January 19, 2021 | Drew Ziff

Jake Burton Carpenter is legendary in his home, workshop and mountain. Now, his Mine77 series of the same name brand pays tribute to a large number of winter equipment.

Timi Carpenter needs a pair of big boots. His father, Jake Burton Carpenter, died on November 20, 2019, and he founded Burton in 1977. The late legend is known for producing snowboards from a barn in Vermont. He raised demand by petitioning ski resorts to allow skiers to ride the gondola and made Burton the largest ski brand of all time.

But Burton is not only a shrewd businessman, he is also a passionate innovator. From using the ski manufacturer's P-tex and metal edges to hitting a high back on the holder, his inventions and improvements to existing equipment have forever changed the course of snowboarding in the short history of the sport.

The latest series launched today embodies unremitting creativity and product design know-how.

In 2018, after fighting cancer and quitting his daily job, Burton launched Mine77, a small experimental product line under a huge brand umbrella. In an interview with longtime Burton driver Jack Mitrani, Jake Burton introduced Mine77 to the world:

"Product development is in my blood," he said. "I like it-focus on every detail, adjustment, testing, and continuous improvement. This is something I can't stop thinking about. This series is my creative way out."

There is no denying that Mine77 is polarized from the jump: the product is experimental and sometimes fashionable. The quality is also top-notch, and the price reflects this. Burton admitted: "I don't want to please anyone except the rider." "It's really hard to sell people to start skiing. It feels a bit the same."

Despite the out-of-the-box creative direction, or perhaps because of this, Mine77 has achieved silent success. Burton loyalists look forward to launching seasonal products in a way that is more common in sports toe or streetwear culture. And these equipment often sold out quickly.

In the past week or so, we have had the opportunity to see the drop of Mine77 Deep Winter-this is the result of Carpenter and his team's labor.

It includes JBC Cruise skis, jackets, base layer, three-piece touring poles, carbon fiber skis, and even moccasins. Although each piece of equipment left us a deep impression, the overall cohesion of the series surprised us.

A slightly modified version of Burton's popular Skeleton Key model, JBC Cruise ($800) alone is worth a trip to the Mine77 rabbit hole.

The Mine77 team has prepared directional all-mountain skis for hard bags and gunpowder, thanks to the swaying nose tapering to an operable curved waist. It has balanced flexibility, soft enough to play, but hard enough to use the edges quickly and reliably.

"It is very suitable for all-mountain rippers," a tester commented. "It's very good on ice, chunder, and still fun enough to make a side attack." He recommended the board to intermediate to advanced riders, who "carved quickly and jumped off things."

In addition to the impressive performance, the retro top film is a hot topic-the graphics are borrowed from Burton's 89 Cruise.

As we would expect from Burton's premium jacket, the 3L GORE-TEX Topo jacket ($600) has the best construction, fit and performance in the jacket category.

This jacket includes an incredibly elastic but still waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX Topo fabric panel, which radically improves the range of motion and comfort. The functional details left a deep impression on the testers. Numerous pockets, mesh-lined pit zippers and pink skirts ensure comfort regardless of conditions or goals.

However, our favorite aspect of this jacket is Burton's photo, with a turn digitally printed on the back. The smash nerd will notice Burton riding the '89 Cruise in the camera.

It is paired with 3 liters of GORE-TEX overalls ($500)-a comfortable and lightweight slacks with vents suitable for close-fitting exercises and multiple pockets. This eye-catching kit has won many praises from the elevator series for our testers.

Burton originally designed a 3-in-1 First Layer Shirt ($100) for powder, but it has proven to be effective in a pandemic. The built-in balaclava and face mask keep you warm, follow the resort’s safety guidelines, and protect yourself and others on the lift line.

If you shake Anon's magnetic goggles-we recommend the M4-the balaclava is compatible with Burton's MFI system. MFI has a detachable magnet to seal the dreaded gap between the mask and the goggles.

