Emerging from the Mont-Blanc region in 2013, Borealis is the brainchild of French-English snowboarder Ben Hall. Hall wanted to use his experience riding to create a line of snowboards that offered premium quality and high performance but not at the expense of the environment. Borealis joined the EOCA (European Outdoor Conservation Association) and donate €5 from every sale on their website to not-for-profit organisations and their HQ is powered by 100% renewable energy.
Borealis have invested heavily in sustainable alternatives, including Bioplastic topsheets and bamboo. You’ll see the bamboo theme runs heavily in Borealis product line, with the majority of their topsheets using the light aesthetic and some using the snappy wood in their core. Bamboo is a great option as it grows so quickly, and Borealis infuses Greenpoxy Bio-Resin into the topsheets to weatherproof them.
A cool initiative Borealis have gotten involved with is their upcycling programme with NoK boards. They send all their discarded hardware to NoK who turn the offcuts into longboards. It’s a great way to minimise waste and avoid products going to landfill at the end of their initial life cycle.
The jewel of Borealis’ pro team is Clement Bochatay who has been working with Borealis since the beginning. In 2018 Clement took on some of the biggest and best riders in the world when he competed in the Freeride World Tour. Although he didn’t win, he certainly made a splash and elevated Borealis’ profile to international heights.
As it stands for winter 22/23, Borealis currently manufacture solid snowboards, splitboards, skateboards and skis (boo!). A longtime Whitelines favourite in their line is the Marauder, which has earned multiple spots in the Whitelines 100 since it appeared on our radar.
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Scroll down or select from the links below to check out our reviews of this season’s best Borealis snowboard gear.