Dear Rider, a documentary about snowboarding icon Jake Burton Carpenter, is on HBO Tuesday, Nov. 9. Carpenter is the founder of snowboard corporation Burton. He died in 2019.
Fernando Villena directed the film, which will stream on HBO Max.
“The intimate and revealing documentary features interviews with Jake’s family, friends and fellow snowboarders, including action sports icons Shaun White, Kelly Clark and Mark McMorris as well as a wealth of archival material and home movies,” said HBO. “Dear Rider pays homage to Jake’s beloved and loyal ‘riders,’ the audience he faithfully addressed every year for decades on the first page of his snowboard company’s catalogs. Acclaimed actor Woody Harrelson, a close friend of Jake’s, narrates catalog passages interspersed throughout the film.”
Carpenter created his first snowboard in 1977, thinking of it as a cheaper alternative to skiing. As snowboarding, and Burton, took off, Carpenter battled two serious health problems, Miller Fisher Syndrome and cancer, the latter claiming his life.
“Today, Jake’s memory lives on throughout the snowboarding community, and his wife Donna Carpenter remains at the helm of the family-owned business,” said HBO.
Dear Rider is a Red Bull Media House production. Ben Bryan and Clark Fyans produce. Bentley Weiner executive produced the project for HBO.
