We put the Malibu Redux through its paces on piste, in powder and in the park to see how it delivered on its promises of all mountain dominance.
We’ve been fans of Moonchild Snowboards for a few years now and several of their boards have earned top marks from our testers in the Whitelines 100 during that time. For those unaware – Moonchild are a brand that works hard to push the boundaries of snowboard design, ensuring that the “genius idea” you have after six pints on a Friday doesn’t disappear with Saturday’s hangover, but instead makes its way into a factory press and onto snow to see if it actually works.
This results in boards like The Spatula and The Reverse Sidecut board which, despite all their weird and wonderful quirks, even the most jaded of old-heads wouldn’t be able to turn down taking for a lap “Just to see how it feels” – And it’s this sentence alone that sets them apart. Because when you build something that’s never been done before, you’re forced to solve problems nobody else has faced — and that’s where real progress happens. Now, put that knowledge into a series of boards that are available to the general public and you have an irresistible secret sauce that simply must be sampled to understand.
Enter the Malibu Redux.
“If you’re someone that likes to charge headfirst into any terrain that’s put in front of you then the Malibu Redux should absolutely be on your radar.”
Anyone who’s sworn by their twin board but secretly gets frustrated when their friends on directional boards look like they’re having more fun on a powder day will love the Malibu Redux. It delivers twin vibes in the park, but directional float in the deep stuff.
At first glance, you’d be easily fooled into thinking this is a purely directional shaped ripper. The elongated, fat nose and the shorter, narrow tail are the clear hallmarks of a board that will cruise effortlessly through the powder.
But between the contact points you’ll find yourself on a stance that’s centered over the sidecut meaning that when you’re ripping the groomers or lapping the park the board rides just like a standard twin.
The freeride/freestyle blend continues through the boards profile, which features traditional camber between your feet to provide bags of pop and on-piste performance. A smidge of early-rise rocker in the nose and tail helps keep you afloat when things get soft.
Graphically, the sleek and elegant design of Malibu Redux downplays the power it’s hiding beneath that matte topsheet.
Pop the hood and you’ll find a snappy wood core of Aspen and Poplar sandwiched by Triax fibreglass. For those that are less familiar with the dynamics of different fibreglass types, this means that the fibres run on 3 axis – nose to tail, top to bottom and edge to edge – and work together to create a consistent, responsive feel under your feet no matter how you’re flexing the board through the turn, press or landing.
Combine this with carbon reinforcement strips that stretch from the binding inserts out through the nose and tail and you have an insanely powerful snowboard that has bags of pop in the park, and you can really drive through a turn on the piste.
It’s finished with ABS sidewalls for dampening and a wicked fast sintered base to match the boards engine speed.
“It’s like ripping a ciggie and a coffee for breakfast on a hangover — exactly what you need to turn the day around, but strap yourself in for the ride.”
Designed by seasoned snowboarder and designer Austin Hoyt, the Malibu Redux topsheet pulls from Malibu’s surf-inspired roots that translates wave energy onto snow. Textured forms suggest crashing swells layered alongside a bold centerline that reveals the woodcore — a subtle nod to a surfboard stringer running tip to tail.
Naturally, this being a Moonchild board, there’s also two spray-painted moons on the tail to represent Moonchild’s raw, signature aesthetic.
The regular Malibu stole our hearts with it’s buckets of soul for directional riding and powder decimation. This, reimagined “Redux” version takes the soul of the board we know and love and repackages it into a high performance twin version that truly delivered on it’s promises of all-mountain versatility.
If you’re someone that likes to charge headfirst into any terrain that’s put in front of you then the Malibu Redux should absolutely be on your radar. It’s a high-performance beast that’s chomping at the bit to take on whatever you throw at it.
“I spent the last few days ripping this board through everything I could find in British Columbia. From the groomers to the chutes, from air time to the occasional rail and found it to be a seriously exciting board.
The responsive ride of the Malibu Redux is exceptional. It turns on a dime which I found super handy when tackling some freeride terrain that was a little more “variable” than I anticipated. It’s a little stiffer than I expected, but that pays off when you need it most and gives it exceptional power to get airborne and serious stability in the landing.
The only caveat is that the combination of a lively core and stiffer torsional flex from the Triax glass makes this a board that needs concentration when riding as you can’t easily schmoo your way out of a bad turn.
It’s like ripping a ciggie and a coffee for breakfast on a hangover — exactly what you need to turn the day around, but strap yourself in for the ride.”
Buy the Moonchild Malibu Redux 2025-2026 snowboard: from £495 at Moonchild Snowboards.com
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