Gearzilla » Snow Sports Gear

Winter OR Round-Up: Osprey

nborchelt — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:00:27 +0000

www.ospreypacks.com
“The Internet of Things” was a big, buzzy phrase at last year’s CES, as online accessibility continues to become part of our daily lives. And while the outdoor industry probably won’t ever go full-cyborg on us, we have seen some smart tech-centric products over the last few years, from avalanche airbag backpacks and outdoor-focused apps to smartphone cases with batteries and high-def videos of…everything. And in fall 2013, Osprey’s Portal line of packs (pictured) will continue this trend, targeting traveler and touch screen-dependent subway riders. The seven packs, like the Tech Commute, will have touch screen-friendly see-through windows and padded sleeves for tablets and smart phones, in both messenger bag and backpack styles, starting at $99.

They’re also making packs for the more active commuter (read: the cyclists, runners, and in-line skaters—hey, we see one in DC every once in a while!). Designs like the Radial ($159) and the Spin ($139) will have a nicely vented back panel, a padded laptop sleeve, an integrated rain fly, and bike-friendly features like a dedicated U-lock pocket.

We also look forward to the new line of snow packs. The Reverb ($89), for example, will target the lift-access resort set who might also want to do some in-bound (or sidecountry) hikes. It’ll open via the back panel (so it lays in the snow with the shoulder straps facing up, thus keeping them dry), let you carry your skis diagonally (or your board vertically), and has space for all the essential backcountry tools as well as an extra layer and a hydration reservoir. The Kode ($129) ups the ante with more storage (including a stowable helmet pouch on top), the ability to carry the skis A-frame or diagonally, side-zip access, and a hydration sleeve in three different pack sizes.

Giro Combyn Soft-Shell Helmet

nborchelt — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:00:15 +0000

www.giro.com
Those few skiers and snowboarders who are still not wearing a helmet just ran out of another excuse. Available this August, Giro will introduce the Combyn, which they’re calling a “soft shell” helmet. It uses an impact-absorbing liner made with vinyl nitrate foam constructed into two distinct layers to handle both high- and low-energy impacts. Unlike most helmets on the market, this liner is compressible and flexible, and, when paired with a proprietary shell material similar to that found in hockey and football helmets, makes for a very comfortable, flexible fit without sacrificing any safety features. The helmet will have eight vents, a removable goggle holder, three fit kit sizes, and will be fully compliant with CE EC 1077 safety regulations.

Winter OR Round-Up: Mammut P.A.C. Backpack

nborchelt — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 13:00:52 +0000

www.mammut.ch

Already highly praised by the backcountry crowd due to the R.A.S. (Removable Airbag System) avalanche airbag packs, Mammut looks to make things even lighter for backcountry skiers and riders in fall 2013. The company is introducing the P.A.C. backpack—this fully R.A.S.-compliant, lightweight pack boasts better cushioning in the shoulder straps, hip belt, and back panel than the old R.A.S. packs, so the carry is more comfortable. Mammut has upped the performance quota by providing more trauma protection for the upper torso with a design that’s intended to keep you floating feet-first in the snow in the event of an avalanche. It’ll come in five new sizes, but in order for the airbag to offer full protection, wearers must have at least a 16.5-inch-long torso.

Winter OR Round-Up: Rossignol Soul 7 Ski

nborchelt — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:00:35 +0000

www.rossignol.com
Rossignol knows skiing, and it’that has never been so apparent as with their fall 2013 Line-up. The new Soul 7 reinforces Rossie’s reputation as master of the rocker ski. This medium-fat ski is a single-ski quiver—designed to float on powder, carve on groomers, and style you through choss and crust like an Olympic champ. The Soul 7 is designed for both lift-hounds and backcountry-cats—a hollowed out ABS resin tip helps to shave 20 percent off the ski weight (from last year’s S7) and lower swing weight. The lightweight ski has a solid wood core that helps with stability, plus the same smidgen of rocker on the tip and tail to make turning effortless while maintaining edge control.

