12/14/05

(Burlington, VT) – Snowboarders have their own style on and off the hill. So when Burton became the official outerwear provider for the 2006 US Olympic Snowboard Team, they knew they had to create softgoods that stood out from the standard ski uniforms snowboarders have worn at past Olympics.

Since Burton was founded in 1977, riders have always been the driving force behind product design. So when they set out to create the US Olympic outerwear, Burton gathered past Olympic medalists and hopefuls Ross Powers, JJ Thomas, Keir Dillon, Kelly Clark, Tommy Czeschin and Lindsay Jacobellis to throw down ideas for the uniform.

Even though snowboarding is a very individual sport, it is truly a team effort at the Olympics. So the riders turned to classic American team sport uniforms for inspiration. Paying tribute to American culture with styles inspired by vintage baseball uniforms, the Burton Olympic outerwear features white fabric with yarn-dyed red and blue pinstripes, heavy embroidery and applications inspired by retro baseball uniforms. The stand-out piece is the Audex™ Down Jacket featuring leading Bluetooth® Wireless Technology from Motorola that lets riders pick up cell phone calls and control their iPod® using a control panel on the jacket’s sleeve.

“Having our uniforms created by a snowboarding company gave us a lot of freedom to design outerwear that had a little extra flavor,” says Burton pro rider Keir Dillon. “Nothing is more American than baseball, so we went for the retro ball game uniform style mixed with a baggy fit that we’ll all be proud to wear.”

Burton will outfit the athletes for competition in Halfpipe, Snowboard Cross and Parallel Giant Slalom at the upcoming Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Audexâ„¢ Down Jackets featuring wearable electronics, as well as fleece and accessories, will be provided for snowboard athletes and their coaches.

The 2006 US Olympic Snowboard Team uniform will debut at the Breckenridge Grand Prix on Wednesday, December 14th.