VAIL, Colo. (AP) — The weekend was all about Burton.
Snowboarders from across the globe gathered in Vail, Colorado, to honor Jake Burton Carpenter, who turned snowboarding into a worldwide sport.
Carpenter died last November after a relapse of testicular cancer.
The Burton US Open was a sun-kissed, tear-stained, bittersweet weekend. It was a time for snowboarding to show what it has become.
Shaun White didn't compete in the Open but he showed up anyway and took a few free rides down the halfpipe during breaks.
He says in the wake of Carpenter's death, he's had to ask himself where his life would be without Carpenter. Dozens of other pro riders echoed that sentiment.