Mons Royale

Brand overview and significance

Mons Royale is a merino performance apparel brand born in Wānaka, in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and built around the idea that technical layers should work just as well at the bar as they do in a storm. Founded in 2009 by a freeride skier and a designer, Mons Royale set out to replace bland or plastic-feeling base layers with natural fibre pieces that look like streetwear but behave like technical gear. For skiers, the brand sits at the intersection of freeride, park, touring and travel—kit that you can wear for back-to-back storm days, road trips and long-haul flights without feeling or smelling cooked.

Over time, Mons Royale has grown from a small New Zealand label into an international player with distribution across Europe, North America and Australasia, while keeping its DNA rooted in merino wool and mountain culture. The brand’s focus is narrow but deep: fewer categories than a full outerwear company, but obsessive detail in base layers, mid layers, insulation and accessories that shape how your whole setup feels. That tight scope, combined with strong aesthetic identity and a visible presence in freeride and park culture, makes Mons Royale a reference name whenever skiers talk about merino layers rather than shells or skis.

Their mission is explicitly environmental as well as performance driven. Mons Royale is a Certified B Corporation, measuring itself not just on sales but on social and environmental impact. For skiers who want to reduce their dependence on oil-based synthetics without compromising function, the brand has become one of the clearest options in the merino space.

Product lines and key technologies

Mons Royale’s ski-focused range revolves around merino layers tuned for “stop–go” snow sports: hiking ridgelines, lapping lifts, building features and standing around between runs. The snow collection spans lightweight to heavyweight base layers, grid-fleece mid layers, insulated pieces, and a wide range of underwear, socks, beanies, balaclavas and neckwear. Fits run from body-hugging to relaxed, with plenty of longline tops, drop tails and roomy hoods aimed at freeride and freestyle riders who want mobility and a non-racey silhouette.

At fibre level, merino is the core technology. Mons Royale invests heavily in high-quality New Zealand and Australian merino, blended where necessary with small amounts of synthetic fibres for durability and stretch. Their proprietary merino fabric platforms, such as highly breathable, year-round jerseys and more robust merino blends for outer layers, are designed to balance warmth, breathability, odour resistance and fast drying. The result is fabric that feels soft against the skin, manages sweat efficiently and resists stink for multiple days—critical if you are riding powder one day, road-tripping the next and sleeping in a cramped van or apartment.

Construction details matter too. Many tops incorporate thumb loops to keep sleeves seated under cuffs, helmet-friendly hoods that layer cleanly under or over a lid, and longer hems to prevent gaps under a pack or harness. Bottoms often use wide waistbands that sit comfortably under bibs, with paneling that reduces bulk in boot and cuff zones. Accessories such as neck tubes and balaclavas are cut to stay put at speed without feeling restrictive, making them staples in windy chairlift lines or on sled-access missions.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

Mons Royale is built for skiers who are in their kit all day and don’t want to think about it. If your winters include early-morning storm laps, midday park sessions, sidecountry hikes and long drives between resorts, this is the kind of layering that quietly keeps you comfortable through all of it. Merino’s natural thermoregulation means you are less likely to overheat on the bootpack or freeze while taking photos at the knuckle—exactly the “stop–go” pattern that defines modern freeskiing.

Resort skiers who chase soft snow and side hits will appreciate how mid-weight base layers and grid fleeces smooth out the day: warm on the lift, breathable when you drop. Park and slopestyle riders benefit from looser silhouettes that move well for grabs, spins and switch landings, while still providing enough warmth for night sessions or windy glacier laps. Backcountry and touring skiers gravitate toward lighter merino layers that handle sweat on the skin, paired with breathable mid layers that keep things dry under a shell on long climbs.

Mons Royale also suits travellers and seasonal workers. The same kit that you wear under bibs at the hill can double as everyday clothing in town, which reduces how much you need to pack. That versatility makes the brand especially attractive to athletes, film crews and guides who live out of board bags and duffels for months at a time.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Mons Royale’s credibility in skiing comes from long-term involvement with freeride and park culture rather than just logo placement. The brand has partnered with the Freeride World Tour, including serving as official underwear and neckwear outfitter, and has outfitted FWT athletes such as Craig Murray and Jess Hotter. Mons pieces are familiar sights at Southern Hemisphere freeride events and during the Northern winter on tour stops, film shoots and backcountry projects.

On the park and pipe side, Mons Royale works with athletes who split time between World Cup or Olympic circuits, urban filming and bike seasons. New Zealand freeskier Finn Bilous, for example, appears in their communications as a rider who relies on Mons layering for both high-intensity competition days and big travel blocks. Beyond skiing, Mons Royale is a prominent supporter of Crankworx and gravity mountain-bike culture, which keeps the logo visible year-round and cements the brand as a multi-sport, dirt-and-snow label rather than a niche baselayer supplier.

