Letter From Jake Burton: Poach for Freedom

There are 4 ski resorts in North America that still do not allow snowboarding.

Mad River Glen, VT
Alta, UT
Deer Valley, UT
Taos, NM

2 of the 4 operate on United States Forest Service land, which makes this issue even more frustrating since the taxes of many snowboarders help finance these resorts.

Burton Snowboarding Company, the largest snowboarding company in the world, is offering a $5,000 cash purse to the person or crew that submits the best video documentation of their poach experience from each of these 4 resorts.

In Jake's letter he states, "I want to add that we have been careful not to break any laws, nor to encourage anyone to break any laws (see the Poaching 10 Commandments on burton.com/poachers) in our efforts to liberate these mountains. If you have spent as much time in the mountains as I have, you would know that every mountain has a personality, and while they can be brutally cruel at times, discrimination is not in their DNA."

I tip my hat to Jake Burton. This entire campaign has changed my view of Burton Snowboards . . . as I along with other riders have been mumbling about how big the company has gotten over the years. Check out their website if for no other reason than to view the Poaching Video they put together to help inspire the liberation of these 4 resorts.

It just so happens that my Crested Butte season pass gets me a free day of "skiing" at Taos. Hmmm . . . perhaps a trip to Taos is in the works??