Last Wednesday, snowboard pioneer Jake Burton Carpenter passed away in Burlington, Vermont, from complications of cancer. As a company founded in a small shop in Manchester, Vermont (in 1856), Orvis has always felt a kinship with Burton, which was created in a barn in nearby Londonderry in 1977. The next year, they moved the operation down the hill to Manchester, just up the road from our current flagship store and rod shop.
The video above tells the story of how Burton Snowboards went from a one-man operation to a global power in snow sports. Jake Burton Carpenter’s vision inspired millions of people around the world to take up a new sport, explore the winter terrain in a new way, and express themselves on the snow. Many Orvis associates are Burton fans and customers, riding the company’s boards on our local ski mountains every weekend, from December through March. His passing marks the end of an era for snowboarding, but his legacy will be felt for as long as people ride the slopes.
Burton Snowboards has posted a great timeline of Jake’s life, which makes for fascinating reading.
