Interview
Photo: courtesy of snowagoride.com |
Photo: courtesy of www.nsga.org |
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Audio: courtesy of snowboard.mountainzone.com
- Click here to listen - Q: How have your day-to-day activities changed at Burton over the years? A: You know, I used to stress about virtually everything and had to look at long-term stuff as well as just day-to-day stuff and putting out fires and so forth. And now it's, on a day-to-day basis I'm not as involved, which is great. I get to ride more and do more things and focus more on the bigger picture and longer-term stuff. And I can focus on the things at work that I enjoy the most and not the things that I enjoy the least, so a lot more focused now, really, on products, probably than I ever was. I mean I get to do stuff like go to New Zealand and test the whole softgoods line in summertime, things like that that I really didn't have the time to do earlier on. |
Audio: courtesy of snowboard.mountainzone.com
- Click here to listen - Q: Was there a defining moment at Burton when you realized that a board manufacturing company was going to stick around and be successful? A: Well, you know, when I started back in '77 I was real optimistic in the beginning, and then I got super discouraged early on because it just wasn't happening. But once it got going, I mean I think I sold like 300 boards in the first year, and then in the second year I sold 700. So even though, financially, things were very sketchy at the time, I felt real optimistic right at the beginning that it would take off. Not necessarily to the size that it has, but that it would happen. |
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Photo: courtesy of Paul O. Boisvert for The New York Times |
Photo: courtesy of www.fineliving.com |
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Audio: courtesy of snowboard.mountainzone.com
- Click here to listen - Q: What were some of the first resorts or individuals that helped bring snowboarding to the masses? A: Stratton Mountain down in southern Vermont was really the first major area to give it a shot. But you know, Boreal Ridge out in California was pretty early on. Breckenridge in Colorado was one of the first. So it started happening in pockets around the country, I mean, you know, riders... Burton did a lot to get snowboarding in ski areas but never could have done it without local riders. I think the local riders probably deserve the most credit for making all that happen. No, it was more just like a grassroots type thing, you know? Kids, and even like families and stuff, or kids whose parents wanted to see him have an opportunity to ride, would lean on the local mountain, and then we'd come in and make a presentation. And we'd talk to them, you know, how they can get instructors going and so forth. |
Audio: courtesy of snowboard.mountainzone.com
- Click here to listen - Q: You've seen snowboarding go from its backcountry grassroots to American Express commercials? Have there been any lasting repercussions from that? A: I think it's been great. I mean, some people in the industry sort of look back and say, 'Oh, the good old days,' but you know, it kind of sucked in a lot of ways. I mean, it was tough, you know, we were just living hand-to-mouth. And now, you know, the equipment is so much better; there are parks; and more people to ride with. You know, you can ride with friends, a lot more women are riding. So I think that, you know, people in the industry, especially, should be real appreciative of what's happened, and I certainly am. I think the sport's better off than it ever was, you know. Put the politics aside and just look at the sport in and of itself and how many people are doing it, I think it's killer. |
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Interview
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