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jbsali · 10-16-2012, 08:16 PM

jbsali's gear guide to snowboarding

BOARD

I could spend all day writing about the differences between boards and brands but I will keep it short and sweet. The goldens rules: buy a board that will measure up to your chin or bottom lip. This is something that a lot of people will recommend following but it is personal preference. The other rule is balance the board around your weight. Boards are usually categorized around body weight vs actual height of person. The bigger the board, the harder it is to control and jump around, the smaller the board, the easier it is to twist and turn and jump! There is such a thing as too small and too big so make sure you look at a snowboard size chart and once you have narrowed it down to the board you want, take a look at the manufacturers size chart!

Boards will also range in internal structure and features. Eg: Burton Root will offer nug raduction- ride 8-10cm smaller than actual size, v rocker- easy to butter and do quick tricks, etc etc etc.

Some boards are designed for all mountain riding, some are designed for park and some are designed for both. Some boards are directional for all mountain and some are twin design for park, some are wide for people with big feet, etc etc etc. There are TONS of factors when it comes to picking the perfect board.

I find that Burton tends to be hella expensive! However, you do get a pretty good quality board. Big brands: K2, Ride, Burton, Forum, etc etc.

Try not to base boards on deck design: Anyone can fall victim to this! Although that board might look bitchin', it may not fit your riding style.

BOOTS

Get a boot that fits right! The best thing to do is get a boot that is .5" smaller than your boot size. If the boot still has toe room, go smaller. Keep in mind that these boots will "pack out" (packing of interior lining) overtime. I usually recommend wearing the boots for a couple of hours a day for a few days to help break them in before hitting the slopes. The nice thing about breaking them in at home: If the boot is still too tight, you can almost always return the boot to your local shop because it doesn't appear to be "worn" (do not wear outside!)

In terms of lace styles. You can look into basic laces (which i like the most), BOA design,(Uses a wheel and cable construction to tighten the top and bottom of the book quickly and evenly), or pull laces (a cross between basic laces and BOA). Although a majority of boot buyers run to the BOA design, a lot of them will fail to realize that the BOA will only tighten the top and bottom evenly while laces can tighten the bottom more and the top less (or vise versa). Pull laces can be adjusted to tighten evenly or tighten areas individually (depending on boot style).

Some boots will have an interior liner that can be molded (using a heat gun) to form to the shape of your boot. This feature is available across brands (usually in higher model). Helps speed up the packing process but the boots still tend to pack out a bit.

BINDINGS

There are many different brands and many different styles. Some are stiff and some are very flexible and some cater to your unique riding style. If your looking for a good starting-binding I would recommend the Burton Freestyle or the Burton Custom. The toe strap design is a really cool feature that Burton uses. Unlike normal binding straps, the strap closest to your toes is cupped on the tip of your boot! This feature really keeps you buckled down! There are a lot of brand that don't have the toe strap molded to fit on top of the tip of your boot but can be adjusted to still sit on it. K2 and Ride also make really good bindings. In terms of sizing, have a rep help you determine the right size binding for you! Sizes can vary between manufacturers so follow the manufacturers/ reps recommendations closely and compare.

ACCESSORIES

Stomp Pad/ Traction Pad: This is a little grippy mat that is positioned just infront of your back foot's binding. This little pad helps your boot grip to the board when making the transition on and off the chairlift. This accessory is usually one of the most least expensive items you can buy for your snowboard set-up. A lot of pros don't use them because they either find them tacky or uncool. Don't let that steer you away! These pads are still used by pros! When it comes to falling on my ass and humiliating myself infront of the chairlift operator or fitting in with the "cool kids", i'll spend the 10 bucks and buy a stomp pad..

Tuning Kits: Good to have in your boardbag or pocket incase you need a quick fix. Not that kind of fix... dirty birdy! Maybe a binding bolt came loose or the board wax is a little patchy? A small screwdriver and can of quick wax is always a bonus!

Stickers: For a custom look! Awwwww yeahhhhh!!

