Burton Snowboards CEO Jake Burton talks to media before the Snowboard Men's Halfpipe Finals on day four of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park on February 11, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.  [Photo/Agencies]

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - Even though the Olympic-winning snowboard didn't have his name on it, Jake Burton found a way to get his hands in on the action.

Iouri Podladtchikov's gloves: Worn by Burton.

The inventor of the modern snowboard ran into Podladtchikov at the Burton European Open in January, and noticed a hole in one of I-Pod's gloves.

"I gave him mine," Burton said shortly after Podladtchikov's gold-medal win Tuesday night. "He rode in them tonight. He's my glove buddy."

The gold-medal gloves are hardly the only gift Burton has bestowed upon snowboarding. In fact, this sport probably wouldn't exist if it weren't for the 59-year-old entrepreneur's decision to take a contraption then called the "Snurfer" and turn it into the modern-day snowboard.

He started mass producing them and snowboarding is a billion-dollar industry these days, now making its fifth appearance at the Olympics.

I-Pod is standing on top of that world.

"A great guy. An entertainer. The crowd loves him. He's a great snowboarder," Burton said. "He can do it all. I'm proud of him. I think he's great for the sport."