What We Stand For

Unlike other sports, snowboarding was pioneered by both men and women.

The growth of the sport, and the Burton brand, has always been about breaking barriers for whoever is passionate about standing sideways. An early example is that the Burton U·S·Open has awarded equal prize money to both men and women since it began. Later on, in 2003, when our founder Jake Burton Carpenter noticed a meeting of 25 global directors didn’t include a single woman, he and Donna Carpenter (his wife and co-owner of Burton) were determined to change the company's composition. Now, our leadership is nearly 50% women. We know this spirit of inclusion is at the core of who we are.

Staying true to our values means frequently re-assessing our progress. Until now, Burton Girls was our women-focused blog and social media account, while Burton Snowboards acted as our brand's main channel. We've heard from you (our community), our team riders, and our ambassadors, and it's clear that there is an opportunity for us to present Burton in a more equitable way, unconfined by gender labels. Therefore, we are going to sunset Burton Girls and focus on building more inclusive content for Burton at large.

Since 2011, the Burton Girls brand has held an integral space in our community for women to meet, inspire, and ride together. The goal was to provide a communal space for women within the often male-dominated world of snowboarding, and to support women who were driving progression on and off the mountain. It did exactly that, and we’ve made countless friends along the way. However, since that time we’ve seen a growing appetite in our society for equity and inclusion for all, and we are 100% on board.

Going forward, you can learn all about our lifestyle and culture at Burton on social media and on the Burton Blog. Burton Snowboards will be dedicated to 100% snowboarding, all the time. Both will stay true to the incredible community of women we’ve spent years growing, while opening up to people of all identities.

We know that change is never easy, but we’re excited to have you with us on this journey. As always, our fearless leader and co-CEO Donna is here to usher us into this next chapter. Read her letter below, originally included in our latest print catalog.

Come on in!

Every fall, Jake and I welcome over 1,400 friends, family, coworkers and neighbors to our house for the Fall Bash. The tradition started with 40 people over 30 years ago to celebrate the changing seasons. Like snowboarding, the Bash has grown beyond anything we could have imagined.

It’s been quite a ride since 1977, when my husband Jake built his first snowboard, and both a company and a sport were born. Today, Burton creates gear and clothing for life’s many adventures on and off the mountain, and our Burton family has grown large.

This year, as I watched hundreds of people of all ages happily make themselves at home in our house, I realized once again that you don’t have to be a snowboarder to love Burton. As you’ll see in these pages filled with stories from our employees and women who inspire us, we stand for more than standing sideways on a snowboard. We stand for living in the moment. We stand for leading by example on issues we care about. We stand for sustainability. We stand up for speaking out. We stand for having more women leading our company, industry and sport. We stand for curiosity about all the countries, cultures and creatures that shape our planet. And we stand for good times with friends and family.

So whether this is your first time taking a closer look at Burton or your 20th season snowboarding – come on in. Get cozy and make yourself at home. You’re always welcome here.