Mervin Manufacturing, the proud home of Lib Tech, GNU, Roxy, and Bent Metal Binding Works, stands as a leading force in the design and production of snowboarding, skiing, surfing, and skateboarding equipment. What sets Mervin apart is its commitment to crafting these products in the world’s most environmentally conscious factory, built by individuals who are passionate about riding them.
The Origin and Ethos of Mervin Manufacturing
Mervin Manufacturing was founded in 1977 by snowboarders Mike Olson and Pete Saari. In an industry where virtually every other snowboard, ski, skateboard, and surfboard company has moved production to China or offshore, Mervin is the longest running and last major board building factory in the USA.
Mervin is a dream factory in a dream location producing dream boards with dream materials and process. When you ride one there’s more than just the board under your feet; there’s passion, technology, art, history, community and vision.
Mike and Pete’s original dream was contagious, pulling friends and fellow dreamers in like moths to a flame. Snowboarders, skateboarders, skiers, surfers, artists, dirt bags, punkers, farmers, engineers, and materials wizards, all united under a common bond of creating something worthwhile for the very worthy pursuit of feeling good about the work we do. Dreamers like Jamie Lynn, who only needed the spark and the platform to spring off, before changing snowboarding forever and setting the stage for more authentic doers the world over.
Better boards made by, and for friends. Better manufacturing practices that both protect the health of those board builders, but also that of the planet, leaving zero hazardous waste behind in production. Better bonds to the communities at large that support the business and culture that is our life.
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The Mervin Manufacturing Process: A Hands-On Approach
We build snowboards, skis, skateboards and surfboards, No really… that is what we do. We don’t order them from China or anywhere else and send someone to go check and see how they turned out. We physically hand build them right here at home in the USA.
We buy the toughest, lightest, strongest, most environmental materials; many of which aren’t meant for snowboards or used by anyone else for what we use them for. We mill, cut, glue, sand, sublimate, and flame-treat them into precise fitting puzzle pieces. We wet laminate them with our own formula of epoxy and put them in presses and formblocks we build ourselves then cure them for a specific time at multiple set temperatures, each unique model having its own set of rules.
We deflash them, grind them, sand them, Scotch-briteTM them, drill them, scrape them, polish them, wax them, grade them, rework them if we need to, bag them, carry them over to shipping on the forklift, put them in their bins, and then ship them to you. We have been doing this every day for three decades.
Key Brands Under the Mervin Manufacturing Umbrella
Lib Tech
Lib Tech is known for its innovative snowboard designs and technologies. Their boards often feature Magne-Traction® and Banana Technology.
GNU
Founded with joy in a hypothermic delirium, Gnu derives energy from universal truth. Channeled through the hearts, minds and actions of our radicals we blend, bend and laminate this perceived reality into the timeless vortex of creativity, art, technology and progression we call snowboarding.
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Roxy
At Roxy, we’re inspired by everyone out there going bigger, riding better, and pushing progression in women’s snowboarding. When you’re riding at the forefront of the movement, you deserve the best in snowboard technology. Your gear should be developed specifically for you, for your unique talents, for your body.
Bent Metal Binding Works
Bent Metal Binding Works, 30 years of environmental minded high performance snowboard composite expertise applied to snowboard bindings. Performance tuned FLEX CONTROL DRIVE PLATES hand laminated at Mervin MFG. in the USA provide three distinct levels of toe to heel board control and response.
Technological Innovations
Our crew, led by founders Mike Olson and Pete Saari, push every aspect of the sports and cultures they love. Creating dream boards for this dream life through new game changing industry disrupting technologies, like groomer conquering sidecuts, intelligent reverse cambered Banana Technology, the ability to turn ice in to powder with Magne-Traction®, and darn difficult to ding EcoIso Construction. All conceived, tested and perfected right outside of Mervin Mfg’s door; the Cascades and Olympics, to the Pacific Ocean a few minutes out the back.
We've been building boards and innovating technology for thirty plus years! In the early 80s we introduced finless deep side cut Gnu snowboards that worked on groomer and hard pack, helping pave our acceptance to ski areas. In the early 90s it was torsion box cap construction and tip to tail skeletons on the all new Lib Tech brand. In 2004 engineer Steven Cobb had the baked inspiration for MagneTraction then shortly thereafter we put our banana's between our legs with revolutionary reverse cambers that swept across the snow sports industry.
Some of the key innovations include:
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- Magne-Traction®: Turns ice into powder with serrated edges that provide superior edge hold.
- Banana Technology: Intelligent reverse camber for effortless float and control.
- EcoIso Construction: Durable and environmentally conscious materials for long-lasting performance.
Mervin Made
Environmental Commitment
At Mervin Mfg. we can take an idea, turn out a prototype and test it all in one day. And we do. If there is any one thing that we do that separates us from every other board factory in the world, it's the fact that we don't leave any hazardous waste behind in our manufacturing. Our proprietary printing process gives our artist's imaginings full realization with tip to tail vivid colors and detail. Only the best stuff goes in to our boards. The best to ride, the best for our Kraftsmen to work with and the best for the planet.
Our Eco Processes started with Mike and Pete's aversion to the use of toxic solvents in automative lacquer clear coats and screen printing. Through trial and error and extensive research they were able to put in place a set of processes that made the making of boards safe for themselves and their friends. In Washington State our electricity is 89.6% hydro electric which makes a lot of sense when your getting world record snowfalls at Mt. Baker.
Having our own wood shop means we get to control every aspect of wood core production. Making sure we use only FSC certified fast growing renewable forest products, finger joining to maximize wood yield, repurposing any scrap wood either to be used in the factory or as kindling in the community and recycling our sawdust to be turned in to soil. That's right we're celebrating the dirt bag!
Mervin Manufacturing Products
Here are some examples of Mervin Manufacturing products:
| Brand | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lib Tech | T. Rice Pro C2 Snowboard 2026 | $699.99 |
| Gnu | Airblaster SNARF Camber Snowboard 2026 | $629.99 |
| Lib Tech | DPR Camber Snowboard 2026 | $499.99 |
| Bent Metal | Lightning Supermatic Snowboard Bindings 2026 | $479.99 |
| Roxy | Womens Velvet C2 Snowboard 2026 | $549.99 |
| Bent Metal | Axtion Snowboard Bindings 2026 | $299.99 |
Mervin is built by creative doers and active participants from the original action Kraftsmen Mike Olson and Pete Saari to our CEO Anthony DeRocco and all the way to our newest crew carrying the Mervin Made torch on the shop floor.
Thanks for visiting mervinmade.com! We hope you had an entertaining and informative tour. We'll be here in Sequim making the best Lib Tech, Gnu, Bent Metal and Roxy gravity toys we can dream up!
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