Fifty-six brand guides to board sports — surf, skate, snow and ski — and who owns the brands.
Board-sports brands carry a lot of scene credibility, and their ownership is often more corporate than the image. These guides set it out.
Who owns the board brand
Quiksilver, Billabong and Element are Authentic Brands Group labels; Rip Curl belongs to New Zealand’s KMD Brands; Firewire is owned by Kelly Slater; Armada is an Amer Sports brand; Blizzard belongs to the Tecnica Group; and Lib Tech is owned by Altamont. Nidecker, a Swiss family maker since 1887, is the group behind Jones and Flow.
Skate distribution
Many skateboard deck brands sit inside distributors: Real, Anti-Hero and Krooked under Deluxe; Creature and Santa Cruz under NHS; Baker and Deathwish under Bakerboys; Toy Machine and Foundation under Tum Yeto; and Chocolate and Girl under Crailtap. Others, such as Polar, Palace and Primitive, are independent.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers who owns the name today, where the products are made — by the maker’s own account and, where it differs, by other sources — and the brand’s visual identity. A company’s description of itself is attributed to the company, and where a business has closed we say so plainly. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Surfboards
Channel Islands, Lost, DHD, Pyzel, JS Industries, Haydenshapes and Firewire.
- Channel Islands — The Californian surfboard house of 1969, Al Merrick’s hand-shaped boards from Carpinteria, family-owned again.
- Lost — The San Clemente surfboard label of Matt “Mayhem” Biolos, US-shaped and licensed around the world.
- DHD — Darren Handley Designs, the Gold Coast surfboard house that builds its world-title boards in Australia.
- Pyzel — The Hawaiian surfboard house of Jon Pyzel, John John Florence’s shaper, built on Oahu and in California.
- JS Industries — Jason Stevenson’s Gold Coast surfboard house, the Monsta and a world-title pedigree.
- Haydenshapes — Hayden Cox’s Australian surfboard house, the FutureFlex carbon-rail tech and the Hypto Krypto.
- Firewire — The tech-driven surfboard house made in its own Thailand factory, owned by Kelly Slater.
Skate houses
Santa Cruz, Powell-Peralta, Element, Girl, Anti-Hero, Palace and Polar.
- Santa Cruz — The Californian skate house of 1973, an NHS brand of the Screaming Hand and a US manufacturing heritage.
- Powell-Peralta — The Bones Brigade house of 1978, pressing its own decks in California, including the composite Flight deck.
- Element — The American skate-and-lifestyle brand of 1992, offshore-made and owned by Authentic Brands Group.
- Girl — The rider-owned Californian skate house of 1993, the modern-man logo and the Crailtap family.
- Anti-Hero — The San Francisco skate brand of 1995, raw street-skate under Deluxe, US-pressed.
- Palace — The London skate house of 2009, decks and drop-model streetwear from an independent, founder-led brand.
- Polar — The Malmö skate house of 2011, Pontus Alv’s artist-driven decks from an independent Swedish brand.
Snowboards
Nidecker, Burton, Lib Tech, Nitro, Never Summer, Capita and Jones.
- Nidecker — The Swiss board-sports house since 1887, a family maker that became the group behind Jones and Flow.
- Burton — The Vermont snowboard house of 1977, Jake Burton’s pioneer brand, designed in Vermont and made in Austria.
- Lib Tech — The Washington-made snowboard house, Mervin-built in Sequim with an eco factory, owned by Altamont.
- Nitro — The Seattle-founded snowboard house of 1990, snowboarder-owned, boards built in its own European factory.
- Never Summer — The Denver snowboard house of 1991, family-owned and hand-built in its own Colorado factory.
- Capita — The independent snowboard house that built its own clean-energy factory in Austria, the Mothership.
- Jones — The freeride and splitboard house of Jeremy Jones, made in Europe under the Nidecker Group.
Wetsuits and surf brands
O’Neill, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Billabong, Xcel, Vissla and Hurley.
- O’Neill — The Santa Cruz surf house of 1952, Jack O’Neill’s wetsuit, now licensor-operated across regions.
- Rip Curl — The Torquay surf house of 1969, wetsuit innovator, now owned by New Zealand’s KMD Brands.
- Quiksilver — The Torquay boardshort pioneer of 1969, now an Authentic Brands Group label alongside Billabong and Element.
- Billabong — The Burleigh Heads surf house of 1973, boardshort and wetsuit pioneer, now an Authentic Brands Group label.
