On New Year’s Eve 1981, Carpenter went to the Mill Inn in Londonderry. There he met Donna, “drinking illegally” and Carpenter approached the Columbia University student, introduced himself and said “he made snowboards in his barn. I didn't think it was going to last five minutes."[i] Donna shared a worldwide sentiment as “nobody had ever heard of snowboarding.” Donna remembered that her reaction was “whatever. I'm way too sophisticated.” That night, Jake showed Donna the product of his mysterious livelihood “I said, let's try it. And it was just a wooden board with a rope, and a water ski binding in the front, and a strap in the back, and we wore high top sneakers. And I never thought I'd leave New York for that, but I did.”[ii] After their fateful meeting, Carpenter broke off a date with another girl and the two commenced a thirty-year journey together.
[i] D’Ambrosio, Dan. “Burton rides trends from Vermont to China. “Burlington Free Press. June 20, 2014. Web. March 28, 2015.
[ii] “Going Huge at The US Open.” Powder & Rails. VICE/Burton Snowboards. April 5, 2012. Video. March 27, 2015.
[i] D’Ambrosio, Dan. “Burton rides trends from Vermont to China. “Burlington Free Press. June 20, 2014. Web. March 28, 2015.
[ii] “Going Huge at The US Open.” Powder & Rails. VICE/Burton Snowboards. April 5, 2012. Video. March 27, 2015.
