Construction and Materials

Moonchild definitely puts shaping first, so you wouldn’t expect to find too much trickery in the construction. The Malibu, like the rest of the range, opts for tried-and-tested materials and build techniques, with zero gimmickry.

It features a combination of poplar and aspen in the wood core, which is strong yet light. That sits between two layers of mellow biax fibreglass (a good decision given the width, as a firmer glass would make this hard to manipulate). Making contact with the snow are steel edges and a sintered base – again, no surprises there. The result is mellow enough for cruising down a wide, freshly-groomed piste, but the support is there when you want to turn the crank.

New for 2022/23 is a fresh matte finish to the topsheet, and it’ll now be available in two colours rather than just the one.

“The Moonchild Malibu is a real head-turner”

Roundup

Moonchild is far from a slick, polished brand – the website’s diagram of a snowboard cross-section looks like it was drawn with Microsoft Paint – but that’s a big part of its appeal. The passion for snowboard shaping, and snowboarding in general, bleeds out of everything the brand makes. It even offers you the opportunity to get involved in the build, if you’re looking for something bespoke.

For those who want off-the-rack dependability which also has bucketloads of character – and ultimately offers an unforgettable experience on the hill – the Moonchild Malibu could be it.

Pros:

• This oozes with small-batch authenticity and charm
• Despite its powder-chasing focus, you’ll still have a blast on bog-standard resort groomers

Cons:

• Only available in the one size, for now

SHOP ALL SNOWBOARDS ON

Coming soon…

Coming soon…