VAIL, Colo. — The 2021 Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships scheduled for next year in Vail have been cancelled, event officials announced on Tuesday.
The event was scheduled to take place March 1-6 at Vail Mountain Resort, but "ongoing uncertainties around the COVID-19 pandemic" led officials to cancel it ahead of time.
“This was a difficult call to make since we’re so many months away from the next Burton U.S. Open, and we’re not sure what will be happening with the pandemic nine months from now,” Burton CEO John Lacy said in a statement. “After playing out multiple options for the 2021 event, we realized there is too much at stake due to the potential public health risk and the financial risk for Burton to invest millions in an event that could end up being cancelled.”
The Burton even is the longest-running snowboard championship, since 1983.
“This is disappointing for everyone. The riders, crowds, brand partners and crews who work the event are all what has made the Open the favorite event of the snowboarding community for 38+ years,” Lacy said. “It’s more like a snowboarding family reunion than anything else, and the impact of this decision is widespread throughout the snowboard community. But as disappointing as it is, protecting the long-term health of this community is what’s most important. If we need to miss a year of the Open to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we’ll get through it.”
