World Boards, Inc.

What World Boards, Inc. does

World Boards, Inc. is a privately held specialty retailer of snowboards, skateboards, and related gear founded in September 1993 by Jay Moore and headquartered at 601 West Main Street, Bozeman, Montana. The company operates a single flagship brick-and-mortar storefront — self-described as 'Bozeman's only Skateboard and Snowboard Shop' — open six days per week, complemented by an e-commerce site (worldboards.com) that ships nationally. The product catalog spans boards, bindings, boots, pow surfers, and accessories from 18+ major brands (Arbor, Burton, Capita, GNU, Jones, K2, LibTech, Never Summer, Nitro, Ride, Salomon, etc.) with particular depth in specialty/hard-to-find labels such as Winterstick, Korua Shapes, United Shapes, Aesmo, and Gentemstick. World Boards also sells a proprietary apparel and accessories line under the 'World Boards Gear' sub-brand and co-developed the proprietary Mountainslayer snowboard (designed by founder Jay Moore, manufactured by Never Summer) along with exclusive World Boards/Grassroots pow surfer models. Tuning services and special-order capability for items not in stock round out the offering.

The business generates revenue primarily through one-time retail transactions, both in-store and online, across a price ladder spanning roughly $12.95 accessories and apparel up to $1,399 premium snowboards, with mid-range boards concentrated in the $500-$800 tier and bindings from $274 to $849. The 'Bargain Basement' clearance section handles discounted inventory. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, anchored by in-store expertise from active riders, and amplified by community-driven marketing: team-rider sponsorship (Rob Kingwill, Chris Ankeny, Kyle Miller, Nils Mindnich), curated snowboard film content on the website news section, event sponsorships (notably Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom), and Instagram presence. The customer base is segmented horizontally across snowboard enthusiasts, the local skateboard community, and backcountry/powder riders seeking specialty and import gear unavailable at mass-market retailers.

There is no proprietary technology stack, no AI/ML capabilities, no disclosed revenue, no external funding, no parent company, and no headcount data in the source material. The business is entirely founder-owned and operated, with Jay Moore functioning as both owner/designer and active participant in the brand's cultural ecosystem. The company has remained in its original location for over three decades and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023-2024 with a collaboration collection.

Name

World Boards, Inc.

Legal name

World Boards

Website

https://www.worldboards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Boards is a privately held, founder-owned specialty snowboard and skateboard retail shop in Bozeman, Montana, founded in 1993 by Jay Moore. It carries 18+ major and hard-to-find brands, plus proprietary Mountainslander and Grassroots pow surfer products, serving individual rider customers through its flagship store and nationwide e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Snowboard and Skateboard Retail

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)

SIC

Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651)

akta.pro primary industry

Ski & Snowboard Equipment Retail (Skis, Boards, Boots, Bindings, Poles) (CRAMAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Winter Sports (Ski/Snowboard) Retail (CRAMABAJ), Ski & Snowboard Service & Repair Shops (Tuning, Mounting, Boot Fitting) (CRAMAJAF), Ski & Snowboard Apparel Retail (Outerwear, Base Layers, Gloves, Socks) (CRAMAJAB)

Keywords

• Specialty snowboard retail
• Skateboard equipment shop
• Snowboard gear store
• Pow surfer retailer
• Action sports apparel

Headquarters

HQ city

Bozeman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales - Snowboards and Skateboards: Revenue generated from selling snowboards, skateboards, bindings, boots, and accessories through their physical retail store and online e-commerce platform.
2. Own Brand Merchandise: Sale of World Boards branded apparel including hoodies, t-shirts, beanies, and accessories, as well as the proprietary Mountainslayer snowboard line designed by founder Jay Moore.
3. Services: The shop offers tuning services for snowboards as part of their customer service offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

World Boards operates a brick-and-mortar and online specialty retail shop in Bozeman, Montana, selling snowboards, skateboards, bindings, boots, pow surfers, apparel and accessories from 18+ brands. It also offers proprietary co-developed products (the World Boards Mountainslayer snowboard and World Boards/Grassroots pow surfers), its own World Boards Gear apparel line, and in-store snowboard tuning services.

Product overview

World Boards is a specialty snowboard and skateboard retail shop offering a curated selection of boards, gear, and accessories. The product portfolio centers on snowboards from major brands (Arbor, Burton, Capita, GNU, Jones, K2, LibTech, Never Summer, Nitro, Ride, Salomon, and others) and specialty brands (Korua Shapes, Winterstick, United Shapes), complemented by proprietary products including the World Boards Mountainslayer snowboard (designed by founder Jay Moore, built by Never Summer) and World Boards/Grassroots collaborative pow surfers. The shop also carries skateboards and decks, bindings (including Union and Spark splitboard bindings), apparel under the World Boards Gear sub-brand, and discounted items in the Bargain Basement. The company emphasizes specialty hard-to-find items, tuning services, and expertise in both skateboarding and snowboarding culture since 1993.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• World Boards Gear: Private label merchandise including apparel, accessories, and branded items sold exclusively at World Boards stores.
• World Boards Mountainslayer