JACKETS

Don't settle for a jacket thats anything less than 20,000mm/ 10k waterproof. We get soo much rain that you would be foolish to cheap out on a jacket just to be soaking wet 30min into your snowboarding adventure! Look for a shell as you can layer up on cold days and drop layers on warm days. Insulated jackets are fine too! Try to find a jacket that has built in vents (normally under arms or armpits). If the jacket has built in thumb hole liners, its just an added bonus. The thumb holes will stop snow from going up your sleeves. Hoods are a big bonus! If you don't plan on wearing a helmet (which I would recommend wearing) the hood is a good idea for the rain we get. A majority of hoods on jackets are removable from what ive seen. If it's not removable: No big D. Make sure that your jacket has a built in snow skirt. This will keep the snow out of your jacket when you are out and about. I would highly recommend buying a jacket with a snow skirt built in (long jackets don't really require them)

LOOK FOR: 20,000mm, taped seams, pockets, snow skirt, vents and hood (w/ or w/o use of helmet helmet)

Burton: Available in 20,000mm. Look into DryRide feature in Burton jackets. Tend to fit a little big and steer towards the costly side. Great materials and great warranty. Available in Shell or Insulated

Ride: By far the best jackets I have ever worn. The jackets come in classic styles (plaid, checker format, straight colours, etc). The Ride jackets also offer a lot of pockets: Pockets on pockets!? "Yo dog, I heard you like pockets"... All jokes aside, these jackets are almost always available in true 20,000mm waterproof protection. Tons of vents and usually come with thumb holes. These jackets can withstand a 40day and 40night flood. Spent 8hours in heavy rain and still remained bone dry underneath the shell. The only downside is that the jacket's zipper dangles/ tassels (made of fabric) tend to rip off if forced. Honestly, even if you are the worst seamstress in the world, a few stitches and they are back on. You could just replace it with a zapstrap/ziptie if you really wanted. I would recommend this jacket the most. Expect around the Burton price range, if not a little more.

Northface: Available in 20,000mm. I've noticed with some of the 20,000mm jackets that they aren't as waterproof as other brands. Usually have a bunch of pockets. Fit a little big. Prices can fluctuate drastically. Almost all are insulated and not always vented

DC: These jackets tend to fit long. This can be seen as a bonus if you plan on spending half the day on your ass! ..It happens. These jackets aren't true 20,000mm although they can sometimes be tagged as 20,000mm. Good jackets for light snowfalls and mist. Not the greatest in rain.

Columbia: These jackets are also pretty good. 20,000mm tends to be true to the jacket if labelled. The jacket styles tend to be plain. If you're looking for a brand with funky graphics, this is not the jacket for your. These jackets come in shell or insulated.

Firefly: These jackets can look good, but they do not withstand against our rain and snow (wet snow). The jackets tend to be shotty in terms of insulation bulk up in certain areas. The more you wear it, the worse it gets. Don't get me wrong, the jacket can be good for someone that makes 3-4 trips a season. Avoid if possible

Ripzone: Jackets are ok. Styles tend to be tacky if your looking for a jacket that is cosmetically appealing. If you don't care about the style, the waterproof rating is also ok. Available in 10,000-20,000mm but I find that the 20,000mm jackets perform like 10,000mm. A step above firefly, but not too much better. Good for very basic season use.

PANTS

Pants are usually based on a few things: waterproof rating, comfort and looks. Ive seen pants that are extremely baggy to pants that look painted on. Over the last few years, the most popular pants have been the "Jean Style" snowpants. These pants were extremely popular when the USA 2010 Olympic team was sporting Burton "The Jeans" Snowboard pants for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. "Look" is by far personal preference. You can look into insulated or Shell pants. With our weather, I would strongly recommend a thick base layer if you are going with shell snowboard pants. (See clothing accessories for more details) Insulated pants almost always seem to be baggy but do keep you warm. They usually have vents in the inner legs and waist adjusters. Make sure that you settle for nothing less than 20,000mm snow pants. If you get anything less, YOU WILL get wet. Snowboard pants (regardless of style) will usually have an inner snowskirt/trap to stop snow from going up the legs of the pants. Some will use an elastic design and some will use a simple clip. Some brands use both of these features in their snow traps (common in Burton pants)

LOOK FOR: 20,000mm, taped seams, pockets, snow traps on legs and vents.

