Gearzilla » Snowboarding

Mammut Extreme Siam Gloves

nborchelt — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:00:50 +0000

www.mammut.ch, nine ounces
We talk a lot here at Gearzilla about one’s relationship to gear. How one item in our arsenal suddenly becomes our go-to must-have, the one that you describe to anyone who will listen. For one intrepid, snow-obsessed tester that had been his pair of Mammut ski gloves, which were stolen last year (or…left behind after après). This season we arranged for him to test a pair of the Extreme Siams, and all of his prior allegiance is like dust in the wind. These two-chamber gloves are a worthy partner for all high-alpine applications. The “upper” chamber (read: wearing the glove with the full use of insulation) provides hearty protection against the cold, cold winter. Then, in warmer conditions or when more dexterity is needed, you slip into the lower chamber, which pushes the insulation to the back of the hand and gives you solid tactility. The palms are lined with tough sheep leather, while the outer shell keeps things dry thanks to a Gore-Tex XCR three-layer waterproof/breathable insert. The glove has been pre-curved for optimal fit, with reinforced knuckles, a wicking liner, Velcro straps at the wrist, and easy pull cords on the gauntlet-style cuffs. Pull loops make it easy to get ‘em on (even if your hand is wet), but we do wish they also had interior wrist leashes. That would make us feel safer about yanking them off while on the lift—or keep us from leaving ‘em behind after one too many.

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.

Ibex Kid’s Hooded Indie and Indie Long Johns

nborchelt — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:00:32 +0000

shop.ibex.com
You won’t find better fitting, more stylish base layers for kids than the Indie hoodie and long johns from Ibex. Both pieces are made out of superfine, 18.5 New Zealand merino wool. This is the outfit you’ll dress your kids in for cold days at school (the pants come in bright colors as well as black, and look rad with boots). They are light enough to be worn under jeans, but really show their backcountry creds under snow pants, with a soft next-to-skin feel, just the right amount of warmth, and an unbelievably feather-like weight. Plus, in contrast to other wool base layers we’ve tested for kids, these don’t snag, run, or pill. Our test samples have 40-plus days in action. They’ve been washed a dozen times and still look new. Colors are vibrant—we like the Cherry Bomb orange for girls, and a mellower “turf” for boys. The hoodie has flatlock seams and ragland sleeves, so there are no hot spots when worn under a jacket or with a pack. Plus there are thumb holes—the sleeves are a bit long, and can be pulled down over hands to thwart cold and keep out snow. A seven-inch front zipper lets kids vent off excess heat, and makes the top easier to pull on and take off. You might think a hood is superfluous on a base layer, but it adds extra warmth under a ski or bike helmet in the winter and provides sun protection in the summer.
The Hoodie and Long Johns comes in sizes small to large (5/6 to 12) and the Indie Long Johns; we recommend going up a size—that way the child should be able to squeeze in at least two to three years of wear.

Tested In:

Good For: skiing, snowboarding, everyday, for when pajamas are too much trouble

Winter OR Round-Up: Outdoor Research

nborchelt — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:00:19 +0000

Outdoor Research has been in the game for amost three decades, but we’ve really fallen in love with their products over the last few years. (The company was started by a hard-core purist named Ron Gregg, who died in an avalanche in 2003. Dan Nordstrom, of the eponymous retail giant, stepped up to continue the tradition of dependable gear at a fair price.) And, if their booth at Winter Outdoor Retailer is any indication, that love affair should continue well into the fall 2013 season.

Just as their ubiquitous “OR” logo will expand into a stamp design with the full company name, their design aesthetic has evolved in new and promising ways. Thankfully, this move also includes some interesting innovation. Take the Floodlight jacket ($375, pictured), a 800-fill down jacket wrapped in a Pertex Shield+ waterproof-breathable shell, bonding the interior to the exterior for superior performance. This cold-weather warrior leads a variety of ski- and snowboard-specific appear in their fall 2013 line, including the new sidecountry-specific Valhalla hoody ($350) made with stretchy Gore Tex Windstopper with a touch screen-compatible internal pocket, and the Igneo jacket ($299), a freeride-style resort-specific piece, and the new Gore Tex Pro Maximus jacket ($495). (New Gore Tex Pro is redesigned from last-season’s material—and is an estimated 28 percent more breathable with the same stalwart waterproofness). We also loved to see that the new line of performance gloves start at the highly-affordable $55 Riot, which delivers solid warmth for sidecountry and resort skiing performance for a price that doesn’t cause us to gasp.