Products and services

• Snowboards Curated selection of snowboards from major brands (Arbor, Burton, Capita, Gentemstick, GNU, Jones, Korua, K2, LibTech, Never Summer, Nitro, Public, Ride, Salomon, Sims, United Shapes, Winterstick, YES) sold through the Bozeman store and online.
• Skateboards Skateboard products including decks (e.g., Bones Brigade series), wheels, trucks, and accessories, sold through the Bozeman store and online.
• Snowboard Bindings Snowboard bindings from brands such as Union (Atlas, Atlas Step On) and Spark R&D splitboard bindings (Surge ST, Surge ST Pro), sold in-store and online.
• Snowboard Boots Snowboard boots from various manufacturers, sold in-store and online.
• Pow Surfers Powder surfboards from brands including Aesmo, Burton, Grassroots, Jones and Shark, with custom splits and skins available, sold in-store and online.
• World Boards Gear Proprietary apparel and accessories including hoodies ($84.95–$89.95), t-shirts ($26.95–$34.95), beanies ($24.95), balaclavas, jackets, coffee mugs, water bottles and collaborative items, sold exclusively through World Boards.
• Bargain Basement Discounted and clearance items across snowboarding brands and products, offered through the World Boards online store.
• World Boards Mountainslayer Snowboard Proprietary snowboard designed by founder Jay Moore and built by Never Summer. Cambered directional twin with bi-light fiberglass layup and RDS2 dampening, designed to rail turns, pop ollies and remain stable at high speeds. Sold exclusively through World Boards.
• World Boards/Grassroots Pow Surfers (Flying Carpet, Megalodon, Slasher) Collaborative exclusive pow surfer line co-developed by World Boards and Grassroots Powdersurfing, including the Flying Carpet (140/150/150W), Megalodon (150cm) and Slasher (150cm). Available only through World Boards.
• Snowboard Tuning Services In-store snowboard tuning services offered as part of the shop's customer service offering, performed by expert staff.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Never SummercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNever Summer manufactures the proprietary World Boards Mountainslayer snowboard, designed by founder Jay Moore. This is a co-development partnership where World Boards provides design specs and Never Summer provides manufacturing capabilities. The relationship has produced multiple board models including the Mountainslayer and Powder Slayer.
• Grassroots PowdersurfingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Boards collaborates with Grassroots on exclusive pow surfer models including the Flying Carpet, Megalodon, and Slasher. These co-branded products are only available through World Boards.
• WinterstickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Boards team rider Chris Ankeny co-designed the Winterstick Pintail with the brand. The shop also carries Winterstick's full line including the legendary Swallowtail and Aurora models designed by Rob Kingwill.
• Korua ShapescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld Boards is a key retailer for Korua Shapes, carrying their full line including Dart, Pin Tonic, Bullet Train, Cafe Racer, Pencil, Otto, Transition Finder, and Apollo models. They frequently feature Korua films and content.
• SalomonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld Boards carries Salomon snowboard equipment and has tested boards alongside Salomon team rider and designer Nils Mindnich. Connection through industry relationships rather than formal partnership.
• The James BrandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaborative product: The James Brand/World Boards 30th Anniversary Carter knife. Limited edition collaboration product released to celebrate World Boards' 30th anniversary.
• Spark R&DcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorld Boards is an authorized retailer for Spark R&D splitboard bindings including the Surge ST and Surge ST Pro lines. They also hosted a podcast featuring Spark R&D and World Boards founder Jay Moore.
• K2 SnowboardingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured K2 snowboard films on their news section and carries K2 products. Connection through industry content rather than formal partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• evo: evo is a multi-location specialty outdoor and snow sports retailer headquartered in the Pacific Northwest with a strong e-commerce platform, own-brand apparel, and curated hardgoods assortment. Comparable to World Boards on product curation and content/community-driven brand, though materially larger and multi-location.
• Tactics: Tactics is an independent specialty snowboard, skateboard, and wakeboard retailer founded in 1999 and based in Bend, Oregon. It runs both a strong e-commerce storefront and physical operations, with curated brand assortments and a deep specialty positioning directly comparable to World Boards.
• Christy Sports: Christy Sports is a Colorado-based specialty ski and snowboard retail chain with multiple storefronts across mountain towns in Colorado and Utah. Comparable to World Boards in Mountain West specialty positioning, though it operates at larger scale and across multiple locations.
• Salty Peaks Snowboard Shop: Salty Peaks is an independent specialty snowboard shop located in Salt Lake City with deep roots in the core snowboard community and a curated assortment of premium and niche snowboard brands. Comparable to World Boards in being an independent, founder-driven specialty retailer serving a Mountain West ski town.

Broad incumbents

• REI Co-op: REI is a national outdoor recreation co-op retail chain carrying snowboards, bindings, apparel, and accessories across a broad outdoor assortment. Comparable as a snowboard/outdoor specialty channel but competes as a generalist outdoor incumbent rather than a snowboard-specific specialist.
• Backcountry.com: Backcountry is a large online specialty retailer offering outdoor gear including snowboards, bindings, and apparel from hundreds of brands with fast national fulfillment. Comparable to World Boards as a snowboard/outdoor specialty merchant but operates at vastly larger scale and online-first rather than brick-and-mortar.
• Zumiez: Zumiez is a national action-sports retailer specializing in skate, snow, and streetwear with mall-based storefronts and an e-commerce channel. Comparable as an action-sports multi-brand merchant but operates at much larger scale with generalist action-sports positioning rather than a snow-specialist curation.
• Burton Snowboards: Burton is the leading global snowboard manufacturer and operates direct-to-consumer channels including Burton.com and flagship stores carrying both its own brand and complementary labels. Comparable as a snowboard channel and brand, but operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer-DTC incumbent rather than an independent multi-brand retailer.

Others

• Spark R&D: Spark R&D is a U.S. splitboard binding manufacturer and an authorized brand carried by World Boards, with the shop's founder Jay Moore featured on the Spark R&D podcast. Connected as a key supplier partner in the backcountry/splitboard category rather than a retail competitor.
• Never Summer Snowboards: Never Summer is a U.S. snowboard manufacturer that produces the proprietary World Boards Mountainslayer board and supplies to specialty retailers including World Boards. Connected as a manufacturing partner and ecosystem participant rather than a direct retail competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Boards, Inc.