Burton: Available in 10,000-20,000mm protection. Available in shells and insulation. Keep in mind that the shells tend to fit tighter than the insulated pants. Insulated pants will vary in internal material. Both types will almost always include vents and pockets. If the pants are jean styled: pockets are zippers, velcro or both. If you want a great shell with style: Burton dark horizon jean snowboard pants. These pants are truely waterproof! Worth the money if spending a lot of time on the mountain. BONUS: If your jacket
has a built-in snow skirt (most likely), chances are you have a jacket to pants connector. These are button loops that connect to a lot of Burton pants! However, if you mix and match brands, you will most likely lose this feature. This feature exists in other brands too! Ride uses a zipper that locks your jacket to your pants!

Columbia: I find these pants aren't as waterproof when compared to other competitors like Burton and Northface. Quite a few of their pants have a feature called "Omni-Heat." This feature contains an interior lining that traps bodyheat so that you can wear less layers! This feature is also available in Columbia base layers (see clothing accessories for more details). Overall, these are good pants! It's hard to find the shell version but I find that their insulated pants and jackets with Omni-Heat are far superior.

Northface: These pants tend to fit long. Usually available in insulated versions. The feature i really like in these pants versus other brands is the Chimney Vent feature. These Chimney vents are located at the top interior portion of the snow trap in the legs. Its top material is mesh: This allows air to travel though the legs to cool you down! Very cool feature to Northface pants. These pants are truely 20,000mm even though the pants use gortex in some models and have taped seams. This would be my next choice after Burton. Overall: Good pants!

Firefly: The pants are better than the jackets for sure! When i first started getting into snowboarding i went with cheap pants incase i didn't like the sport at all. The pants kept me dry on dry pow days. Rain was not a good mix with these pants. If you tend to sit a lot, your ass will get wet! however, the rest of the pants tend to keep dry even in the rain. The ass wetness (lol) isn't too bad because your body heat will warm the wet portions if you tend to keep the vents closed. The pants are all insulated. I know for a fact that they still make the pants i had! Usually available in black, blue or yellow. Overall: OK.

Ripzone: These pants aren't too bad! I would still look into Northface or Burton for better materials and waterproof features. If you're on a budget, these pants aren't too bad! Below the Burton and the Northface but above the Firefly pants! Overall: OK

CLOTHING ACCESSORIES

Socks: A thick sock is the best sock! If you're boots fit too tight: settle with a thin sock that is warm. Once your boots pack out you can look into a thicker/ warmer sock. Cool 80's colours will get you in with the cool cats! Confidence not included.

Detergent: Wash your snowboarding clothing (jacket and pants) with detergent that is designed for waterproof materials. This can be found at almost any winter sports clothing retailer (eg. Sport Chek). Your clothing will lose its waterproof feature overtime but washing it with approved detergent will help increase/ retain it.

Gloves: I've been through tons of gloves and by far the best ones i have ever used are by Northface. A lot of their gloves have draw strings to tighten the arm cuff and a strap to tighten the wrist area. There are two types of gloves: Regular and Bakers Mitt (personal preference). I find that the Bakers Mitt style is warmer but they restrict movement. You can always look into heat packs for your gloves on colder/ coldest days. Some gloves will offer vents for warm days! Look for Northface Montanas . Do not use rope fences around chairlift entries to stop yourself! This wears down the palms of your gloves.

Balaclava: This is something I would highly recommend as you get near the peak of winter season. Really good for cold nights! There are many different styles! You can look into basic ones that sit around your neck, pull over (ski mask style) and bandana styles (hella cool). The warmest ones tend to be made out of fleece or have fleece interior.

