Some relationships are built to last, and after 18 years with Deeluxe, Elias’s bond with the brand has become family-like. “I was 16 and riding a local contest. The team manager at the time had heard of me and he wanted someone on the team that could wear the boots, so he reached out and that’s how I got on DEELUXE and ever since I’ve been there. It’s been 18 years now. Imagine. That’s so fucked up”, Elias laughs as he realises how long back his history with DEELUXE spans.

“I think I’ve taken the quality of the boots for granted because that’s what a boot is for me.”

With nearly two decades on the team, Elias has been part of developing multiple pro-models together with the brand and thus been able to follow the process of progression of the boots first-hand. “I think I’ve taken the quality of the boots for granted because that’s what a boot is for me.” Elias continues, “I think they have something hardly any other brands have because they only focus on boots. That’s their thing, that’s what they do. And that’s at the heart of their business so I think that makes it easier for them to be the master of snowboard boots.”

This season, DEELUXE have pushed innovation with something completely new in this space: the Formative. Working together with Elias, the goal was to reduce the boots’ impact on the environment, without compromising their performance, by replacing the traditional EVA foam with an algae-blend resin that contains a significant fraction of algae biomass and bio-based additives called Rise by Bloom, which has a renewable content of at least 45%.

“I was really happy to hear [DEELUXE] found a material that could combine sustainability and performance because it’s been a process that’s been going on for years,” Elias continues, “I think it was a little over a year ago that we were at the glacier putting them into the test and realised they really work super well. They have all these qualities that we need and are more sustainable with part of the boot made of algae — and that’s the baseline.”

After years of experience and multiple brand collaborations, Elias has found the right brands to work with – brands that live up to his values when it comes to both sustainability and performance.

“Following in the footsteps of his two previous films, his latest film Invisible Ground focuses on the topic of mountain safety whilst also questioning the heroic approach to the world we have as humans, thus utilising people to become more vulnerable and not constantly feel the need to prove themselves”

Advocating for a more sustainable future isn’t the only thing Elias wants to use his platform for, and we’ve seen him communicate equally important topics through his films Contraddiction and Narcis. “Narcis was about people coming together beyond their ethnicities, and Contraddiction really focused on questioning our lifestyle in terms of sustainability and how we grow up and take responsibility and see purpose in what we do and to not lose that joy of snowboarding and the lifestyle that is so playful, and maybe careless to the other world. How to find a good balance there,” Elias explains.

Following in the footsteps of his two previous films, his latest film Invisible Ground focuses on the topic of mountain safety whilst also questioning the heroic approach to the world we have as humans, thus utilising people to become more vulnerable and not constantly feel the need to prove themselves.

With the premiere of Invisible Ground behind, Elias Elhardt’s start to the season has already been busier than usual, and he’s looking forward to some downtime. “I think the most exciting plan for this season is to be a little bit more free again and to just ride with my friends. I won’t be jumping into the next snowboard film right away” he says with a smile on his face.

Check out the new Elias Elhardt signature DEELUXE Formative boots here and stay tuned for the online release of Invisible Ground in January 2023.

Deeluxe Formative Snowboard Boot 2022-2023

PRICE: £330 / €350 / $350

Elias Elhart is the owner of one of the finest styles – and one of the biggest smiles – in snowboarding. He’s pure stoke, and it’s great to see he’s had input into the new Deeluxe Formative.

While the plan was to make an eco-friendly boot, both brand and rider have acknowledged that you can only push that side of things so far before you end up with a product that doesn’t last the distance (and is therefore soon landfill fodder – the polar opposite of sustainability). Still, the Formative is stepping in the right direction at least, with no compromise to performance.

Who are The Deeluxe Formative For?

Deeluxe say that a pair of these can go anywhere and do anything – and we’re inclined to agree, with one caveat. If you mostly like cruising the resort, while occasionally getting the heart-rate up in the park or backcountry, move along. If you’re the other way round, these are for you.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – read our review of the 2022-2023 Deeluxe Formative here

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