Union Binding Co. Introducing Union Lab – Our Epicenter of Innovation
Introducing Union Lab – Our Epicenter of Innovation Established in 2024, the
Austen Sweetin Talks His New Lib Tech Mayhem Collection Board: The All-New Sweet Fish.
The 25/26 Lib Tech x Mayhem Collection is Matt Biolos’ most refined dream-board statement to date with purpose-built shapes designed to handle everything the mountain can throw at you. Leading the charge is the all-new Sweet Fish, Austen Sweetin’s surf-slashing, pow-blasting resort ripper, built for riders who want one board that feels just as good laying trenches as it does weaving through trees.
We caught up with Austen Sweetin to talk dream boards, surf DNA, and how the Sweet Fish came to life as part of the Lib Tech Mayhem Collection.
You’ve been with Lib Tech for years and now have two pro models. Walk us through the whole process of creating your dream board with the Mervin crew – from the first sketch to the final product on snow.
The conversation started between Jesse Burtner and I in the office one day. We were chatting boards and concepts, we chatted about how amazing it would be to name a board the “rig”. Fast forward some time, the opportunity to turn that dream in to reality. By that time, I had ridden more or less every board in the Lib line and was familiar with all of the different geometries. I had and still have, kept a log of all the board specs of every board I have ridden. When it came time to create the Lib-Rig, I wanted to blend the past, present, and future into one board. Using the collective of knowledge from years of experimenting and riding boards, into a present day all around timeless board, that would push the boundaries and progression of snowboarding into the future. I truly believe that we developed a timeless all around snowboarded that thrives in mountain conditions and powder. It allows you to trust your rig and focus on riding without having to focus on what’s beneath your feet.
What makes a Lib Tech board feel so different from everything else on the market for you personally? True inner alignment, knowing that every board is built with zero hazardous waste by snowboarders in a eco friendly factory at the base of the cascades.
When you sit down with Mike Olson and the shapers, how do you even start? Do you bring drawings, surf clips, photos of lines you want to ride, or is it more “vibes”?
I usually have a concept accompanied by a drawing with specs. I’ll make a mood board of different boards, shapes, and ideas that I like and am inspired by. Then the process starts where we collaborate on all the possibilities we can dream up until we create, what we think, should be the final board design.
The Lib Rig is basically your daily driver. What exactly did you want this board to do that nothing else in the line-up could?
I wanted to create an all mountain snowboard that catered to the all mountain freestyle rider. A board that charges pow, but also holds up in the not so good conditions. A board you can rail carves on groomers and bounce around on all your favorite natty hits. A board that when you strap in and ride, you don’t have to think because you know it will do exactly what you want it to do. A board to land and ride switch on and even be able to take a few laps through the park on if you feel so inclined. The Lib-Rig was created for the boarder that loves the mountain and all the conditions and terrain it has to offer you. It has truly been, the ultimate rig.
Where do you ride the Rig the most – resort pow days, sidecountry, big-mountain missions, or everything?
Everything. It excels in powder and pow days on the resort. I will ride this daily and then I will ride the sweet fish on the really deep pow days and in the spring when the mountain turns to slush. If I step into a full park day, I will then ride the Off Ramp.
What’s the one detail on the Rig that people always miss but makes the biggest difference for you?
I’d say the blend of the side cut radius and contact length. We tried to find the balance between playfulness and aggressiveness. It’s a unique blend and I’ve found it to work quite well.
The Sweetfish is a pretty wild concept – a snowboard shaped by one of the best surfboard shapers on the planet, Matt Biolos. How did that collaboration even start?
It happened pretty naturally. I have ridden a lot of Lib x Lost boards over the years and have been a fan of the shapes and concepts they have created. I forget if I mentioned it or Biolos mentioned it, but at some point the conversation started about doing a collab board one day. A few seasons ago during a spring mammoth session with Matt we started the conversation and started working on what now is the “Sweet Fish”.
What surfboard DNA did you and Matt deliberately bring into the Sweet Fish, and how does that translate on snow?