Base Layers: Highly recommended regardless of which jacket you go with. They are usually available in different thicknesses depending on brands. Under Armour has 4 different thickness types commonly available ( 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0) They higher the number, the thicker the material. The interior looks similar to a waffle design. These layers are designed to trap heat and wick away sweat. If you decide to go with shell pants i would recommend 3.0 or 4.0 if you don't plan on wearing fleece pants underneath (i don't). Another good base layer is Columbia. They use the Omni-Heat feature to trap in heat and also wick away sweat. Keep in mind that these base layers are designed to fit tight, but comfortable!

Helmet: K2 is by far my favourite brand of helmet! There are so many brands and so many styles it can be pretty disgusting. Look for something that offers good protection with a goggle clip so you don't lose your fancy goggles! "Sand Box" branded helmets tend to be the most popular models right now. Make sure that the helmet fits snug. If you can tighten it up, grab it and rotate it around your head... it's too big! Almost all are vented and some will have closing vents. Try to find something that is vented! Some even have built in headphones! Woo woo woo! Really consider getting a helmet! I have seen so many accidents on the slopes where a person has not worn a helmet. It might look cool to wear that toque with the built-on mohawk but is it worth your life?

Goggles: They range from super cheap to super expensive. I recommend spending around 100-150 bucks on goggles. The mid range models will offer built in venting systems, anti-fog glass and replaceable glass inserts. I find that anon, smith and oakleys are the best i've used. I would highly recommend oakleys if your looking for an "asian face" fit. No joke! I have had so many reps tell me this and the gf confirms! Make sure that the goggles cover your face properly: make your sure that there are no gaps between your goggles and your face. The worst area is around the nose (for gaps)! Tint is also a big factor. Goggles with darker tint are great on sunny days and bad on night runs. Yellow tint improves visibility but can be a little distracting at night. Look for goggles with a slight tint. DO NOT wipe the goggle interior with any kind of fabric material. gently dab the inside to prevent the anti-fog coating from wearing off!

If you have any questions in regards to anything snowboarding related, feel free to ask me here of pm me. I've spent hours upon hours upon hours researching equipment, talking to reps and pros about all this stuff.
PS: Disregard any typos. I mad typed this out!

and just for shits and giggles:

10-16-2012, 08:16 PM	#12
jbsali Need to Seek Professional Help Join Date: May 2006 Location: Vancouver Posts: 1,023 Thanked 283 Times in 79 Posts Failed 90 Times in 13 Posts	jbsali's gear guide to snowboarding BOARD I could spend all day writing about the differences between boards and brands but I will keep it short and sweet. The goldens rules: buy a board that will measure up to your chin or bottom lip. This is something that a lot of people will recommend following but it is personal preference. The other rule is balance the board around your weight. Boards are usually categorized around body weight vs actual height of person. The bigger the board, the harder it is to control and jump around, the smaller the board, the easier it is to twist and turn and jump! There is such a thing as too small and too big so make sure you look at a snowboard size chart and once you have narrowed it down to the board you want, take a look at the manufacturers size chart! Boards will also range in internal structure and features. Eg: Burton Root will offer nug raduction- ride 8-10cm smaller than actual size, v rocker- easy to butter and do quick tricks, etc etc etc. Some boards are designed for all mountain riding, some are designed for park and some are designed for both. Some boards are directional for all mountain and some are twin design for park, some are wide for people with big feet, etc etc etc. There are TONS of factors when it comes to picking the perfect board. I find that Burton tends to be hella expensive! However, you do get a pretty good quality board. Big brands: K2, Ride, Burton, Forum, etc etc. Try not to base boards on deck design: Anyone can fall victim to this! Although that board might look bitchin', it may not fit your riding style. BOOTS Get a boot that fits right! The best thing to do is get a boot that is .5" smaller than your boot size. If the boot still has toe room, go smaller. Keep in mind that these boots will "pack out" (packing of interior lining) overtime. I usually recommend wearing the boots for a couple of hours a day for a few days to help break them in before hitting the slopes. The nice thing about breaking them in at home: If the boot is still too tight, you can almost always return the boot to your local shop because it doesn't appear to be "worn" (do not wear outside!) In terms of lace styles. You can look into basic laces (which i like the most), BOA design,(Uses a wheel and cable construction to tighten the top and bottom of the book quickly and evenly), or pull laces (a cross between basic laces and BOA). Although a majority of boot buyers run to the BOA design, a lot of them will fail to realize that the BOA will only tighten the top and bottom evenly while laces can tighten the bottom more and the top less (or vise versa). Pull laces can be adjusted to tighten evenly or tighten areas individually (depending on boot style). Some boots will have an interior liner that can be molded (using a heat gun) to form to the shape of your boot. This feature is available across brands (usually in higher model). Helps speed up the packing process but the boots still tend to pack out a bit. BINDINGS There are many different brands and many different styles. Some are stiff and some are very flexible and some cater to your unique riding style. If your looking for a good starting-binding I would recommend the Burton Freestyle or the Burton Custom. The toe strap design is a really cool feature that Burton uses. Unlike normal binding straps, the strap closest to your toes is cupped on the tip of your boot! This feature really keeps you buckled down! There are a lot of brand that don't have the toe strap molded to fit on top of the tip of your boot but can be adjusted to still sit on it. K2 and Ride also make really good bindings. In terms of sizing, have a rep help you determine the right size binding for you! Sizes can vary between manufacturers so follow the manufacturers/ reps recommendations closely and compare. ACCESSORIES Stomp Pad/ Traction Pad: This is a little grippy mat that is positioned just infront of your back foot's binding. This little pad helps your boot grip to the board when making the transition on and off the chairlift. This accessory is usually one of the most least expensive items you can buy for your snowboard set-up. A lot of pros don't use them because they either find them tacky or uncool. Don't let that steer you away! These pads are still used by pros! When it comes to falling on my ass and humiliating myself infront of the chairlift operator or fitting in with the "cool kids", i'll spend the 10 bucks and buy a stomp pad.. Tuning Kits: Good to have in your boardbag or pocket incase you need a quick fix. Not that kind of fix... dirty birdy! Maybe a binding bolt came loose or the board wax is a little patchy? A small screwdriver and can of quick wax is always a bonus! Stickers: For a custom look! Awwwww yeahhhhh!! JACKETS Don't settle for a jacket thats anything less than 20,000mm/ 10k waterproof. We get soo much rain that you would be foolish to cheap out on a jacket just to be soaking wet 30min into your snowboarding adventure! Look for a shell as you can layer up on cold days and drop layers on warm days. Insulated jackets are fine too! Try to find a jacket that has built in vents (normally under arms or armpits). If the jacket has built in thumb hole liners, its just an added bonus. The thumb holes will stop snow from going up your sleeves. Hoods are a big bonus! If you don't