The elastic mid-weight layer is comfortable, but you may find it on the heavier side during warm travel.

The corresponding First Layer pants ($90) abandon the tight-fitting formula of so many bottom pants and replace them with a loose, comfortable fit, which feels good on the mountain and looks good on them. The pants also have zipper pockets-this is a welcome feature if you shake them after exercise.

Remember the kick that the kid wore in "Ice Age"? Imagine that thanks to the Sherpa fleece lining and custom rubber sole, it is warmer and more grippy. Of all the Mine77 equipment we tested, Winter Moc ($250) was at the top of our wish list. These moccasins are excellent for driving to the beginning of the trail in the morning or trailing after a day of smashing.

Poles are usually not a fashion statement, but Carpenter and Co. provides these Black Diamond Compactors ($150) with a cantaloupe Ombre color scheme, which will allow your travel buddies to do both. The three-piece foldable design is the first choice for slope surfers and drifters.

For travellers in remote areas who can't afford a fork, have a precious solid powder board or a disciple of the POW surfing revolution, there is an alternative to snowshoeing: Drift Approach Skeez ($500).

Skeez is 6.75 inches wide and 35 inches long. The base is made of permanent nylon skin. This means faster climbs than snowshoes and faster transitions than the splitter. They are equipped with two heel pads, a folding heel cup and locking straps.

Most importantly, Carbon Skeez is lighter than similar systems. They weigh only 5 pounds, which is obvious, but still manageable on the packaging.

For the sake of transparency, we do not have enough snow in Utah to put these Skeez in bottomless powder for testing. But compared to snowshoes, they seem to be an efficient and lighter choice.

All in all, Burton fans will hype Burton's acronym for the Drift x Mine77 collaboration.

We have not been exposed to one of the Blotto Mine Surfs ($1,000)-a limited edition of Burton's popular Backseat Driver Pow Surfer-but few people do. Carpenter worked with a photographer and painter to produce only 18 hand-painted limited edition drawing boards.

"Photographer Dean Blotto Gray hand-painted 18 wooden boards, about the size of a rear-seat driver," Carpenter told us. "It's very special because he really came to our house and painted all of them in our garage. [It] It's really cool to see his process and provide my feedback."

But good luck, we won’t be surprised if they are already sold out.

Since its launch in 2018, Carpenter has been the face of Mine77. Over the years, he paid close attention to his father's creative process to help develop products. In 2020, Carpenter takes over the role of creative director.

"My father pays great attention to details-everything must serve a purpose. He doesn't just make products to make products. He wants to push the boundaries of creating products," Carpenter said. "Although I have my own ideas, I always try to take a step back and see things through his lens."

Although Carpenter obviously does not have decades of experience like his father, he actively uses the snowboard world to give feedback on his designs. He referred to the Burton team's drivers as a key task in product development.

Carpenter said that part of the charm of Mine77 is that it is as flexible as a small brand, but has the resources of a big brand. "We have a closely integrated team," he explained. "Our communication speed is very fast, and we can complete a product transformation in 8 months." Carpenter said that this agility and the ability to experiment with new materials "is the best of both worlds."

When asked about his dreams for Mine77's future, Carpenter said: "My biggest hope is to innovate and introduce new technologies and new products to snowboarding, to completely change it and help people participate. [Help] layman, help professional People, get a better experience."

It is no exaggeration to say that Carpenter's goals echoed his father's goals. It's not to claim that Burton's influence is everywhere in Mine77, just like the touching tribute the team added after Burton's death. JBC Cruise has a retro pattern, and a small patch is sewn on the jacket, which says "In memory of Jack Burton Carpenter".

Maybe they have passed the torch. For a moment, we witnessed the fingerprints of father and son flashing in the same flame. Maybe Timi Carpenter doesn't have any big boots to wear. Maybe he was paying tribute to the man walking in front of him while setting up his own boots.

In any case, the future of Mine77 looks bright, and we will eagerly look forward to the next drop with the rest of you.

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