Burton Snowboards
Burton Snowboards, founded by Jake Burton in 1977, is a snowboarding company that has grown to become one of the leaders in it's market. With a product line that encompasses all the essential elements of snowboarding (hardgoods, outerwear, accessories), Jake Burton has created a definition of what it is to be a snowboarder. They own the companies Anon Optics, Red Protection, Analog Outerwear, and Gravis Footwear. In 2005, Burton bought one of its biggest competitors, Forum Snowboard from Four Star Distribution (additionally, the transaction included Jeenyus Snowboards, Four Square Outerwear and Special Blend Outerwear.) Burton has not gained universal acclaim amongst all snowboarders, some cite the company's saturation of the market and trendy designs as serious shortcomings. Burton is often referred to as "The Nike of snowboarding." Nonetheless, it must be noted that Burton is still rider-owned and independent. Undoubtedly, Burton has been courted for takeover by many large corporations, yet Mr. Burton has resisted.
Instead of the conventional "4 hole" binding mounting system that is used on most snowboards; Burton snowboards use a 3-hole system, which means that often adaptor plates are needed when used with 3rd-party bindings. A step further is the UnInc series of snowboards, which uses a 2-hole mounting system. Neither of these systems have been licensed to or utilized by other companies.