The temperature continues to drop and skiers and snowboarders anxiously anticipate the first run on a powder-coated mountain. And with new snow comes new gear.
Every year, ski and snowboarding brands release new products that they claim to be better than the last year’s gear.
When students are planning their trip up the mountain to ski, these are some of the top-rated products they can buy to experience the mountain with a new foot forward and a new set of eyes.
Transworld Snowboarding created a list of the top 10 snowboarding products for this snow season.
Thirty Two released a new boot that caters to backcountry snowboarders. Some of its features include waterproof Cordura laces, a Vibram sole and a collar piece that makes the boot easier to walk in.
Professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones really liked this boot, according to the Thirty Two team. “We designed this specifically for Jeremy Jones,” said Brian Cook, a designer and global brand director for Thirty Two, in an interview with The House.
“Jeremy has complained about his laces freezing to the point that he can’t get them off at night and has to sleep in them,” Cook said. “We designed this front cover with a lined zipper so the laces won’t freeze.”
For snowboarders who enjoy riding through trees, K2 released a snowboard called the Cool Bean. This board takes riders back almost 30 years. The board has a swallowtail, where the end of the board splits into two. This snowboard is a good ride through powder, groomed runs and trees.
BYU student Sam Zarbock has snowboarded for most of his life and recommends the brand Ride. “I have owned quite a few snowboards,” Zarbock said. “The majority of my snowboards have been Ride. It’s a good brand. They are durable and not too expensive.”
Zarbock said out of the six snowboards he has bought, five of them have been a Ride snowboard.
Spark developed its first bindings catered to women, which run down to a size 5. This lightweight boot has an adjustable base plate and a more adjustable range.
Onthesnow.com also created a list for the best value skis for the 2015–2016 season.
The best skis for skiers who enjoy the powder are the Bodacious by Blizzard, according to the list. These skis include a Flipcore technology recently developed by Blizzard. By flipping the core upside down during manufacturing, it adds rocker. The skis are designed to handle big mountain skiing.
Professional skier Arne Beckstrom tested this pair of skis. “This ski is a pow slayer that can pivot, carve or schmear,” Beckstrom said in an interview with onthesnow.com.
Other testers ranked this ski the highest for stability and average for playfulness.
For women skiers, one of the top ranked pair of skis is the Blizzard Black Pearl.
The Blizzard Black Pearl skis are similar to the Bodacious because the core of the ski is also flipped upside down. This creates a camber in the tail and tip without bending the ski.
Ben Collett is a BYU student who grew up snowboarding in Utah but recently decided to take up skiing.
Collett currently skis on Dynastar skis. “They are twin tips,” Collett said. “I am not that good, but I wanted skis that I could be able to go in the park and learn stuff, but at the same time I also wanted to go in powder and all over the mountain.”
Transworld Snowboarding’s top 10 list features Vonzipper goggles. The Jetpack Tru-Def goggle has a reflective lens. These goggles also come with an extra lens, which can be changed with a few easy buttons on the goggles.
