Lib Tech Snowboards F/W 2026/27 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Snowboards F/W 2026/27 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Lib Tech
Interviewee: Pete Saari VP Creativity

How would you describe the 2024/25 snowboard season in terms of market performance and consumer demand?
People are hyped to shred…pray for snow!

What major trends are shaping the snowboard market (pricing, consumer preferences, rider demographics, retail shifts)?
People are shredding and the snowboard categories are largely established…freeride, freestyle, park we work with our riders and internal experimental division to build boards that rip for the pros and are user friendly for resort rippers.. The DPR has been seeing success at $499. Travis Rice’s all new Orca II with Ocean Bound top material and Makah Hemlock is looking lovely.

From changing consumer behavior to tariffs and supply chain stress, what’s been the biggest challenge for your brand recently?
We build all our boards at our factory Mervin MFG… tariffs have been interesting but our supply chain manager Double Barrel Daryl has been hard on the case and we have switched to domestic material sources on multiple fronts from our new Ocean Bound top material to locally harvested Makah Hemlock cores on Travis Orca.

BRAND FOCUS

What is your brand’s core mission or philosophy, and how does it influence snowboard design and development?
We live board building on all fronts every day and have all our lives…we source our own materials, design our own environmentally nicer manufacturing process from wood cores, layup to finishing. We are riders working with riders on board designs we make in our own factory and our prototyping process is fast and efficient so we experiment constantly. There are no barriers to creativity, innovation and outside the box ideas. Our business is a hands on shred based art project.

How has your brand’s role in the snowboard market evolved in recent years?
We haven’t evolved…we do the same thing we have for years…shred, create, study and test materials, build, refine, rebuild, shred etc.

Who is your target rider for the 26/27 season, and how has this profile changed compared to the past?
We build boards our athletes want to ride, we build boards we want to ride, we build boards our reps and shop want to sell and we build boards nobody wants just for fun.

Which product ranges or categories do you expect to drive the most growth in 26/27?
Lib Tech plays in the middle to upper range of the market so for us the $499 DPR has been an interesting lower end add. It feels like bindings matter again…the 90s all over again… convenience technology vs snow challenge vs proven high performance which is fun. Our new Bent Metal Fast Action toe strap on the T Zero model speeds entry and simplifies entry to feeding one strap…the best of original high performance bindings made better.

SNOWBOARD SPECIFIC

What trends or developments in construction, shapes, and innovation are guiding your 26/27 snowboard range?
Travis fine tuned his Orca and is introducing the Orca II that features smoother lines and a bit more switch friendly tail. Jamie Lynn tuned his boards to be more user friendly and fun in the resort for a wide range of riders. We introduced the Skunk Ape Twin for the large foot freestyle shredders. Matt Biolos fine tuned his surf snow resort carving pow blasting Rocket shape with a new floatier nose and has Lib Zilla powder swallowing monster release. Sweetins Rig does it all from playful resort shredder to pillow sender.

What new materials or material innovations are you using — inserts, edges, cores, sidewalls, resin, glues, base material, top sheet, wax, or others?
This year we are excited to introduce Ocean Bound top material on Travis’s Orca and Golden Orca models. Ocean bound is the fruit of a 6 years project Mike Olson has been working on to reduce and reuse single use waste plastic that would otherwise end up in a landfill or our waterways and incorporate it into all new material. Ocean Bound PBT is rugged and printed with our water based eco sublimation inks. Travis and Mervin already donate a significant amount of money to Orca conservancy with every Orca we sell it felt appropriate to team up with Travis and continue on a path that helps keep the Orca habitat as healthy as possible. We are also excited to introduce Makah western hemlock wood cores on the Orca series. Hemlock is has really high compression strength is ideal for insert retention and pop. The Makah native tribe is located 70 miles from our factory and is sustainably harvesting and milling the Western Hemlock for us.

How are you incorporating sustainability and ethical production into your boards (materials, processes, lifecycle, packaging)?
Our business has been focused on sustainability and clean manufacturing since Mike and I started it. We work in our factory with friends every day and want it to be as clean as possible. The biggest element is we have control of everything…we are hands on. We strategically select our materials for performance, sustainability and environmental impact. We manage our process and keep our factory environment as healthy as possible for our crew and the planet. As I mentioned above Ocean Bound recycled/upcycled top material and Western Hemlock that grows naturally here are two exciting new environmental minded additions. Our unique eco sublimation process is solvent free. We produce Zero hazardous waste and compost our saw dust into soil.

What design directions are you taking — graphics, patterns, collabs, or signature editions?
We design how we feel…we skate, surf, snowboard, mountain bike, love live music, art, hard work and good living. We listen to riders and immerse ourselves in culture with a bit of extra attention to skateboarding because that’s where it all started for us. Travis worked with an incredible muralist DULK on his line this year. Drew Brophy did some incredible work on Matt Biolos’s Rocket this year. My 13 yr old daughter worked with Mom Lib Tech art director Annette Veihelmann on a Bob Ross inspired Cortado women’s model.

Are you focusing on particular rider groups (freeride, freestyle, all-mountain, women’s-specific, youth, beginner) for 26/27?
75% Freestyle/Freeride 25% Jib

Key Products:
Travis re shaped his legendary Orca to be more switch friendly and introduces Orca II featuring our new Ocean Bound upcycled top material and incredibly tough and poppy locally grown sustainably harvested Northern Hemlock wood cores. The DPR resort ready freestyle shreddy all terrain early rise camber comes in more sizes and great pricing. Matt Biolos reshaped his legendary Lib X Mayhem surf snow hardpack carving pow floating Rocket model to be even more floaty in pow with a new nose and a brand new Drew Brophy masterpiece. We build them all ourselves in our own factory and live it and love it every day. Thanks for the support.

Trice ORCA II:

2627-Lib-Trice-ORCA-II

DPR:

2627-Lib-dPr

Mayhem Rocket:

2627-Lib-Mayhem-ROCKET