When an engineer from Elon Musk's SpaceX reached out to us about creating a special Space X snowboard for members of the company – we were thrilled. For us small, grassroots snowboard-makers to have been approached by one of the world's most innovative companies on the cutting edge of rocket design was a real 'out of world' experience for us.

The engineers were looking to create a custom snowboard exclusively for SpaceX employees. We started off playing with rocket-shaped decks with Mars and Falcon Heavy imagery.

After several rounds of design prototyping, we converged on the idea of using the much-loved Malibu snowboard shape but making a 'Mars Edition' aesthetic.

Taking inspiration from the Red Planet's surface, we gave the board an ochre-effect base, a rocket-ship top sheet, and we added a message to humanity along the edges: 'Gateway to Mars'.

It's been a huge pleasure to work with SpaceX engineers on this snowboard, and a sign of how far Moonchild has come since our inception in 2015. From crafting unusual decks in a basement workshop in Slovenia, to making a custom board for SpaceX staff, it shows what can happen when you set a course for the stars, ignite your engines and lift off into the unknown galaxy with only the passion for creating something new as your booster fuel.

The Malibu Mars will be available for delivery as a limited-edition snowboard in November 2024 – so if you'd like a piece of this special intergalatic board – which WhiteLines Magazine have ranked in their Top 7 Freeride Sowboards two years in row – order now.

Article by Sam Baldwin, Moonchild Mag editor and author of two travel-memoir books: 'For Fukui's Sake; Two years in rural Japan', and 'Dormice & Moonshine; Falling for Slovenia'.