plan on wearing a helmet (which I would recommend wearing) the hood is a good idea for the rain we get. A majority of hoods on jackets are removable from what ive seen. If it's not removable: No big D. Make sure that your jacket has a built in snow skirt. This will keep the snow out of your jacket when you are out and about. I would highly recommend buying a jacket with a snow skirt built in (long jackets don't really require them) LOOK FOR: 20,000mm, taped seams, pockets, snow skirt, vents and hood (w/ or w/o use of helmet helmet) Burton: Available in 20,000mm. Look into DryRide feature in Burton jackets. Tend to fit a little big and steer towards the costly side. Great materials and great warranty. Available in Shell or Insulated Ride: By far the best jackets I have ever worn. The jackets come in classic styles (plaid, checker format, straight colours, etc). The Ride jackets also offer a lot of pockets: Pockets on pockets!? "Yo dog, I heard you like pockets"... All jokes aside, these jackets are almost always available in true 20,000mm waterproof protection. Tons of vents and usually come with thumb holes. These jackets can withstand a 40day and 40night flood. Spent 8hours in heavy rain and still remained bone dry underneath the shell. The only downside is that the jacket's zipper dangles/ tassels (made of fabric) tend to rip off if forced. Honestly, even if you are the worst seamstress in the world, a few stitches and they are back on. You could just replace it with a zapstrap/ziptie if you really wanted. I would recommend this jacket the most. Expect around the Burton price range, if not a little more. Northface: Available in 20,000mm. I've noticed with some of the 20,000mm jackets that they aren't as waterproof as other brands. Usually have a bunch of pockets. Fit a little big. Prices can fluctuate drastically. Almost all are insulated and not always vented DC: These jackets tend to fit long. This can be seen as a bonus if you plan on spending half the day on your ass! ..It happens. These jackets aren't true 20,000mm although they can sometimes be tagged as 20,000mm. Good jackets for light snowfalls and mist. Not the greatest in rain. Columbia: These jackets are also pretty good. 20,000mm tends to be true to the jacket if labelled. The jacket styles tend to be plain. If you're looking for a brand with funky graphics, this is not the jacket for your. These jackets come in shell or insulated. Firefly: These jackets can look good, but they do not withstand against our rain and snow (wet snow). The jackets tend to be shotty in terms of insulation bulk up in certain areas. The more you wear it, the worse it gets. Don't get me wrong, the jacket can be good for someone that makes 3-4 trips a season. Avoid if possible Ripzone: Jackets are ok. Styles tend to be tacky if your looking for a jacket that is cosmetically appealing. If you don't care about the style, the waterproof rating is also ok. Available in 10,000-20,000mm but I find that the 20,000mm jackets perform like 10,000mm. A step above firefly, but not too much better. Good for very basic season use. PANTS Pants are usually based on a few things: waterproof rating, comfort and looks. Ive seen pants that are extremely baggy to pants that look painted on. Over the last few years, the most popular pants have been the "Jean Style" snowpants. These pants were extremely popular when the USA 2010 Olympic team was sporting Burton "The Jeans" Snowboard pants for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. "Look" is by far personal preference. You can look into insulated or Shell pants. With our weather, I would strongly recommend a thick base layer if you are going with shell snowboard pants. (See clothing accessories for more details) Insulated pants almost always seem to be baggy but do keep you warm. They usually have vents in the inner legs and waist adjusters. Make sure that you settle for nothing less than 20,000mm snow pants. If you get anything less, YOU WILL get wet. Snowboard pants (regardless of style) will usually have an inner snowskirt/trap to stop snow from going up the legs of the pants. Some will use an elastic design and some will use a simple clip. Some brands use both of these features in their snow traps (common in Burton pants) LOOK FOR: 20,000mm, taped seams, pockets, snow traps on legs and vents. Burton: Available in 10,000-20,000mm protection. Available in shells and insulation. Keep in mind that the shells tend to fit tighter than the insulated pants. Insulated pants will vary in internal material. Both types will almost always include vents and pockets. If the pants are jean styled: pockets are zippers, velcro or both. If you want a great shell with style: Burton dark horizon jean snowboard pants. These pants are truely waterproof! Worth the money if spending a lot of time on the mountain. BONUS: If your jacket has a built-in snow skirt (most likely), chances are you have a jacket to pants connector. These are button loops that connect to a lot of Burton pants! However, if you mix and match brands, you will most likely lose this feature. This feature exists in other brands too! Ride uses a zipper that locks your jacket to your pants! Columbia: I find these pants aren't as waterproof when compared to other competitors like Burton and Northface. Quite a few of their pants have a feature called "Omni-Heat." This feature contains an interior lining that traps bodyheat so that you can wear less layers! This feature is also available in