They’re also expanding their mountain lifestyle line, offering a sane alternative to casual wear for both men and women. The already-popular Feedback Flannel will come out in a variety of new colorways and patterns, and will be accompanied by the vertical-striped Sawtooth shirt ($85) and the men’s Bullwheel and women’s Decibelle jackets ($110, $140 respectively), worker-style soft shell jackets with a DWR water repellant that’s more at home chopping wood or kicking it around town than skinning up in the backcountry.

Deuter Speed Lite 20 Backpack

nborchelt — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:00:18 +0000

www.deuter.com, one pound, three ounces
When you’re squeezing yourself through a narrow, ice-covered chute, the last thing you want is your pack or one of its appendages to get stuck—which was exactly what our tester was thinking while putting this pack through its paces on an icy day hike in Shenandoah National Park this winter. No such problem with Deuter’s Speed Lite 20, which seems to combine the design ingenuity of a BMW with the robust handling of an Audi (those German gear eggheads even managed to stitch illustrations for making distress signals to an airplane inside the pack). The sleek profile of this 20-liter pack includes a tapered design to allow for greater arm freedom while hiking, trail running, or ski touring; and the chest and hip belts are pared down to add to the pack’s minimalist aesthetic. Inside, the main chamber provides a surprising amount of room for spare layers, gloves, hats, lunch, even an extra pair of shoes. A cavernous top pocket swallows and protects more expensive items like your camera and phone, nestled close to the small of the wearer’s back rather than in an exposed area of the pack that might get knocked by branches or rocks. Two mesh side pockets easily house water bottles and snacks, while big, easy-to-grab fabric loops on all the zips make a mockery of those fiddly little metal zips found on other packs on the market. The pack itself feels refreshingly light, but the ripstop 210 nylon held up to significant abrasion tests, and the compression straps helped keep things truly svelte the tight squeezing that became a necessity during the test trials. They can also double to hold skis or hiking poles in a pinch. The U-shaped frame can also be removed for truly ultra-light outings, or when compression is essential.

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

Flojos Heavenly Boots

nborchelt — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:00:02 +0000

www.flojos.com
Flojos, a 30-year-old California-based beach and lifestyle company, is already known for its fashionable, functional lightweight flip flops. Their designs are known for being fashion forward, but well-thought out for comfort. Recently, the company has expanded into flat shoes (think Tom’s) and incredibly comfortable, warm, cozy boots for women. The Heavenly may be the pinnacle of this foray into cold-climate femme footwear. The 11-inch-high suede leather boots boasts a fluffy synthetic fur interior along with a fun stretches of furry insulation on the outside, and after two months of testing in Oregon’s all-mountain conditions (powder, sleet, hail, rain, and low single digit temps) these boots never failed. While the upper is soft, with no rand, zips or laces, the fit is snug, with no heel slippage or foot spin. You’ll pull on these boots and not want to take them off until you’re ready for your summer sandals. For little girls, who want to be just as stylish and warm as their mother (or favorite aunt), we also recommend the Aurora ($55). You’ll find the same relaxed fit as the shorter (seven-inch cuff) boots, along with a medial side zipper to make them easier to pull on and off. Both boots are incredibly light, with soft foam soles that don’t offer a ton of grip or support, but plenty of cushion—especially when you’re carrying your skis to the lodge through a foot of powder (should we be so lucky!).

