American snowboarder and founder of Burton Snowboards. He grew up in Cedarhurst, New York.- Biography :...
in 1977, the company specializes in a product line aimed at snowboarders
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
: snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, and accessories.
The company's flagship store is in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
.
Company overview
Burton built the world's first snowboard factory. It is the largest snowboard brand in the world. Burton products are marketed worldwide in over 4,348 stores; 1,536 of those stores are located in the United States. In 2003 Burton allowed several online companies to sell Burton products over the internet. For years Burton had only been available through stores locally, but Burton felt that an online presence would allow buyers to have an alternative instead of turning to another brand.Besides selling Burton products, Burton stores sell several sub-brands which focus on specific market niches. These sub-brands include Anon Optics (snowboard goggles and eyewear); RED (helmets and body armor), Analog (outerwear) and Gravis (footwear). In 2005, Four Star Distribution sold four of its snowboard brands to Burton, including Forum Snowboarding
Forum Snowboarding
- History :Forum snowboards was first started by Four Star Distribution and pro snowboarder Peter Line in the summer of 1996. It also owns outerwear companies Four Square and Special Blend. The Four Square team consists of Pat Moore, Peter Line and Andreas Wiig. The Special Blend team consists of...
which designs hardgoods and softgoods, outerwear and streetwear. Burton, a privately-owned company, also owns a surfing distributor.
The Burton line is split into three types of categories. They are: Freeride, for big mountain; freestyle, for versatile ride; and park, for freestyle disciplines like half-pipe and park. Each of the categories has different levels of performance and price. In 2009, Burton's line included 61 snowboards in men, women, and youth.
Board prices range from $300 to $1,500.
In February 2008, Burton acquired DNA Distribution, which includes the skateboard manufacturer Alien Workshop
Alien Workshop
Alien Workshop is a Skateboarding company founded in 1990 by Chris Carter and Mike Hill.Based in Dayton, Ohio, this is a departure from the California-centric skateboard industry....
, and two other companies.
In 2008, the snowboard equipment industry had grown to $487 million. Burton had 40–70% of these sales, depending on the category.
Average age of employees was 30 in 2008.
History
Burton Snowboards was founded by Jake Burton CarpenterJake Burton Carpenter
Jake Burton Carpenter , also known as Jake Burton, is an American snowboarder and founder of Burton Snowboards. He grew up in Cedarhurst, New York.- Biography :...
in 1977. Carpenter was inspired by the snurfer
Snurfer
The Snurfer was the first marketed snowboard. It uses a noboard type of snowboard binding alternative. The Snurfer was created in 1965 by in Muskegon, Michigan. Poppen was outside his house one day sledding with his daughters, when his 11 year old was going down the hill, standing on her old sled....
, invented by Sherman Poppen. He modified it. In 1977 Carpenter moved to Londonderry, Vermont to make the first Burton Snowboards. Carpenter first made snowboards by hand in his garage. He couldn't afford the proper equipment—so he applied polyurethane wearing a scuba mask. His co-founder Dimitrije Milovich, was an East coast surfer and founder of Winterstick.
In 1978, they moved to Manchester, Vermont. During the early years 4 or 5 workers sold, shaped, and repaired their snowboards.
Carpenter campaigned for local resorts to open their lifts to snowboard riders. The first mountain to have reportedly let snowboarders in was in 1982, the Suicide Six
Suicide Six
Suicide Six is the name of a ski resort in South Pomfret, Vermont. It has some claim to historical fame as a very early ski resort and in 1934, an improvised rope tow, said to be the first ski lift in the Eastern United States. The rope tow was set up by Wallace "Bunny" Bertram on...
ski area in Pomfret, Vermont
Pomfret, Vermont
Pomfret is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census.-History:The town was named after the Earl of Pomfret...
. Next was Stratton Mountain
Stratton Mountain Resort
Stratton Mountain Resort is a ski area located on Stratton Mountain in Stratton, Vermont.-History:Stratton was established in 1961, and expanded rapidly into one of Vermont's largest ski areas...
, and later, Jay Peak and Stowe
Stowe Mountain Resort
Stowe Mountain Resort is a ski resort near the town of Stowe in northern Vermont, comprising two separate mountains: Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. The vertical drop from Mount Mansfield of is the fifth largest in New England and the fourth largest in Vermont. The resort is primarily owned by...
. When resorts started to accept riders, the public did too. Burton was in place to supply them with snowboards.
In 1982 Burton was marketing their product at the National Snowboarding Championships, which were organized at the Suicide Six Resort. In 1985 the National Snowboarding Championships moved to Stratton Mountain and became the U.S. Open Snowboarding championships which was operated and owned by Burton. This competition helped legitimize the sport.
In 1985 Burton established the European Division of Burton in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. In 1986 distribution started in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In 1992 the Burton factory relocated to Burlington, VT. In 1994 they opened the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
division in Urawa-shi
Urawa, Saitama
was a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, until it merged into the city of Saitama together with two other cities, Omiya and Yono, on May 1, 2001. In 2003, the former area of Urawa became Urawa-ku, Midori-ku, Minami-ku, and Sakura-ku, which are wards of the city of Saitama...
