Good snow on the East Coast has offset a bad winter on the West Coast,
helping Burton Snowboards to increase snowboard and apparel sales this
year, Founder & CEO Jake Burton said prior to Tuesday night’s halfpipe
competition at the Sochi Games. News reports two years ago suggested the
sport had peaked in popularity and used data showing the decline in
snowboarding participation over the last decade. But Burton said that
was “bullshit.” “The sport is healthy, and the business is doing great,
but it’s not as easy as it used to be,” he said. “We’re impacted more
than ever by weather and the economy.” The European economy has been
particularly problematic for Burton’s company. Youth unemployment in
some European countries is 50%, and that has been a challenge for
snowboarding’s business. "Snowboarders are young,” he said. “They’re
punished by the economy.” Snowboarding is participating in its fifth
Olympic Games, and Burton Snowboards outfitted the U.S. and Finnish
snowboard teams and sponsored more than 25 snowboarders participating in
the Games. Burton said the Olympics usually provide a small boost to
the company’s e-commerce business and retailers. But the real upside is
the exposure it provides to future participants. “The Olympics lights up
kids and all kinds of people,” Burton said. “If they were thinking
about snowboarding, this might push them over the ledge.”
