Header image via Burton on Facebook.
After a battle with cancer that stretched back to 2011, Jake Burton Carpenter, the founder of Burton Snowboards, has died at age 65. The legendary snowboard figure announced in an email to the Burton staff just a few months ago that his cancer had resurfaced, after originally being diagnosed eight years prior.
Burton announced the passing of its founder this morning via Facebook:
“It is with a very heavy heart that we share that Burton founder Jake Burton Carpenter passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his family and loved ones as a result of complications from recurring cancer. He was our founder, the soul of snowboarding, the one who gave us the sport we all love so much. #RideonJake”
In lieu of flowers, Burton is asking that donations be made to the Chill Foundation, a non-profit founded by Jake and his wife Donna, whose goal is to inspire and empower at-risk youth through board sports.
Carpenter was instrumental in the boom of snowboarding, and, subsequently, plays a role in the emergence of freeskiing in the late ’90s from the depths of the unexpressive style that plagued skiing for many decades. Carpenter was an iconic figure in snow sports, and his legacy will never be forgotten. Our condolences go out to Carpenter’s family and friends, as well as Burton Snowboards.
