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Burton Snowboards, founded by Jake Burton in 1977, is a snowboarding company that has grown to become one of the leaders in it's market. With a product line that encompasses all the essential elements of snowboarding (hardgoods, outerwear, accessories), Jake Burton has created a definition of what it is to be a snowboarder. They own the companies Anon Optics, Red Protection, Analog Outerwear, and Gravis Footwear. In 2005, Burton bought one of its biggest competitors, Forum Snowboard from Four Star Distribution (additionally, the transaction included Jeenyus Snowboards, Four Square Outerwear and Special Blend Outerwear.) Burton has not gained universal acclaim amongst all snowboarders, some cite the company's saturation of the market and trendy designs as serious shortcomings. Burton is often referred to as "The Nike of snowboarding." Nonetheless, it must be noted that Burton is still rider-owned and independent. Undoubtedly, Burton has been courted for takeover by many large corporations, yet Mr. Burton has resisted. Some Burton Riders include Shaun White and Jordan Williams . Instead of the conventional "4 hole" binding mounting system that is used on most snowboards; Burton snowboards use a 3-hole system known to Burton as the 3D System, which means that many times, adaptor plates are needed when used with 3rd-party bindings. A step further is the UnInc series of snowboards, which uses a 2-hole mounting system called the 2X System. The 3D system has been licensed to other binding manufacturers, but as of April 2006, Burton has taken information about the licensees of the 3D System. The 2-hole mounting system was not a Burton innovation however. It was pioneered by Forum Snowboards who promoted them as being infinately customizable. It consists of a slider system, where the binding is screwed into separate slides which are on tracks. The slides can then be positioned along the track where ever the rider feels comfortable. Obviously Burton aquired this system when they aquired Forum. The purpose of the 3-hole base plate on the bindings is to utilize Burtons "3-D" screw pattern design. The 3-D pattern allows for a greater number of binding positioning options compared to that of the 4-hole system. As Far as customization goes the ranking is 4-hole , 3-hole , 2-hole (or slide) from low to high. A common problem with the 2-hold design while Forum was developing it was that the binding would tear clean off the track due to the thin amount of core and topsheet holding the slides in. This would destroy a board. Burton's higher end bindings offer a "cap strap". Unlike traditional tow straps that go over the top of the snowboard boot, the cap strap cups the toes and forces the boot down into the binding as well as back into the binding. It is claimed that this design helps relieve pressure points, thus being more comfortable. Burton has also pioneered some of the most high tech equipment in all of its product areas. The most recent being a Bluetooth enabled jacket with built in speakers in the collar and a microphone in the chest. The system wirelessly connects your MP3 player and cell phone and it operated via Soft Touch controls on the sleeve. This jacket was developed in partnership with Motorola. In snowboards, Burton has designed the most advanced technology out there. From the aluminum honey comb core to a snowboard that detaches at the middle to form skis, Burton has lead the way in snowboarding technology. Many riders bust on Burton for being "Corporate" but that is the curse of success. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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