Jake Burton Carpenter -- the founder of Burton Snowboards and a pioneer of the sport -- has died after another bout with cancer, the company announced. He was 65.
Carpenter built his very first snowboard in a barn in Vermont in 1977 ... and things exploded from there. The sport became massive and now you can't go to a mountain anywhere in the world without seeing people shredding on a Burton board.
The news of Carpernter's death was revealed to Burton employees in an email on Thursday ... with co-CEO John Lacy saying, "It is with a very heavy heart that I share the news that Jake passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his family and loved ones as a result of complications from recurring cancer.