In 2019 before a surf trip to the Mentawai’s I reached out to Matt and asked him what two boards I should bring. One of those boards ended up being a 5’0’’ RNF Retro and to this day, is still a magic board for me. It’s the board I surf most at home and I bring it on every trip. The concept of an all around performance fish that you can take out in fun playful surf but can handle proper surf as well. When we started to brainstorm for our board I sent Matt a photo of that board, that he shaped, and said lets make the snowboard equivalent of this. It has such a beautiful shape and I love the pulled in swallow tail with the side cut, I knew that I wanted to bring this concept into a snowboard.
You guys went back and forth a lot on the outline, rocker, and sidecut. What were the biggest surprises when you finally rode the first prototypes?
How easy it was to ride. When I first rode it on a team trip to Baldface Valhalla I felt like I was cheating, it was so easy and fun to ride. It floated and carved like a dream allowing you to open it up on the wide open faces and groove through the trees. Every time I rode the Sweet Fish I smiled, I just smiled, because riding that board got me stoked. Then, at mammoth in the spring, I unlocked a whole new realm of greatness in the slush and mini pipe. It was then I realized we accomplished exactly what I dreamt of the board being.
The Sweet Fish has that super-wide platform and early-rise nose. Where does it absolutely destroy – Japan trees, slushy park laps, Alaskan spines?
This is the ultimate Japan pow board and I can’t wait to ride it this coming January there. It excels in powder, tree riding, all mountain slushy cruising, and transitional park riding such as mini pipe. Surfs up!
Be honest: how many times did Biolos say “that will never work on snow” before you convinced him?
I don’t think he ever said that. He was pretty stoked on the concept and sent some renderings shortly after I presented the concept.
Lib Tech is famous for weird materials and construction (MagneTraction, Horsepower, Banana Tech…). Which of those technologies do you fight for hardest when designing your models?
It really depends on the board. There are so many amazing technologies that all serve a purpose and it’s all about taking those technologies and seeing which one is best suited for the board.
Last season you guys did another Baldface trip with Eric Jackson, Chris Rasman, and Travis Rice. What went down that week that we haven’t seen in the footage yet?
Sounds like you’re going to have to wait until you see the footage…
Your “Board Slide Worldwide” video series is legendary. Which slide was the sketchiest, and which one are you still the most proud of?
I’m most proud of “wind Slab”. We spent the whole year filming at home and over half of that video was filmed within the resort and within a short bootlick outside of the resort. It made me realize how much you can get done with minimal resources.
Sketchiest, we try not to be sketchy, but we almost got stuck on a island in Japan right before covid when shutdowns and travel restrictions were coming into play.
You’ve competed in Natural Selection a few times now. How does riding in front of judges and cameras change your approach compared to a normal film mission?
I try to approach it organically. The human enhanced terrain allows you to mix freestyle with free riding which are my two favorite things.
Any secret film projects cooking for 2025/26 we should know about?
Two bigger film projects that I am really excited about, they are still in the early stages so I can’t yet speak to them. We have a few board slide worldwide videos as well that will be released this season between filming for the bigger videos.
If you had to pick only one of your boards for the rest of your life – Rig or Sweetfish – which one and why?
“Sweet-Rig” a new ATV Hybrid.
What’s the next dream board you want to build with Lib Tech that doesn’t even exist yet?
I’d love to develop a split board. I have a few dreams and ideas that I would be stoked to see come to life in a split board.
Whether it’s the surf-driven flow of the Sweet Fish, the high-speed precision of the Rocket, or the freestyle bite of the Rad Ripper, the Lib Tech x Mayhem Collection is built around one simple idea: boards designed by riders who actually use them. For Austen Sweetin, the Sweet Fish isn’t about chasing trends or reinventing the wheel — it’s about trust, feel, and building something that makes you want to ride more. And honestly, that’s the whole point.
Introducing Union Lab – Our Epicenter of Innovation Established in 2024, the
From first turns to fast laps, these are the snowboard gifts that
From cosy layers and outerwear to travel bags and tech, these are