Among core skiers, Mons Royale has a reputation for combining style and principle. The brand is seen as progressive on sustainability, pragmatic about performance and attentive to how real riders use their clothes. Bold color blocks and graphics, especially in earlier collections, helped shift perceptions of merino from “plain and technical” to something you actually want to wear in edits and photos. That blend of function, environmental stance and aesthetic identity earns trust with the kind of skiers who care both about how they ride and what they support.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Mons Royale’s heartland is Wānaka in the South Island of New Zealand, with day-to-day testing tied to the local Southern Alps. The brand’s story is intertwined with nearby resorts such as Cardrona and Treble Cone, as well as the wider club-field and backcountry network that makes the region a training ground for park, pipe and freeride athletes from both hemispheres. When you see Southern Hemisphere spring laps in edits from Cardrona, Mons layers are often somewhere in the mix, even if they stay hidden under bibs and hoodies.

The Wānaka flagship store on Helwick Street doubles as a community hub, showcasing the full range and giving travelling riders a place to re-kit mid-trip. Globally, Mons Royale operates from its New Zealand HQ with satellite offices in Innsbruck in the Austrian Alps and Squamish in coastal British Columbia. That triangle—Southern Alps, Tyrol, Coast Mountains—means the brand designs and tests product in three very different snowpacks, lift systems and climates, all of which influence how warm, breathable and durable each piece has to be.

Distribution runs through core mountain shops in Europe, North America and Australasia, along with a strong direct-to-consumer presence online. For Skipowd viewers planning trips, this usually translates into being able to find Mons base layers and accessories in many resort towns where modern freeski film segments are shot.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

From a build perspective, Mons Royale leans heavily on ethically sourced merino wool. The brand sources ZQ and RWS-certified merino from New Zealand and Australia, with a dedicated “Growers Club” of high-country stations near its home base. These farms prioritize animal welfare, land stewardship and traceability, feeding directly into Mons Royale’s focus on reducing environmental impact at the fibre level rather than only at the factory gate.

Garments typically use merino blends engineered for specific jobs. High-contact zones might incorporate stronger yarns or denser knits to resist pack abrasion and repeated washing, while next-to-skin layers use finer micron wool for softness. Seams are placed to minimize chafe under pack straps, hip belts or harnesses, and many pieces are built with reinforced cuffs and collar finishes to extend lifespan. The idea is that a longer-lasting garment is more sustainable than something that needs replacing every season, even before you factor in the renewable nature of the fibre itself.

Sustainability is not just about wool. As a B Corp, Mons Royale is audited across governance, workers, community and environmental metrics. The company is transparent about its manufacturing partners, publishes codes of conduct and emphasizes continuous improvement in areas like chemical management, recycled content and packaging. For skiers, that translates to a brand whose sustainability claims are backed by third-party standards, not just marketing language.

How to choose within the lineup

Choosing Mons Royale pieces for skiing starts with climate and how hard you plan to move. In colder continental winters or high, windy environments, many riders start with a mid-weight long-sleeve merino base layer, pair it with a grid-fleece or brushed merino mid layer, and then add a shell or lightly insulated jacket. In milder maritime climates, or for spring park sessions, a lighter base layer plus a versatile hooded mid layer can be enough under a shell all day.

If you spend most of your time touring or bootpacking, prioritize lighter, more breathable merino tops and bottoms that dry quickly and manage sweat. Look for features like half zips for venting and hoods that sit comfortably under a helmet. Riders focused on resort freeride and alpine missions may want thicker mid layers or insulated merino-blend jackets that can handle cold chairlift rides without feeling bulky.

Fit is another key lever. Mons Royale offers everything from slim, performance-focused cuts that disappear under race-fit shells to looser, park-inspired silhouettes that feel more like streetwear. Taller riders often appreciate extended hem lengths that stay tucked under bibs, while everyone benefits from wide, soft waistbands on bottoms and thoughtfully placed seams. Build your kit like you would your quiver of skis: a light, fast setup for big days on the move, and a warmer, more cocooned option for deep mid-winter laps or rope-tow drag days.

Why riders care

Skiers care about Mons Royale because the brand solves real problems that show up every day on snow. Merino layers that stay warm when you are still and breathable when you are charging mean fewer mid-run temperature swings and less time fussing with zips. Odour resistance makes life in tight vans, shared apartments and long-haul travel much more bearable. And the styling—rooted in freeride and bike culture rather than alpine racing—means you can keep wearing the same pieces when the cameras are on or you head downtown after last chair.

There is also a values component. For riders who pay attention to where their gear comes from, Mons Royale’s farmer relationships, traceable wool, B Corp certification and open sustainability communications carry weight. The brand’s presence at freeride events, in bike parks and across film projects reinforces the idea that it is investing back into the culture that supports it. For the Skipowd audience, Mons Royale represents a modern template for ski apparel that combines natural fibre performance, strong design and credible environmental commitments—layers that feel as good on your conscience as they do under your shell.