GU Energy Chocolate Recovery Brew

nborchelt — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:00:18 +0000

guenergy.com
This year, our New Year’s resolution is to get back to “fighting” shape. That means more running, more skiing, and more just-plain activity. But training takes its toll. Whether it’s the bonk after a ten-mile run, or post-gym exhaustion from hours of weight training, sometimes it takes us longer than we’d like to shed that muscle pain and general fatigue. Firming up and dropping ten pounds is a great goal, but face it, we need all the help we can get. We love GU Energy Gels for a mid-workout boost, and now we have their new Chocolate Smoothie Recovery Brew, a tasty treat designed to help your muscles recover and energy levels return. It tastes surprisingly good (not too chalky or artificial), much better than the average muscle milk and protein supplements we’ve relied on in the past. It’s made with premium ingredients, including whey protein isolate, for a boost that’s tastier and nutritionally more sound than our stand-by Snickers bar.

Brooks-Range Mojave Jacket

nborchelt — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:00:41 +0000

brooks-range.com, 15.5 ounces
It’s nearly impossible to imagine life without puffy coats. Not the super-light, somewhat anemic down sweaters that made headlines the last two years with their helium weightlessness (although we like those too), but the pillowy Michelin Man down coats that are so plush and lofty that they double as a comforter or sleeping bag on chilly nights. The 800-fill down Mojave jacket has a loft that is lush, but not exorbitant (consider it a Stay Puff Marshmallow man with six-pack abs). It offers just enough insulation to keep you warm in single digit temps, but it’s not so heavy that the jacket can only be worn in sub-zero climates. It utilizes a new treatment that renders the down water resistant—an improvement in feather insulation that arguably pushes the needle in the outdoor apparel category. There are a few companies who specialized in “waterproof” down; Brooks Range utilizes DownTek technology, a process that applies a micro-thin nanopolymer to the feathers, creating a water repellent, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial insulation that doesn’t soak up water. Our Oregon testers wore the Mojave in day-long drizzle and wet snow showers—even when the entire garment got damp from a downpour, it dried faster than traditional down by at least 50 percent (while the lightweight durable Pertex Quantum fabric shell is water-resistant, the jacket isn’t seam sealed). Better still, the down never wetted out or clumped. The jacket has a deep hood that can be pulled forward and snugged around the face with the tug of a toggled draw cord, or adjusted with a small Velcro strap to stay upright without blocking peripheral vision. Two deep, zippered hand-warmer pockets are lined with a soft microfleece and an internal Napoleon zip pocket secures phone, wallet, and chap stick. The jacket packs down to the size of a football.

Icebreaker Kodiak Hood Jacket

nborchelt — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:00:57 +0000

us.icebreaker.com, one pound, eight ounces
Perfection is rare, but Icebreaker might have achieved it with the new Kodiak Hood. (Why it’s called a Hood Jacket and not Hoody still mystifies us). This elegant-yet-functional hoody is made from Icebreaker’s highly insulating Realfleece 320, a brushed, 100 percent merino wool fabric with Bluesign-accredited nanotechnology that adds water repellency and stain resistance to the wool. For those not in the know, Bluesign is a group that’s dedicated to maximizing consumer protection in the textile chain from raw materials and chemical suppliers through the manufacturing process to the consumer. The nano water repellency really works, earning this jacket four-season status. In three weeks of testing in the frequently-sodden Eugene, Oregon, our tester reported that moisture beaded on the jacket without penetrating in all but monsoon conditions. But the real artistry is the fit. The hood is shaped to fall over the forehead without blocking vision, with a slight peak at the center to keep rain off the face. And in contrast to many wool jackets that get saggy with wear, the Kodiak features five-inch-wide stretchy -side panels under each arm, continuing down the sides to the hem. The panels are made of a lighter-weight wool fabric than the body (which is definitely mid-to-heavy weight) so that it breathes better, and provides a more tailored but unrestricted fit. We love the ragland sleeves that also increase the jacket’s freedom of movement. The cuffs have are cut longer over the back of the hands, a nice sartorial touch that adds warmth on cold days. On the outside is a zippered Napoleon pocket with a media cord loophole—nice when we’re listening to tunes in a blizzard.