Madd Snowboards are hand made in Italy using the best materials available. Our wood cores are custom milled in-house to each board's specifications. We feel that the products that go into the manufacturing of the boards is worth the extra money because it allows our board to be of a higher quality. Better Materials and Resins (which cost a bloody fortune) make for a livelier, more responsive board which in turn allows the rider to become more responsive, see Madd1.com for details.http://www.madd1.comshapeimage_2_link_0