Burton Snowboards is proud to welcome Kiana Clay to the team. Kiana is a successful rider on the US Adaptive Action Sports Snowboarding Team competing in both Para Banked Slalom and Para Snowboard Cross. Kiana lost her dominant right arm in a motocross accident, and since then, she has overcome major challenges to continue racing motocross and take that competitive mindset into competitive snowboarding. Kiana is currently competing through the World Cup series with the goal of qualifying for the next Winter Paralympics.
Kiana has worked closely with Burton over the years, providing valuable insights for the Step On® platform. Her feedback has been incorporated in product support, product development, and product testing for the Step On® system to make it easier for para-riders to participate in snowboarding. This system benefits riders with disabilities by making it simpler to enter and exit the binding without sacrificing performance. The modular design of Step On® allows for customization, and in Kiana’s case, she has repositioned the release lever of the binding to the inside of the foot, which allows her to release the boot from the binding easier.
Chris Cunningham, SVP of Product at Burton says, “Having Kiana involved in development from the prototype phase of Step On has been priceless. Thanks to her feedback, Step On has become a valuable tool to improve the snowboarding experience for adaptive riders.”
Kiana says, “Joining the Burton team is beyond a dream come true. When I started snowboarding at four-years old, my first board was a Burton. I’ve been working with Burton for a few years now, and they have become family to me. I’m excited to expand inclusivity to the adaptive community through snowboarding with these incredible people.”
This winter Kiana is living in Summit County, Colorado and competing locally at USASA events. In addition to competition, Kiana is simultaneously working to bring more women with upper limb impairments into competitive snowboarding worldwide. She’s also lobbying for inclusion for female upper-limb impaired athletes (SB-UL) as a class alongside the men’s in future Paralympics.
Cunningham adds, “Kiana represents the core values that Burton stands for and is a role model for all snowboarders on the mountain. We look forward to her continued input as part of our ongoing modifications of hardgoods and softgoods to better serve para snowboarders. Welcome to the team Kiana!”
About Burton
In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn and dedicated the rest of his life to snowboarding. Since its founding, Burton has played a pivotal role in growing snowboarding from a backyard hobby to a world-class sport by creating groundbreaking products, supporting a team of top snowboarders and pushing resorts to allow snowboarding. Today, Burton designs and manufactures industry-leading products for snowboarding and the outdoors. As a sustainability leader within the outdoor and winter sports industries, Burton is the world’s first snowboard company to become a certified B Corporation®. Privately held and owned by Donna Carpenter, Burton’s headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in Austria, Japan, Australia, Canada and China. For more information on Burton, head to www.burton.com and follow our line at facebook.com/burtonsnowboards, twitter.com/burtonsnowboard and @burtonsnowboards on Instagram.