- Xcel — The Hawaii wetsuit specialist of 1982, an independent maker that does one thing well.
- Vissla — The California surf brand of 2013, a modern independent of eco wetsuits and creative surf craft.
- Hurley — The California surf brand of 1999, founded by Bob Hurley, owned by Nike then Bluestar Alliance.
Skis
Völkl, Stöckli, Blizzard, Elan, Black Crows, DPS and Armada.
- Völkl — The Bavarian ski house of 1923, the Mantra, one of the world’s largest premium ski factories in Straubing.
- Stöckli — The Swiss ski house of 1935, premium skis handmade in Malters, the only ski factory left in Switzerland.
- Blizzard — The Austrian ski house of 1945, made in Mittersill, a Tecnica Group brand (not the game studio).
- Elan — The Slovenian ski house of 1945, made in Begunje, the pioneer of the parabolic carving ski.
- Black Crows — The Chamonix freeride ski brand of 2006, founder-started, now controlled by a holding company.
- DPS — The Utah ski house of 2005, a carbon-fibre pioneer that hand-builds its premium skis in Salt Lake City.
- Armada — The athlete-founded freeski brand of 2002, the ARV park ski, now an Amer Sports brand.
Skateboard decks, part 1
Real, Anti-Hero, Creature, Baker, Chocolate, Toy Machine and Zero.
- Real Skateboards — The San Francisco deck brand founded in 1991 by Jim Thiebaud and Tommy Guerrero, run by Deluxe Distribution.
- Anti-Hero — The San Francisco deck brand founded by Julien Stranger in the mid-1990s, run by Deluxe Distribution.
- Creature Skateboards — The Santa Cruz deck brand run by NHS, Inc., the long-standing distributor behind Santa Cruz Skateboards.
- Baker Skateboards — The deck brand founded in 2000 by Andrew Reynolds and Jay Strickland, run by Bakerboys Distribution.
- Chocolate Skateboards — The Los Angeles deck brand founded in 1994 by Mike Carroll and Rick Howard, run by Crailtap alongside Girl.
- Toy Machine — The deck brand founded in 1993 by Ed Templeton, run under Tum Yeto distribution.
- Zero Skateboards — The deck brand founded in 1996 by Jamie Thomas, which passed through Dwindle distribution and returned to independent operation in 2016.
Skateboard decks, part 2
Krooked, Deathwish, Foundation, Almost, Alien Workshop, Habitat and Primitive.
- Krooked Skateboards — Mark Gonzales’s deck brand, founded in 2002 as a Deluxe Distribution brand in San Francisco.
- Deathwish Skateboards — The deck brand distributed by Bakerboys, sister to Baker, widely attributed to Erik Ellington and Jim Greco.
- Foundation Skateboards — The deck brand run by Tum Yeto, the San Diego house of Tod Swank, sister to Toy Machine.
- Almost Skateboards — Rodney Mullen and Daewon Song’s deck brand, from 2003, distributed by Dwindle Distribution.
- Alien Workshop — The Ohio deck brand from 1990 that passed through several owners, ceased in 2014, and was revived as an independent Ohio company.
- Habitat Skateboards — The deck brand now operated by The Sovereign Sect in Portland, Oregon, with a nature-leaning visual world.
- Primitive — The independent Los Angeles deck brand launched in 2014 by Paul Rodriguez and Andy Netkin.
Skateboard decks, part 3
Welcome, April, Quasi, Frog, Hockey, DGK and There.
- Welcome Skateboards — The independent, self-funded deck brand founded in 2010 by Jason Celaya, known for its art-forward, shaped decks.
- April Skateboards — The independent deck brand founded in 2019 by pro skater Shane O’Neill, a technical, US-based brand with a world-class team.
- Quasi Skateboards — The art-driven deck brand that grew out of Mother and is self-distributed under the Mother Collective.
- Frog Skateboards — The playful, DIY, artist-run independent deck brand with an irreverent, community-focused world.
- Hockey Skateboards — The stark, mid-2010s deck brand run under FA World Entertainment by Jason Dill and Anthony Van Engelen.
- DGK Skateboards — The deck brand founded by Stevie Williams, its “Dirty Ghetto Kids” name a reclaimed put-down from his Philadelphia come-up.
- There Skateboards — The queer- and trans-centered skateboard brand that emerged around 2019–2020, built around community.
