ROME SNOWBOARDS F/W 2025/26 PREVIEW

Retail Buyers Guide: Snowboards F/W 2025/26 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Rome
Interviewee: Matt Stillman , Marketing & Team Manager

How was last season in the snowboard market?
Overall, the last season was decidedly mediocre for the snowboard market. Certain regions experienced growth but globally speaking, a rather lackluster winter kept things subdued. Compared to figures we heard from other brands, Rome faired very well globally.

With the recent overall price increases, have there been any positive developments in manufacturing, sourcing, or logistics?
For the 25/26 collection, we had the opportunity to move our board production to the Titan Factory, historically where the majority of Bataleon boards have been produced. Overall, it’s been a great transition, and we are incredibly excited about the new line and the new factory relationship going forward.

What are the major trends you’re seeing with product pricing in the snowboard market?
Up, up and away! Riders seem to be consistently looking for premium products and are willing to pay for them.

E-commerce Vs. physical retail, how are you balancing both channels?
We pride ourselves on supporting a global network of retail partners, with ‘partner’ being the key word here. That partnership extends into many capacities, and we are very mindful about how we operate our E-com program. Clear and honest communications are a two-way street, and we are always doing our best to balance both sides of that equation with the main goal of sustainably growing our numbers globally.

How are you supporting retailers to sell this category?
We rely on our team of sales agents and distributors to best support their shops. No one knows retail like the local crew and their word is bond in this setting. Shop window graphics, POP materials, printed workbooks and sales clinics are just the tip of the iceberg.

What unique brand messages are you focusing on for the 2025/2026 snowboard season?
For the 25/26 season our brand messaging focuses on the plethora of new shapes in our line. With a reinvigorated sidecut story and an overhauled core shaping technique that optimizes our signature HotRod technology, the line is better than ever before. We believe responsive boards ride better and this new 25/26 line is the next chapter in that prolific story.

SNOWBOARD SPECIFIC

What trends or developments are you seeing with regards to board construction, shapes, and general innovation? How is this shaping your 25/26 range?
From a shaping standpoint, we continue to see ‘retro-modern’ shapes as our visual ethos. Think smooth, classic rounded noses with elegant taper into a muscle car of a running length. With new shapes on the Ravine family, the Artifact family, Agent family, the Service Dog and all-new Hype Pro, riders will quickly understand the vibe. As far as construction goes, the new line was a chance to dig into our sidecuts. With the main goal of creating distinct easy-to-understand sidecuts that naturally complemented a board’s camber profile. Essentially supercharging and optimizing a board’s flex and camber to unlock edge control and predictive turning. We also had the opportunity to re-evaluate our boards’ core thicknesses. Essentially thinning then at the contact points to make the HotRods not only more visible but also increasing their effectiveness. This serves not only as a ‘silent sales tool’ at retail but effectively boosts the overall responsiveness. The 25/26 collection also finds us expanding our 3D shaping agenda. New for this year we have added 3D Twin Diamond to the all-new Boneless as well as the Mechanic and Royal, in an effort to drive home the value of the progression oriented. We are also expanding the use of Double Kick, adding it to the tail of the new Service Dog for added stability and visual tech.

Anything new concerning sustainability and related products or construction you would like to highlight?
We continue to use Flax in our Flax Impact Plates as well as in our FlaxWalls. A natural woven fiber textile that is lightweight and versatile.

Are you using any new materials in your hardware for 25/26? If so, what and why? We’re interested in anything new in inserts / edges / cores / sidewalls / glue / resin/ wood types / base material / top sheet / wax / etc..
At this moment, we do not have any new materials in our board line.

Any new design or pattern approaches in your 25/26 gear? Any collabs on the line?
The 25/26 line is a very different visual than previous collections. Featuring a brighter color palette, vibrant neon hues, gradients and mixture of distinctly 90s illustration styles.

Are you planning to focus on a special product range or type of customers? What’s your newest range?
The reshaped line continues to echo our ethos of responsive boards ride better. With the newly reshaped Ravine collection for the freeride crowd, newly reshaped Agent and Artifacts for the park riders, new unisex sizing on the Service Dog and Boneless, and finally the Hype Pro handling business for the female riders.

Key Products:
The must haves for the 25/26 collection are the newly reshaped Ravine family, Agent family and Artifact family. The all-new Hype Pro and Service Dog keep the good times rolling, while the Royal and Mechanics are more versatile than ever.

SERVICE-DOG:

SERVICE-DOG

RAVINE:

RAVINE

BONELESS:

BONELESS