The new ski measures 136/106/126, and comes in sizes 162, 174, 180, and 188. If you are in between sizes, we recommend sizing up slightly on rocker skis, as there’s less board-to-snow contact. Turn radius is 17 mm, which means the ski is nimble enough to handle the bumps. We’ll test the ski this spring and report back, but word is that its noticeably calm and stable at high speeds, and “super playful.”

Winter OR Round-Up: Scarpa Freedom SL Ski Boot

nborchelt — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:00:46 +0000

www.scarpa.com
Partnering with Chris Davenport, one of the most accomplished big mountain athletes skiing today, Scarpa will release a line of ridiculously nice, new free-ride boots next season. The Freedom SL ($750) is the Cadillac of the line, weighing in at three pounds and 13 ounces, with an interchangeable metal sole system that’ll let you step into any kind of alpine or AT binding. The four-buckle boot will have a new shell mold and construction to reduce the overall volume, and a carbon-fiber core adds stiffness to this otherwise soft boot. The ski/walk mechanism (which hinges at the back of the boot) provides 27 degrees of movement, with seven degrees of resistance and 20 degrees of forward flex. That means you can hike uphill unfettered—you’ll even appreciate the flexibility when you’re hoofing it from your car to the ski lodge. The boot will also come with Scarpa’s heat-moldable Intuition liners, some of the lightest and most comfortable on the market. Oh, and the graphics for each boot are unique, which may appeal to some free-riders more than all the tech specs we love!

Bern G2 Helmet

nborchelt — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:00:31 +0000

bernunlimited.com
As one tester who’s spent over a decade urban cycling can attest, 2012 marked the year of the hard helmet. Legions of single-speed city riders (like our tester) have gotten over the vanity of biking sans protection. And most of ‘em have eschewed the cycle-obsessed, aerodynamic designs for skateboard-inspired models like those made by Bern. In East Coast locales it seems as if Bern has cornered the market. With helmets like their G2, it’s easy to understand why. But let us not pigeon-hole the G2 as solely a cycling helmet. Bern has made its mark on the ski and riding scene as much as in urban cycling circles, and this versatile helmet is equally at home on the slopes as it is in the saddle. The all-weather helmet is made of Bern’s proprietary “Zipmold” hard foam, a liquid foam-injection process that delivers better weight-to-strength ratio, resulting in a lighter, low-profile helmet that meets all the safety standards. The snap-in winter liner adds additional warmth—a feature we loved on blizzard-condition days, or when we faced temps in the teens during our daily commute. Up top, an easy-access slide lets you adjust the airflow through eight strategically positioned vents, which is a great feature as you ride (or ski or bike) into spring. And when the snow melts and you are relegated to just the bike, swap out the winter lining for the EPS Summer Comfort Liner ($15) and keep on pedaling. We tested it in warm fall temps, and didn’t overheat (thanks especially to the vents), but we suspect the helmet could prove hot in the humid, 100-degree-plus days of late July and August (likely something specific to this helmet). One bit of advice: before ordering, assure your fit is spot-on. Unlike some bike and snow helmets, there’s no fit adjustment here, a feature that certainly reduces the weight but also could prove prohibitive if your hair style (and corresponding hair volume) varies more than David Bowie’s.
The helmet includes a goggle strap clip in the back; audio knit liners with speakers in the ear pads are available for $60

Obermeyer Iconic Jacket

nborchelt — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:00:31 +0000

www.obermeyer.com
Learning to help your kids love winter is a snap when they’re wearing the right apparel. We love this jacket as it allows you to outfit your teen with a highly functional piece that survives the fashion crucible without costing a fortune. The Iconic Jacket is sized to fit girls up to the age of 18, with a slight shape (no slacker look here) and flattering, longer waist. The waterproof/breathable jacket held up to storm days on Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor, when winds reached 40 and temps plummeted to single digits. Our tester, a respected junior alpine racer, raved about the warmth, suppleness, and fit of the Iconic—the coat moved with her, whether she was running gates or hiking the Cone. Obermeyer, one of the most respected brands in ski apparel, was founded in 1947 in Aspen, Colorado, by Klaus Obermeyer, who at 93 is still leading the company. The brand specializes in high-end but fairly-priced mountain apparel—and is one of the few brands that serve youth and teens with equal seriousness as men and women. The Iconic really mimics its name with a classic, feminine shape that never goes out of style. Inside the jacket’s clean lines and longer silhouette you’ll find 140 grams of warm Permaloft insulation in the body and 100 grams in the sleeves to provide warmth without bulk. The exterior is a striped jacquard made of a polyester/CD polyester print with HydroBlock V (Obermeyer’s proprietary microporous waterproofing). Obermeyer’s CZV, a control zone ventilation system, maintains warmth, but breathes and wicks moisture, so there’s no wetness, even on crazy pow days. As with all youth and teen Obermeyer products, the Iconic jacket uses the company’s innovative EWS (extended wear system) to maximize wear time—meaning the jacket will last several seasons, not just several runs.

