Burton Snowboards History: An Innovation Timeline
Burton Snowboards history is rich with innovations, industry firsts, and legendary designs. From the snowboard that started it all, the BBI, to the most innovative snowboard binding system currently available, Step On, it’s an incredible journey to reflect on.
We consulted with Burton’s history expert, Todd “TK” Kohlman, to assemble this list of key moments in Burton’s hardgoods development throughout the years. With a focus on snowboards, bindings, and boots, we’ll dive into some of the most important moments in Burton Snowboards' history. So sit back, relax, and join us for this long, strange trip down memory lane.
Burton Snowboards History by Decade
Burton Snowboards History: The ‘70s
1977: The beginning of the Burton Snowboards history timeline and the year it all began was 1977. Jake’s love of the Snurfer and standing sideways led him to develop 100 prototype snowboards and launch Burton Snowboards out of his garage in Londonderry, Vermont. While his manufacturing equipment was rudimentary, Jake’s passion for engineering and innovating was just what the sport needed to get its first legs.
1978: The Burton BBI and BBII, also known as the Backhill and Backyard, respectively, were the first production snowboards from Burton. These polyurethane-coated hardwood boards had “twin fin” metal edges along the rear quarter of the board and top and bottom graphics. The Backhill also featured rudimentary strap bindings with tool-free adjustment, a revolution that completely changed the experience of early snowboarding, bringing a new level of control and performance to riders.
Burton Snowboards History: The ‘80s
1983: Seeing the need for dedicated snowboarding footwear (instead of thrift store tennis shoes), Jake started Burton Boots. His first snowboarding-specific product, Competition Shoes, was a high-top design that offered a more supportive platform that paired well with Burton bindings.
1984: 1984 was a big year at Burton. We began offering our Competition Performer snowboard with steel edges as a special-order item, and we also introduced our first P-tex base. P-tex offered many improvements over the polyurethane-coated wooden bases of the BB1 and BB2, like a lower coefficient of friction. P-tex also doesn't absorb water and can be waxed, like a pair of skis. P-tex bases are still the industry standard base material for modern snowboards. In 1984 Burton team riders also began riding with Hi-Tops, the predecessors to modern Burton binding Hi-backs.
1988: In 1988 Burton answered riders’ demands for a freestyle board that could perform well in a half pipe but still carve the groomers with the Burton Air. This directional laminated wood-core snowboard featured ABS plastic sidewalls, a bi-directional fiberglass layup, and a variable flex pattern that provided stiffness underfoot and flexibility in the nose and tail. The tail was also slightly tapered, making landing and riding switch easier. The Air also featured steel edges, rubber dampening, and two stance positions. Upon unveiling the prototype board at the Breckenridge World Classic the spring prior, Tara Eberhard won the slalom event after riding the new Air for just two days.
Burton Snowboards History: The ‘90s
1990: The beginning of the '90s brought a bunch of binding innovations including Burton’s first freestyle binding with an injection-molded hi-back, forward lead adjuster (FLAD), and anatomically-contoured heelcup. The Freestyle boot also made its debut in 1990. This was also the year that the Craig Kelly Mystery Air board was released. In addition to its iconic graphics, this Burton snowboard featured a new quadratic sidecut for better edge control in the initiation, apex, and exit phases of turns, and balanced stances which centered the rider’s weight on the board for better control during freestyle maneuvers.
Learn more: Celebrate Craig Kelly’s legacy with us and learn how he left a lasting impact on the sport of snowboarding.
1993: In response to team riders wanting more and more stance adjustment options, Burton’s engineering team developed the 3D mounting interface. This diamond-shaped bolt pattern offered an astounding 2,073,600 stance options, more than enough to satisfy even the pickiest pros.
1993 also saw the debut of the Brushie pro model, one of the first Burton snowboards to feature the new 3D interface. This board was designed, tested, and approved by Burton pro rider Jeff Brushie and featured a colorful trout on a black background.
Learn more: Looking for a 3D, 4x2, or Channel adaptor disc? Read How to Get a Burton Binding Adaptor to learn how.
