News flash: There are still some mountains in the U.S., three to be exact, that don't allow snowboarding! Even worse, they're three pretty sick mountains: Mad River Glen in Vermont is world renowned for its tree-skiing; Alta in Utah is well-known for its challenging steeps; and Deer Valley in Utah, which is known for...uh...being the place to show off your new Bogner one-piece suit. Alright, so two of the three places that still won't have us are sick. I guess I can deal with never riding at Deer Valley.
Fortunately for snowboarders everywhere, Jake Burton - yes, that Jake Burton - has our collective back. In December 2007, Burton Snowboards announced their Sabotage Stupidity campaign, which offered up $5,000 in cold, hard cash for the best video documentation of a successful poach job at each of these resorts. The contest has come and gone, but you can still see the submissions on Burton's website.
Did Jake's brash ploy to challenge the status quo work? You tell me. When the contest was announced, there were four resorts with snowboard bans in place. Almost immediately after the contest began, Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico announced they would permanently lift the ban in March of 2008. And just like that, then there were three.
Comments
Best idea for a contest ever. Burton should do it every year.
The contest was a great PR stunt for the company. Unfortunately it was another example of riders behaving badly, living up to the worst of stereotypes. The country is big enough to have a few skier-only mountains–and I say all this as a snowboarding enthusiast.
I think it’s an Excellent Idea and very entertaining. Keep up the good work.