Salomon Instinct Ski Boots

nborchelt — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:00:32 +0000

www.salomon.com/us/
If you invest in one piece of alpine ski gear this season, consider new boots. We’ve tested literally dozens of women-specific alpine ski boots, and Salomon’s Instinct became our favorite due to its excellent power transfer and pain-free ride. The boot helped us float through heavy Oregon powder, and then transition to hard-pack groomers. It is designed for front-side carving, with an extraordinary nimbleness and control. You quickly notice that turning is easier as the boot has amazing sensitivity—almost as if it were reacting to your thoughts; it’s easy to see why they named these boots “Instinct.” It combines the performance of a World Cup racing boot with all-day comfort, which is saying a lot if you’ve ever skied in WC boots before. Credit the heat-customizable PU shell (with the same World Cup technology used in race boots, designed to expand precisely to the width of your foot for optimal fit and performance), and a heat-customizable liner that conforms to your foot. The liner is warm and cradles your foot with no sloppy dead space. This four-buckle boot comes in three flex patterns, 70, 90, and 100. We like the 100 flex for aggressive “expert” skiers, but if you’re under 120 pounds and a beginning or intermediate skier, definitely go with the softer 70 or 90 which will allow you to get more out of the boot, so that you’re flexing your ankles to initiate turns. The cuffs are designed for a woman’s calves, with padding that is soft and comfortable without being squishy. Extra control is via a Velcro power strap that cranks in the fit and locks your foot into a forward, aggressive position to help keep you out of the back seat, with your weight on the balls of your feet where it belongs.

EZ Fit Snow Insoles

nborchelt — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:00:58 +0000

ezfitinsoles.com
Nothing ruins an epic day on the mountain faster than aching feet after the first few runs. The solution—buying a new pair of ski or snowboard boots—certainly tantalizes. But the problem could very well be your footbed—the removable foot-shaped pad (insole) that sits directly under your foot in the boot. That’s where EZ-Fit comes in. Application is a breeze: free the old factory insoles from inside your boots, use them as a pattern to trim the Snow insoles with a sharp pair of scissors, then drop ‘em in. They start to mold to the contours of your feet the moment you put on the boots.You’ll quickly notice better stability, less foot fatigue and improved control on edging and power transfer. The cushioning and comfort provided also helps you avoid pain in the foot, knee, hip, and lower back, breathing new life into your ski and snowboard boots—and hopefully to your next outing to the slopes.

Bergans of Norway Storebjorn Salopette Ski Bibs

nborchelt — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:01:22 +0000

www.bergans.no
Bibs may seem like the kind of ski product reserved for kids, but I love them—they give you really bomb-proof coverage against the snow, especially in the deep stuff, when snow can wiggle its way under your jacket hem. And these bibs from Bergans of Norway pull out all the stops. They incorporate full water-resistant zippers down the legs, easily adjustable suspenders, and removable gators, and two mesh pockets up front. The three-layer water- and windproof membrane kept me safe from the elements, but they had enough stretch to make ‘em comfortable and mobile, especially on long skins into the backcountry (or while pulling tricky moves while mountaineering). The zipper fly also makes attending the calls of nature much easier than I remembered when I was a kid—which is wonderful! A Recco avalanche rescue reflector has been integrated into the pants, offering some comfort when heading into the backcountry, but I’m not a big fan of the mesh thigh pockets. No matter what you have in them, they feel over-stuffed.
-Chris Boyle