Carpenter was widely hailed as pioneering snow sports and making snowboarding an Olympic sportGETTY IMAGES
JAKE BURTON CARPENTER, the man behind Burton Snowboards, was a "guiding light for the ski and snowboard industry," and if "anyone can be credited for making the sport fun and hip and bringing up the next generation, it was Carpenter," according to Austin Colbert of the ASPEN TIMES. Carpenter died on Wednesday following a second battle with cancer. Skier CHRIS DAVENPORT said, "Jake's whole vision was to create products to allow people to set themselves free in the mountains. In the late '80s and more in the early '90s, skiing itself needed a serious kick in the ass. The sport was stale" (ASPEN TIMES, 11/22). Summit Ventures Chair & CEO WIN SMITH "called Carpenter a 'pioneer' who made a huge difference to the ski industry." Jay Peak Resort Dir of Communications, Events & Partnerships J.J. TOLAND said Carpenter "fundamentally altered the face of snow sports." Toland: "We wouldn't be using the term snow sports if it wasn't for him. We'd still be using the term skiing" (BURLINGTON FREE PRESS, 11/22). Columbia Sportswear President & CEO TIM BOYLE said Carpenter "built an industry of sport." Boyle: "There aren't many individuals who can be credited with an incredibly popular global sport" (WWD.com, 11/21). CNBC's Sue Herera noted Carpenter "brought snowboarding to the masses," as he was able to "turn snowboarding into a huge sport and an Olympic showpiece and a billion-dollar industry." Herera: "He was the pioneer" ("Closing Bell," CNBC, 11/22). Gold Medal-winning U.S. snowboarder ROSS POWERS said Carpenter's death is a "big loss in our sport." Powers: "He lived his life to the fullest and affected so many lives and made so many of us part of the snowboarding community" (OUTSIDEONLINE.com, 11/21).
ONE OF A KIND: SNOWBOARDING MAGAZINE's Pat Bridges wrote Carpenter's "authentic approach to everything snowboarding related was informed by his continued enthusiasm for not only detail-oriented product design, but also the act of riding itself." Carpenter "influenced the riding life more than any other" (SNOWBOARDER.com, 11/21). In Boston, Matt Pepin writes under the header, "To The End, Jake Burton Was A Smart, Unflagging Champion Of Snowboarding" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/22).
