For skis, boards and especially ski boots (i'm not sure how snowboard boots are made) you need to make a whole size run which drives the cost of molds/forms up.

For skis, boards and especially ski boots (i'm not sure how snowboard boots are made) you need to make a whole size run which drives the cost of molds/forms up. Its also more expensive to prototype since you can't hand shape a one off design. Ski shapes were evolving rapidly but have started to stabilize a bit so maybe we'll see costs go down but we're also seeing a push into lighter weight materials (and for the boots and bindings more mechanically complex designs) as backcountry touring gear is the area seeing the most consistent sales growth of late.