The Cyrusher Ripple e-snowboard.
According to a 2023 report from Fortune Business Insights, the global market for e-bikes is forecast to grow to a value of more than $119 billion by 2030. That’s not exactly a number set to upend the auto industry but a lot of that growth is going to be driven by people in metropolitan areas looking to ditch their cars and turn to electric bikes for an easy way to commute.
The boom of e-bikes in beach towns across Southern California, however, has everything to do with people looking for a quicker and easier way to get down the trail and lose that analog bike-pedaling method of getting to the beach. They’re so prominent now that Tyler Warren once launched a petition to have them banned in California state parks. So it’s fair to say that some people love them and some people can’t stand them.
Well, Utah-based e-bike company Cyrusher is banking on the group of folks who love e-bikes by introducing a very Utah-friendly innovation: the e-snowboard. The Ripple is a $2,500 board with a 3,000 watt hub motor that attaches to a backpack battery. It has a max range of 15-20km, can climb a 20-degree incline, and reaches a speed of 30 miles per hour. Bindings can be added for anywhere from $200 to $400 depending on the model and a 35-liter backpack upgrade runs $99, bringing a fresh setup to the $3,000 range.
Obviously, this probably won’t replace anybody’s backcountry setup but I think we can all picture these things traversing cross-country terrain.
