“I remember I went out with 38 snowboards and came back with 40 because one dealer said ‘I don’t want this crap.'” Those were the odds the iconic Jake Burton was up against when he set out to sell his first boards in the late seventies. Jake was on a mission to start a movement – a movement to create more freedom in the mountains, more choice of what, and how, to ride snow. All these years later, it’s clear that “one dealer” might’ve been a kook.
Jake Burton Carpenter passed away two years ago this November from cancer. His role in helping open the world’s eyes to snowboarding was without question, pivotal. From the boards he built, to the events he ran, to convincing resorts to allow snowboarding, the pursuit would absolutely not be where it is today without his life. Now, a new documentary is being release with Red Bull and HBO Sports, Dear Rider: The Jake Burton Story. And it’s a story well-worth telling.
“By the late-1990s, Jake’s vision catapulted the anarchic, punk-infused culture of snowboarding into the mainstream— and, ultimately, onto the world stage of the Olympics,” reads a release from Burton regarding the film. Meanwhile, Jake Burton was dealing with intense health struggles including his bout with Miller Fisher Syndrome, and the cancer which eventually took his life.
The documentary is set to be released on HBO Tuesday, November 9 at 9 p.m. EST. For now, enjoy the trailer of what is sure to be an epic tale.