At a glance: who owns the name and where it is made
Taken from each guide’s fact panel, as of October 2026. Ownership and production change; follow the link for sources and detail.
| Brand | Founded | Owner | Where made |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alien Workshop | 1990 | See guide | See guide |
| Almost Skateboards | 2003 | See guide | See guide |
| Anti-Hero | 1995 (San Francisco) | Deluxe | US-pressed (Deluxe) |
| Anti-Hero | mid-1990s | See guide | See guide |
| April Skateboards | 2019 | Independent | See guide |
| Armada | 2002 (Park City) | Amer Sports | Europe (reported) |
| Baker Skateboards | 2000 | See guide | See guide |
| Billabong | 1973 (Burleigh Heads) | Authentic Brands Group | Offshore |
| Black Crows | 2006 (Chamonix) | Sandagan holding | Designed Chamonix, made Europe |
| Blizzard | 1945 (Mittersill) | Tecnica Group | Mittersill, Austria |
| Burton | 1977 (Vermont) | Carpenter family | Designed VT, made Austria |
| Capita | ~2000 (Seattle) | Independent (C3) | Austria (own factory) |
| Channel Islands | 1969 (Carpinteria, CA) | Merrick family | Carpinteria, USA |
| Chocolate Skateboards | 1994 | See guide | See guide |
| Creature Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Deathwish Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| DGK Skateboards | early 2000s | See guide | See guide |
| DHD | ~1994 (Gold Coast) | Handley (indep.) | Gold Coast, Australia |
| DPS | 2005 (Salt Lake City) | Independent | Salt Lake City (premium) |
| Elan | 1945 (Begunje) | Slovenian (Skimar) | Begunje, Slovenia |
| Element | 1992 (USA) | Authentic Brands Group | Offshore |
| Firewire | 2006 (Carlsbad, CA) | Kelly Slater | Thailand factory |
| Foundation Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Frog Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Girl | 1993 (Torrance, CA) | Crailtap | US heritage |
| Habitat Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Haydenshapes | 1997 (Mona Vale, NSW) | Cox (indep.) | Australia + US |
| Hockey Skateboards | mid-2010s | See guide | See guide |
| Hurley | 1999 (California) | Bluestar Alliance | Offshore |
| Jones | 2009 (Truckee, CA) | Nidecker Group | Europe (Nidecker) |
| JS Industries | ~1996 (Gold Coast) | Stevenson (indep.) | Gold Coast + licensed |
| Krooked Skateboards | 2002 | See guide | See guide |
| Lib Tech | 1977 (Washington) | Altamont (Mervin) | Sequim, USA |
| Lost | ~1990 (San Clemente) | Biolos (indep.) | US-shaped + licensed |
| Never Summer | 1991 (Denver) | Canaday family | Denver, USA |
| Nidecker | 1887 (Switzerland) | Nidecker family | Engineered in Switzerland |
| Nitro | 1990 (Seattle) | Independent | Own factory (Europe) |
| O’Neill | 1952 (Santa Cruz) | Licensed (Sisco/La Jolla) | Offshore |
| Palace | 2009 (London) | Independent | Undisclosed |
| Polar | 2011 (Malmö, Sweden) | Independent | Undisclosed |
| Powell-Peralta | 1978 (Santa Barbara) | Independent | Pressed in USA |
| Primitive | 2014 | Independent | See guide |
| Pyzel | ~1995 (North Shore, Oahu) | Pyzel family | Hawaii + California |
| Quasi Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Quiksilver | 1969 (Torquay) | Authentic Brands Group | Offshore |
| Real Skateboards | 1991 | See guide | See guide |
| Rip Curl | 1969 (Torquay) | KMD Brands | Offshore (Asia) |
| Santa Cruz | 1973 (Santa Cruz, CA) | NHS Inc. | US heritage |
| Stöckli | 1935 (Malters) | Independent (Swiss) | Malters, Switzerland |
| There Skateboards | See guide | See guide | See guide |
| Toy Machine | 1993 | See guide | See guide |
| Vissla | 2013 (California) | Independent (Naude) | Offshore |
| Völkl | 1923 (Straubing) | Elevate (Kohlberg) | Straubing, Germany |
| Welcome Skateboards | 2010 | Independent | See guide |
| Xcel | 1982 (Hawaii) | Independent | Offshore (reported Thailand) |
| Zero Skateboards | 1996 | See guide | See guide |
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Quiksilver and Billabong?
Authentic Brands Group, according to our guides.
Who owns Firewire surfboards?
Kelly Slater, according to our guide.
See also our outdoor gear brand guidelines.
Part of our Sports & Outdoors brand guidelines. See also all collections.