Fifty years ago, Jake Burton Carpenter typed out his first press release in a rented farmhouse in Vermont. The opening line read: “Londonderry Vermont has a new manufacturing company… The Burton Board Corporation run by inventor/designer/entrepreneur Jake Burton Carpenter.” He sent it to journalists, listed his personal phone number as the contact—and began making history with every handmade snowboard. No one could have imagined at the time what would follow: a revolution that spread from rider to rider, transforming a niche passion into a global culture.
The history of snowboarding has never been solely the story of Burton. It belongs to every shop that believed in snowboarding; to every filmmaker who captured that pivotal moment; to every crew that built a kicker out of nothing; and to every rider who was there time and again, back when snowboarding was far from welcome everywhere. From Vermont to Japan, from the Alps to China, snowboarding has grown into a borderless community—shaped by all those who forged their own path.
“With our 50th anniversary, we celebrate the rebellious spirit that unites the global snowboarding community to this day. We honor the creativity and tireless dedication that have brought us to where we are now—and look ahead to a new generation of riders who will take snowboarding to places we couldn’t even have imagined 50 years ago,” says Donna Carpenter, Burton Owner & Chair of the Board. “Jake was often asked how he envisioned the future of snowboarding. His answer was always: It lies in the hands of the riders. That is exactly what we are celebrating this season—every generation of riders who make snowboarding their own.”
