Monument Snowboards 2008 - 2009 Sneak Peek

Well the hordes and masses are descending upon Las Vegas. Lucky bastards. In about 36 hours the flood gates will open and buyers from ski and snowboard shops across the country will begin sifting through products to stock their shelves next season. While the snow sports industry gains strength it's interesting to see how fragmented it continues to become.

A sign of growth is when you realize that the former rebels who waged the good fight for a new cause are now the industry giant. I'm talking to you Burton. This realization creates a void and new growth is inevitable. A need goes unfulfilled and eventually somebody...a small brand will step in to fill that need.

If I had to back one small brand and point them out it would be Monument Snowboards. Monument continues to hold their own season after season. Dave Tran, the founder, has taken a different tact the past few years by blending high performance and art. Maybe it's a shift in snowboardings overall direction but Monument appears to be poised with the right product at the right time. If you are out at SIA I highly recommend viewing their collection this year. The boards aren't for everybody. Then again, once upon a time, snowboarding wasn't for everybody.

Now it is.