.
In 2009, Burton owned 10 companies that sold snowboards, outerwear, and shoes. R.E.D, Gravis, Anon, Analog, Forum, Special Blend, Foursquare, Jeenyus, and most recently Channel Islands. Channel Islands is a surfboard company, and surfboards seems to be Burtons next goal. In 2008 Burton began to make surfboards in Vermont.
In 2008, a number of complaints arose when Burton produced snowboards with topsheets illustrating self-mutilation and Playboy bunnies
Playboy Bunny
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress at the Playboy Club. The Playboy Clubs were originally open from 1960 to 1988. The Club re-opened in one location in The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas in 2006...
. The Burton Love being one of the board series which has been discontinued for the 2012 line. In its place, Mr. Nice Guy.
Each year, Jake Burton has hosted the Fall Bash, to promote good will among employees and friends of the company. In 2009, the Fall Bash became the subject of controversy after the company attempted to censor press about it.
In 2010, Carpenter announced that Burton Snowboards would cease manufacturing in Vermont, moving production to Austria. "[S]imply put, it costs us significantly more to produce a board in Vermont than we are capable of selling it for, and sadly, this is not sustainable in the current economy."
Marketing/Promotion
In order to attract rider interest, Burton sponsors professional riders and events. Burton's sponsored professional snowboard team includes Shaun WhiteShaun White
Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
, Jeremy Jones
Jeremy Jones
Jeremy Jones may refer to:* Jeremy Jones , snowboarder, big mountain riding, Jones Snowboards* Jeremy Jones , snowboarder, freestyle & jibbing, Burton et al.*Jeremy Jones...
, Jussi Oksanen, Kazuhiro Kokubo
Kazuhiro Kokubo
is a Japanese snowboarder, who competed at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.Kokubo was barred from the Olympic opening ceremony and criticized in February 2010 for his style of dress after he was seen wearing his Olympic team uniform with his shirt untucked, his trousers hanging low, and his tie...
, Terje Haakonsen, Ellery Hollingsworth
Ellery Hollingsworth (snowboarder)
Ellery Hollingsworth is an American professional snowboarder from Stratton, Vermont.- Biography :Ellery started snowboarding when she was 6 years old. Ellery is a graduate of the Stratton Mountain School where she trained to be a professional snowboarder, and is currently one of the youngest...
, Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark is a snowboarder born in the village of West Dover in the town of Dover, Vermont. She has been snowboarding since she was 8 years old, and began competing in 1999...
, Hannah Teter
Hannah Teter
Hannah Teter is an American snowboarder from Belmont, Vermont. She is an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal in halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. She also won bronze at the 2005 FIS World Championships at Whistler, British Columbia, and has six World Cup victories...
, Kevin Pearce
Kevin Pearce (snowboarder)
Kevin Pearce is an American snowboarder. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Hartland, Vermont before moving with his parents to Norwich, Vermont.-Career:...
, Zac Hale, Mark Mcmorris
Mark McMorris
Mark McMorris is a Canadian snowboarder who is the first to complete a backside triple cork 1440.McMorris competed at his first FIS Snowboard World Cup during the 2009-2010 season placing eighth in the big air event in Quebec City...
, Mikkel Bang, and Keegan Valaika. Burton also has steared away from having complete sponsorship with Burton/Burton affiliated brands. Nicholas Mueller rides Burton bindings/boards with Nike boots/outerwear. Burton has come under criticism over for its choices regarding the team, such as the removal of David Carrier Porcheron
David Carrier Porcheron
David Carrier Porcheron, also known as DCP, is a professional snowboarder from Quebec, Canada. He is the co-owner of Yesnowboards. He is also sponsored by Northwave/Drake and the North Face...
and other riders in 2008.
Burton sponsored the creation of organic terrain parks made of rocks, stumps, and logs. These parks can be found at Killington Ski Resort
Killington Ski Resort
Killington Mountain Resort & Ski Area is a ski resort near Killington, Vermont. It is the largest ski area in the Eastern United States, and has the largest vertical in New England as well at 3050 feet.-History:In 1954, Perry H...
, Vermont, USA; ; Avoriaz
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses-junction on the A40 motorway between Geneva and Chamonix...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; The Remarkables, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Flachauwinkl Resort, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Burton Snowboards created a program called Learn To Ride (LTR) in 1998. They were the only snowboard company to focus on instruction methods and beginner-specific equipment. The goal was to give beginner snowboarders the best initial snowboarding experience possible so they would continue to snowboard. Burton teamed up with the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors, and major resorts around the world.
The Chill program was founded in 2005 to provide kids with the opportunity to learn to snowboard. Chills works in conjunction with inner city youth programs to take kids and teens to local mountains and teach them to ride over a 6-week period. Burton provides everything needed for the experience: gear, lift tickets, and instruction. Founded in 1995, Chill has provided over 12,000 underprivileged kids the opportunity to learn to snowboard. Because of the 2008 graphics controversy and concern over effects on youth, a local beneficiary severed its ties with Burton.