«He was the soul of snowboarding». Jake Burton died at the age of 65
Jake Burton Carpenter known as «The Godfather of Snowboarding» died at the age of 65 from complications due to cancer.
Burton Snowboards company was founded in 1977. Before that Carpenter worked as a bartender by night and built snowboards during the day. He tested them on nearby hills in Vermont. He didn't invent the snowboard, but he revolutionized the design of it. Particularly, he came up with the idea of strapping your feet actually to the board that let you control the board much better than just surfing on it.
In earlier times, many ski resorts didn't allow snowboarders on the mountains. Carpenter helped open up the ski slopes for snowboarding. He brought the sport to the masses.
Burton company sponsored every top rider from Shaun White to Chloe Kim.
«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 wrote to staff, – «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».
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