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Jake Burton Carpenter is an American snowboarder; he is the founder of Burton Snowboards.

Birthday: April 29, 1954
Home Town: Stowe, Vermont
Years Riding 36 years
Number of days riding last season: 113
Favorite Resort: Stowe
Favorite summer destination: Surfing off a boat in the Indian Ocean

Carpenter was born in New York City, but was raised Cedarhurst, New York.
After graduating from The Marvelwood School in Connecticut, he enrolled at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

An avid skier, Carpenter hoped to join the university's successful ski team, but his competitive skiing career was ended when his collarbone was broken in a car accident (and then twice more in the same week, including one skateboarding accident).

After several years away from college (including a stint working on a horse farm) he resumed his studies at New York University, graduating with a degree in economics.

After college, Carpenter's interests returned to the slopes. Working from a barn in Londonderry, Vermont, he adapted a Snurfer, a basic toy snowboard (which featured a rope to allow the rider some basic control over the board).

In 1979 he began selling his more advanced snowboards, made from bentwood laminate and featuring a rigid binding that holds the board firmly to the wearer's boot.

Carpenter continues to run the Burton company, which has grown into one of the world's largest snowboard and snowboarding-equipment manufacturers.

Jake is often considered the "inventor" of snowboarding. He is however always quick to acknowledge that he is just one of many individuals who have taken the sport from its humble, grassroots beginnings to its superstar status of today.