dozen moreprototypes of his snowboard and all his best friends were riding them. Finally a smallmountain, Okemo, said "O.K. Jake you can ride, but only during the week" This was allit took and from then on almost anyone that saw this crazy kid zipping down the hill on awooden board with both feet strapped to it began to ask questions. From that moment onBurton Snowboards, INC. was created and is now the number one manufacturer ofsnowboards in the world. (Burton 1988). In the 1980s snowboarding was still not extremely popular and it was very rarefor a resort to allow it on the hills. As the yuppie age ended and the Generation Xersbegan to get into skateboarding, BMX bikes, bungee jumping, and roller blading,snowboarding took off. By 1991 eight-five percent of all ski resorts allowedsnowboarders to share the mountains with skiers. (Gatlin 1993) According to the samearticle over 73% of the people snowboarding in 1991 were under the age of 25. This agegroup typifies Generation X. Along with snowboarding came an entire new image. BradWilson, the marketing director for Big Bear Mountain in southern California summed itup well with this quote: "It was kind of like the 1960s all over again, snowboarders dressdifferently, they have different haircuts and they ride on this different-looking boarddown the hill." (Feldman 1995). In an age where being different is normal, snowboarding Jones3just seemed to fit right in to the picture. Now, in 1996 only 3% of ski resorts do not allowsnowboarding. The resorts have realized that if they want to stay in business then cateringto snowboarders is one of the easiest ways. Many resorts have begun to add new trails tothe mountain just to accommodate snowboarding. Most of these extra slopes have hugejumps, half-pipes, tables, trash cans, metal pipes, and even cars for snowboarders to jumpon or over. The most important feature of these special slopes is the fact that skiers arenot allowed on them. T...
