Outdoor Central Oregon January/February 2020 | Page 32

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Times Square thanks to Mountain Dew’s investment. Resorts started
building rails, slopestyle jumps and the original half pipes. Thanks to
Jake, the progression of the sport in the late 90’s and early 2000’s
was off the hook.
A generous man - He enjoyed a good life but helped others
Jake Burton was a very generous man (very). Every September, Jake
would throw a party for his employees and families at their home in
Manchester, Vermont. The tradition continued when Burton moved to
Burlington, Vermont. Now the party is at their home in Stowe. The “Fall
Bash”, was a celebration of working hard and getting stoked to charge
hard for the upcoming season. About 1,500 people would gather for
food, beer, camaraderie and concerts. (I could write a book about the
“Bash” if I had the time).
At Christmas every single employee at Burton lined up to receive the
famous Harvest Market Apple Pie and hugs of course (Harvest Market
is an upscale gourmet store in Stowe owned by Donna Carpenter).
In Stowe, Jake Burton built the “Swimming Hole”, a pool and fitness
center with his own money (the best part it was walking distance
from my house in Stowe). It cost him two million dollars. Today it’s a
private non-profit that serves the community. Once I saw Jake outside
a school gym in Stowe (I coached basketball for a few years there).
I asked him if Burton would sponsor the team because the uniforms
were junk. Jake said Burton doesn’t sponsor team sports. Then he
took out his wallet and dropped $500 dollars in my hand and said,
“Have a great season.’’ The list goes on, but these are just a few ex-
amples of Jake’s generosity.
Husband and father - the coolest dad ever
Jake was like the cool dad everybody wished they could have. Always
stoked to ride and blasting music on the way to the mountain. He was
dedicated to his wife Donna and three boys. Sure, they had a nanny
and many friends who helped out, but the way Jake and Donna trav-
eled all over the world they needed help raising the boys. The boys
had some typical teenage issues like many families but outgrew most of it. Spending time
with them and at their home I could tell you there was a lot of love there for family, friends,
neighbors, and even the occasional strangers.
A great friend - He had a posse on this planet and maybe other planets
Jake was a friend to so many people all over this planet. Anywhere there was water or
frozen water Jake had a crew. (Jake has a posse with Andre the Giant, the sticker was
well circulated). At times it could be celebrities he hung out with or just regular boarders
P: Hubert Schriebl
P: Courtesy of Burton Snowboards
he’d meet. Jake had season tickets to the NY Giants and Boston Celtics. He would often
give the tickets away to Burton employees, if he couldn’t go or take somebody from the
office or one of his neighbors. Even though Jake was a board sports guy he loved team
sports and was pretty dedicated to his teams. He went to the Superbowl when the Giants
were in it and took the owner of the Matterhorn Restaurant in Stowe. Private jet I heard.
Other planets, think big, you never know who or what is out there?
A mentor - everybody looked up to Jake even if they hated snow