Q&A with Donna Carpenter

Magazine: SBC Business, Fall 2008

Profile: Donna Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards Women’s Initiatives and wife of Jake Burton, founder of Burton Snowboards.

Looking at women’s snowboarding today, what are some of the most remarkable changes you’ve seen since you first became involved with it at Burton?
One of the most remarkable changes has been the evolution of women-specific products. While Burton has always supported women riders and pioneered women’s products, our men’s and women’s products were developed together. In the past, women’s products were often just scaled-down versions of the men’s (the ‘shrink it and pink it’ syndrome). When I became involved in the women’s side of the business five years ago, one of the first things we did was to restructure creative product development by gender. Since then, women’s products have been developed on their own—by women riders, for women riders—and you can definitely see the difference. Women now have an amazing choice of gear and clothing designed with their needs and desires in mind.
I have also watched women’s riding rise to a level I never dreamed possible. Whether it’s in the halfpipe or the backcountry, I am amazed at how far women have come in terms of their riding ability and style.
Another change I have noticed is who is snowboarding. Today you see girls as young as four or five ripping it up along with their older sisters, moms and even grandmothers. It’s become a sport women are enjoying at every stage of their life.

In your opinion, what are the drivers for women to try snowboarding? What turns them from a first-timer into a lifer?
There are a variety of things that inspire a woman to try snowboarding. Maybe it’s because she sees how much fun her friends are having. Maybe it’s for more personal reasons—to express her individuality or to take on a new challenge. Whatever the reason, the quality of her first couple of experiences on the hill is critical. I want women to feel that learning can be quick, painless and fun. I’m convinced that if someone has fun learning, they will stay with it forever.

Do you think there are still barriers to women’s participation in the sport? What can we do about that?
There are still subtle barriers to women’s participation in the sport. Women can feel intimidated when they walk into a snowboard shop for the first time. We need to have more girls working on the retail floor and training for guys to sell to women. Learning can also be a barrier. I hear a lot of guys talk about how they learned the hard way…by slamming over and over until they got it. This does not exactly inspire women to give it a try. We have created Women’s Learn to Ride (WLTR) equipment and centers to help women overcome their fears and to make learning an enjoyable process. More female instructors at resorts would help as well.
I also think we need to do a better job of speaking to women. Women have a hard time relating to the typical marketing image of a lone snowboarder launching off a cliff or sliding a gnarly rail. We need more marketing images and messages that appeal to women. Women’s participation is under 25 per cent. Imagine if we could increase that to 40 per cent or even 50 per cent….

How can shops entice more women into the sport via the retail experience?
There are so many ways retail shops can help increase participation and sales. They can start by making sure their store feels welcoming and inviting to women. It helps to have more girls on the floor and areas specially merchandised with women’s products.  Smart retailers find ways for women to feel like they are part of a community by bringing women together. They organize promotions and events like a women’s ride day or a women’s shopping night. They help women feel empowered by holding special tuning or binding set-up clinics for women. Shops can also look for ways to build a women’s snowboarding community by working with other local businesses—such as partnering with a resort to sponsor a trip or with a local restaurant to cater an event. Women want to feel that they are part of something bigger.
At Burton we make an effort to connect to girls who work at shops through our ShopGirls program. The program first started in 2003 as a way to create a community and dialog between girls working on the frontlines of retail and our brand. Any girl who works at an authorized Burton dealer in the U.S. or Canada can join the program. ShopGirls have a direct connection to Burton Headquarters and are encouraged to send product feedback or ideas to product managers. ShopGirls receive limited edition product, have opportunities to meet Burton riders and product managers and come to Burton HQ. Every season, the number of girls who join ShopGirls grows dramatically. We’re up to well over 500 girls who are part of the program.

In your opinion, where is the best opportunity to capture the attention of would-be female riders?
There are so many opportunities to bring more women into our sport that I can’t name just one. On a grassroots level, we start with our own female employees. We see all women at Burton as ambassadors for snowboarding and encourage them to be fully involved in the sport and the brand. Our women’s marketing department is constantly thinking of new ways to reach more women and girls and bring them into our lifestyle. Burton flagship stores, which are located in key shopping areas of major cities like Chicago, New York, L.A. and Tokyo, draw in women and girls through special shopping nights and events. Our flagship stores also have dedicated sections for women to make their shopping experience as fun as possible. The global team also plays an important role in attracting more women to our sport and lifestyle. Also key to the growth of the sport is creating products like our MiniShred line that is designed for kids as young as two, giving little girls the chance to get out on the hill sooner. And finally, events like the Olympics and the U.S. Open play an important role in inspiring would-be female riders because they provide such widespread exposure of the sport to new audiences.

How do you see the women’s market evolving over the next few years?
The women’s market is growing at a much faster pace than the men’s market. I think we will continue to see significant growth—across all categories—for the foreseeable future. I also see more and more women making careers for themselves within the snowboarding industry. Both of these trends bode well for continued product innovation and increased product offerings for the women’s market. I see increased participation in the sport, as well as increased appeal of snowboarding as a lifestyle.

What excites you in the women’s program at Burton right now?
All of it. I love what we are doing for the woman rider in terms of product and marketing. I can honestly say that the women’s ’09 hardgoods and outerwear lines are our best ever. One of the most exciting things about the 09 women’s line is that we’ve added two women’s EST bindings and expanded the Channel mounting system to all women’s boards from the Feelgood on up. The feedback we get from riders on the EST binding and the Channel is incredibly positive, so it’s exciting to see this revolutionary tech offered across the women’s line. I am also proud of what we are doing internally to hire, retain and promote more women leaders in our company. In order to remain leaders in the women’s market, we need strong women leaders driving the business.

As a rider yourself, what product do you think has had the most impact on the female experience in snowboarding?
I would have to say women’s boots. When I first started riding, we wore high-top sneakers or winter boots… you can imagine how tough that was. Snowboard-specific boots made an incredible difference, but I always found that they jabbed and poked me in all the wrong places and were too wide for my feet. The development of women-specific boots has been huge in terms of both comfort and performance. Personally, when we came up with True Fit™ tech for women’s boots and bindings, it made a big difference for me. The idea for True Fit started back in 2001 with the development of true-to-size liners for our team riders. Since then, True Fit has become a standard across the line that aims to perfectly tailor the fit of boots and bindings for female riders.

You took 23 women of all riding abilities into the BC backcountry this winter – what did you take away from that experience?
That trip was one of the most amazing trips of my life! In the words of one journalist there, it was a little bit outward bound, a little bit girls gone wild. What I took away was that the women in the snowboard industry are every bit as passionate, intense and committed as the guys. I also think everyone really fed off each other’s energy and rode so well together. Most of the women on the trip said they ride more with groups of guys than they do with groups of girls. As the trip went on, these same women said they were pleasantly surprised by how inspiring it was to ride with such a strong group of women. And the guides said the same thing—they told us that we were such a tight, strong group that we got in more runs in one day than any of the groups they’ve ever guided in the past. So that was amazing to see as well.

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