1994: Burton’s first true twin snowboard, the Ouija, was released in 1994. Because of its true symmetrical twin shape, the Ouija is considered to be the first mass-produced park-specific snowboard from Burton. 1994 was also the year that pro rider Terje Haakonsen’s first pro model, the Haakon Air, was released. This iconic black and red deck, which was based on the Air 5.1, featured a stylized portrait of Terje as well as a wooden sword.
1996: Taking the Dolphin and making it her own, 1996 was the year that Shannon Dunn Downing’s Dolphin 144 pro model was released. This was the first pro model snowboard designed by a female rider for Burton. The size and shape of this deck were chosen specifically for Dunn but worked for many smaller riders as well. The dolphin graphics were inspired by Dunn’s childhood surfing sessions in Encinitas, California. At Shannon’s request, a portion of the proceeds from this deck were donated to dolphin conservation.
1996 also saw the release of what has become legend: the Burton Custom snowboard. With significant guidance from Dave Downing and Joe Curtes, the Custom was unique in that it delivered pro-level tech and performance in a non-pro model snowboard. The Custom was extremely popular, and now, over twenty-five years later, this model is still going strong.
1997: Pro riders Victoria, Jim, and Terje wanted footwear that could handle a 30-foot drop, carve up groomers, and even bust out some side hits. Burton responded with the Ruler, a supportive freeride-meets-freestyle boot with built-in forward lean, Cordura construction, a rubber heelsaver pad, and a CMEVA midsole for impact absorption.
Burton Snowboards History: The 2000s
2000: The First Feelgood board debuts with guidance from Victoria Jealous and Shannon Dunn Downing. Think of it as a women-specific Custom. This board was built to shred, but sized for smaller riders.
2001: Before major manufacturers like Burton began building splitboards, snowboarders had to do it themselves. The process involved buying and sawing a snowboard deck in half and installing hardware so that it could be reconnected. While many were eager to tackle the challenge of building their own, others wanted consistency in manufacturing and ease of buying a ready-made splitboard. Burton answered that demand in 2001 with the S-series. Dave Downing worked with Burton on the design of the board and Craig Kelly showed what it could do in the big mountains.
Learn more: Looking to grab a splitboard and try your hand at touring? Our Splitboarding 101 Guide will get you up to speed.
2002: With significant input from Terje and JG, the Burton Fish snowboard is released. This surfy powder board took its design cues from earlier Burton powder boards like the Powder Gun and Backhill. The Fish gives riders effortless float in deep snow, totally changing the game of riding pow.
2003: Burton released the Lexa – the first women’s-specific snowboard binding in our lineup. The Lexa baseplate was engineered to fit women’s snowboard size ranges for a snug, gapless fit. No more slop. Its 2-component hi-back with advanced RAF was contoured to fit the shape of a woman’s calf. No more hi-back bite.
2007: The late-release Jeremy Jones pro model was the first Burton snowboard to feature The Channel mounting system. Combined with EST bindings, The Channel took the mounting flexibility of the 3D interface and upped the ante, providing an almost limitless number of stance adjustment options. But not only did it offer a greater range of adjustability, The Channel used less hardware, just two screws with EST bindings, which made fine-tuning riding stances super quick and easy to achieve.
Burton Snowboards History: The 2010s and Beyond
2013: Start of the Family Tree line of snowboards. The name is a callout that references the roots of Burton’s snowboard shape history. This collection of snowboards was developed to perform in specific snow conditions with the shapes coming from historical Burton snowboards from the previous 36 years. Family Tree gave new life to these shapes, making them into modern rippers.
Learn more: Explore all the unique shapes that make up Burton’s Family Tree collection of snowboards.
2018: Burton’s Step On binding system makes its debut in 2018. While the concept of a quick in/out binding system for snowboarding wasn’t completely new, Burton’s approach was: a soft boot with heel and toe connection points. This delivered a riding experience that maintained the comfort riders had come to expect from soft boots, with the responsiveness of traditional strap bindings. Step On also significantly reduced the time needed to strap in, letting riders exit the chair lift and begin riding downhill in a matter of seconds.
Learn more: Get the full scoop on Burton’s Step On system by reading Burton Step On Bindings: Everything You Need to Know.
