A few decades ago, there were hardly any snowboard brands on the planet. There may have been some ski-focussed groups who dabbled in the field, and a couple of pure snowboard companies were in their infancy, but generally, the field was pretty thin.
Fast forward to today, and you’ve got a plethora of global, high-quality snowboard brands dedicating their time to making the sport better. A few of the best of them are some pretty significant companies, demonstrating the growth which has taken place within the industry in recent years.
Snowboard Brands
Burton Snowboards
This is easily the most recognizable of all the snowboard companies on the planet. Burton has been around snowboarding since the beginning – 1977 to be exact – and has played a massive role in the development of the sport.
They’re renowned for maximizing and developing our technological capabilities to make the most advanced, and the best, boards on the market.
That’s not all they do though, also churning out high-quality gear for all kinds of riders.
If you bought every piece of snowboarding equipment you own from Burton, you’d be doing well, and would be completely covered.
The list of names they support, which includes Shaun White, Terje Haakonsen and Kelly Clark, is proof enough of the esteem in which they are held in snowboarding circles.
Lib Tech
Lib Tech focusses on snowboard design and is one of the best snowboard brands around at what they do.
They innovate and create new designs each and every year, with some of their most famous work including the Banana Technology rocker shape and Magne-Traction edges.
They use sustainable and environmentally-friendly resources and processes, and continually help to take snowboarding to new heights.
Gnu Snowboards
Gnu snowboards have been around since 1977, and among the snowboarding, fraternity have built themselves a pretty solid reputation.
Snowboarder’s handcraft these boards, which are known for their ‘progressive’, and sometimes unusual, designs. Initially started by Mike Olson, this is one of the longest running snowboard brands out there.
These days they’re owned by parent company Mervin Manufacturing, but they still have more than enough autonomy to keep creating the boards that helped them to build their reputation.
Salomon Snowboards
Most people have heard of Salomon the brand but wouldn’t recognize them for their snowboarding exploits.
It’s been around for 70 odd years now and is a pretty big deal within the sports equipment manufacturing market.
Personally, I’ve always known them for their hiking boots, but they churn out all sorts of stuff, from running and hiking gear, skiing, and of course snowboarding.
In 1995, nearly 50 years into the company’s life, they launched Salomon Snowboards direct out of their headquarters in Annecy, France.
Since then, the company has been using it’s already solid reputation to influence the snowboarding industry.
There’s plenty of well-known pro’s among their team, and they contribute to creating technically proficient yet relatively straightforward boards. These guys aren’t going to be making boards like you’ll find coming out of Gnu, for example, but they’re good at what they do and make some pretty nice boards.
Capita
If you’re constantly concerned about your own environmental footprint, Capita will be your kind of brand.
One of the most environmentally-conscious snowboard companies on the market, these guys create their boards with sustainability in mind.
That potentially scares off some less-environmentally concerned riders, but Capita excels at focussing on sustainability without compromising on the quality of the boards.
They have come up with some seriously high-quality boards, and also provide great value – the performance of these boards far outweighs what you’ll be paying for them.
As snowboarding has progressed, the number of snowboard brands out there has exploded. It’s extraordinary to think that 40 years ago, there were only a couple of pioneering snowboard companies out there because today they seem to be endless. Obviously, some brands are better than others, but if you’re looking for high-quality boards and gear, you won’t be left wanting.
For more snowboarding articles check out:
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Skiing vs Snowboarding. Which one is better for your needs?
Chill out with a few Snowboarding Videogames
Which snowboard brands do you prefer? What was your last snowboarding gear purchase? Let us know in the comments below and as usual, make sure to share on Facebook and Twitter.
The Most Epic Snowboard Brands
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