{"id":146188,"date":"2020-03-06T13:28:18","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T21:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=146188"},"modified":"2021-06-22T09:33:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T16:33:54","slug":"a-day-to-honor-jake-burton-carpenter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/a-day-to-honor-jake-burton-carpenter","title":{"rendered":"A Day to Honor Jake Burton Carpenter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note on March 10, 2020:\u00a0Due to COVID-19 concerns, three locations have canceled\u00a0<\/i>A Day for Jake events. They include Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington state, Seki Onsen Resort in Myoko, Japan; Absolut Park in Flachau, Austria; and Madonna Di Campiglio in Trentino, Italy. Please check <\/i>the official event website<\/a> for updates.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

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In November 2019, the snowsports industry <\/span>lost a founding figure<\/span><\/a>\u2014Jake Burton Carpenter, who died at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. In mid-March, riders will celebrate his life in the most fitting way they know how: by getting outside and making turns with friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

Burton Snowboards<\/span><\/a> has partnered with resorts around the world, and on March 13, those resorts will offer <\/span>free lift tickets<\/span><\/a> to anyone who wants to ride in memory of Carpenter and share in the joy of sliding sideways. Participants need to <\/span>register<\/span><\/a> by March 8 in order to secure a ticket.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carpenter was always a snowboarder first. He despised wearing suits and attending board meetings and he rode 100 days a year. \u201cFor someone that had been the head of this huge company, he never made you feel like he was greater than you. He always made you feel like you were part of the family,\u201d said Kimmy Fasani, a pro snowboarder and Burton team rider.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carpenter\u2019s career caught the eye of the outdoor sports media, but also that of the business world, and he\u2019s been profiled in places like <\/span>Forbes<\/span><\/i><\/a> and the <\/span>Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/i><\/a>. In part due to his mainstream exposure, a global response and tribute came at the news of his death in late 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

For March 13, Burton Snowboards has extended the invite all over the world to ride to celebrate the life of the company\u2019s founder. <\/span>\u201cTogether we open our doors and open our hearts to carry Jake\u2019s spirit forward; to share our love of the mountains and the joy of a perfect turn,\u201d reads the <\/span>A Day for Jake<\/span><\/i> website<\/span><\/a>. \u201cBecause snowboarding makes us happy. Snowboarding makes us hopeful. Snowboarding makes us free.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The participating resorts span across the globe. <\/span>The current list of resorts include Bear Mountain and Boreal Mountain, California; Big Sky Resort, Montana; Big Snow American Dream, New Jersey; Boyne Mountain, Michigan; Copper Mountain, Colorado; Stratton Mountain, Vermont; Cypress Mountain, British Columbia; Avoriaz, France; and Laax, Switzerland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vermont\u2019s Stratton Mountain holds a particularly special place in the history of Burton and snowboarding in general. Stratton was the first major resort in the world to open its lifts to snowboarding and was where Jake\u2014an East Coaster who first founded his company in a barn in Vermont in 1977\u2014developed his prototypes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJake Burton Carpenter\u2019s vision was to bring snowboarding to all. On March 13, we are coming together as an industry and as a community to remember, reflect and ride,\u201d said <\/span>Andrew Kimiecik, a spokesperson for Stratton Mountain Resort. \u201cWhat <\/span>we hope to achieve is bringing together the community for a day of pure stoke and fun on the mountain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the event that your local resort is not offering free lift tickets, there a number of ways to participate in\u00a0A Day for Jake<\/em> from afar. Consider gathering your own group to ride or day hike at your favorite mountain, making a DIY armband<\/a>\u00a0to show your support and tagging photos of your crew with #RideOnJake on March 13. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have additional questions or are looking for a status update, please call:<\/p>\n