Burton boards do well
Friday November 21, 2008 - Email this article to a friend

Controversial snowboards with graphics of naked women and self-mutilation have sold out in US and are hard to find in Europe.

2 snowboard lines have provoked a storm of protest in the USA with demonstrations outside the company’s HQ in Burlington, some resorts have banned their staff from using the board while on duty and a handful of shops have refused to stock them.

So, what is all the fuss about?

The first range is called “Love” and features photographs of Playboy models from the 1970’s in various states of undress, there is no nudity except for some women showing their bottoms. Many are in sugestive poses. Burton has been accused of being pornographic and insulting to women. burtontall_400
The other range is called “Primo” and there are drawings of various stages of self mutilation. One where a person cuts off their own fingers, attaches explosives to their hand and then blows the fingers off. There is even a dog gnawing on a hand.

The company has made 1,000 limited edition Love boards costing $400 (£227) each. They are sold to over 18s only and come fully wrapped with a warning on the package.

They have virtually sold out in the US. planetSKI.eu contacted various shops in the UK and none is selling them, but they are available by mail order. The Burton shop in Innsbruck, Austria currently has 55 in stock.

The Chief Executive of Burton, Laurent Potdevin has defended the product. “We are not breaking any laws by creating these boards and it is our sincere belief that these graphics do not condone or encourage violence toward women in any way”.

burton_protest_400 Earlier this month around 100 people demonstrated outside Burton HQ in Burlington demanding that the 2 snowboards are pulled from the market.

A heated debate is going on in many chat rooms in America with some criticising what they see as pornographic images while others wonder what all the fuss is about.