Paul Alden - Snowboard exec

Paul Alden, Burton snowboard executive and a primary founder of the North American Snowboard Association, died April 9, 2026 in Orem, Utah. He was 89. 

Born in New York City, Alden was introduced to snowboarding through his son David Alden, who worked at Burton. Paul Alden went on to leadership roles at Burton from 1984–1990. Working with Jake Burton, Alden lobbied insurance companies to expand their resort liability coverage to include the new sport of snowboarding. Their work influenced the resort industry’s decision to open lifts to boarders.

Alden was part of the effort in 1986 to persuade Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado to host the World Snowboarding Championships and to accept the halfpipe as a legitimate competitive format. The following year he was the driving force to launch the North American Snowboard Association. He worked to persuade the International Olympic Committee to accept snowboarding, which made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Alden continued to work in the snowsports industry into his final years, serving as general manager for Soldier Mountain Ski Area, Idaho.