Columbia base layers (see clothing accessories for more details). Overall, these are good pants! It's hard to find the shell version but I find that their insulated pants and jackets with Omni-Heat are far superior. Northface: These pants tend to fit long. Usually available in insulated versions. The feature i really like in these pants versus other brands is the Chimney Vent feature. These Chimney vents are located at the top interior portion of the snow trap in the legs. Its top material is mesh: This allows air to travel though the legs to cool you down! Very cool feature to Northface pants. These pants are truely 20,000mm even though the pants use gortex in some models and have taped seams. This would be my next choice after Burton. Overall: Good pants! Firefly: The pants are better than the jackets for sure! When i first started getting into snowboarding i went with cheap pants incase i didn't like the sport at all. The pants kept me dry on dry pow days. Rain was not a good mix with these pants. If you tend to sit a lot, your ass will get wet! however, the rest of the pants tend to keep dry even in the rain. The ass wetness (lol) isn't too bad because your body heat will warm the wet portions if you tend to keep the vents closed. The pants are all insulated. I know for a fact that they still make the pants i had! Usually available in black, blue or yellow. Overall: OK. Ripzone: These pants aren't too bad! I would still look into Northface or Burton for better materials and waterproof features. If you're on a budget, these pants aren't too bad! Below the Burton and the Northface but above the Firefly pants! Overall: OK CLOTHING ACCESSORIES Socks: A thick sock is the best sock! If you're boots fit too tight: settle with a thin sock that is warm. Once your boots pack out you can look into a thicker/ warmer sock. Cool 80's colours will get you in with the cool cats! Confidence not included. Detergent: Wash your snowboarding clothing (jacket and pants) with detergent that is designed for waterproof materials. This can be found at almost any winter sports clothing retailer (eg. Sport Chek). Your clothing will lose its waterproof feature overtime but washing it with approved detergent will help increase/ retain it. Gloves: I've been through tons of gloves and by far the best ones i have ever used are by Northface. A lot of their gloves have draw strings to tighten the arm cuff and a strap to tighten the wrist area. There are two types of gloves: Regular and Bakers Mitt (personal preference). I find that the Bakers Mitt style is warmer but they restrict movement. You can always look into heat packs for your gloves on colder/ coldest days. Some gloves will offer vents for warm days! Look for Northface Montanas . Do not use rope fences around chairlift entries to stop yourself! This wears down the palms of your gloves. Balaclava: This is something I would highly recommend as you get near the peak of winter season. Really good for cold nights! There are many different styles! You can look into basic ones that sit around your neck, pull over (ski mask style) and bandana styles (hella cool). The warmest ones tend to be made out of fleece or have fleece interior. Base Layers: Highly recommended regardless of which jacket you go with. They are usually available in different thicknesses depending on brands. Under Armour has 4 different thickness types commonly available ( 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0) They higher the number, the thicker the material. The interior looks similar to a waffle design. These layers are designed to trap heat and wick away sweat. If you decide to go with shell pants i would recommend 3.0 or 4.0 if you don't plan on wearing fleece pants underneath (i don't). Another good base layer is Columbia. They use the Omni-Heat feature to trap in heat and also wick away sweat. Keep in mind that these base layers are designed to fit tight, but comfortable! Helmet: K2 is by far my favourite brand of helmet! There are so many brands and so many styles it can be pretty disgusting. Look for something that offers good protection with a goggle clip so you don't lose your fancy goggles! "Sand Box" branded helmets tend to be the most popular models right now. Make sure that the helmet fits snug. If you can tighten it up, grab it and rotate it around your head... it's too big! Almost all are vented and some will have closing vents. Try to find something that is vented! Some even have built in headphones! Woo woo woo! Really consider getting a helmet! I have seen so many accidents on the slopes where a person has not worn a helmet. It might look cool to wear that toque with the built-on mohawk but is it worth your life? Goggles: They range from super cheap to super expensive. I recommend spending around 100-150 bucks on goggles. The mid range models will offer built in venting systems, anti-fog glass and replaceable glass inserts. I find that anon, smith and oakleys are the best i've used. I would highly recommend oakleys if your looking for an "asian face" fit. No joke! I have had so many reps tell me this and the gf confirms! Make sure that the goggles cover your face properly: make your sure that there are no gaps between your goggles and your face. The worst area is around the nose (for gaps)! Tint is also a big factor. Goggles with darker tint are great on sunny days and bad on night runs. Yellow tint improves visibility but can be a little distracting at night. Look for goggles with a slight tint. DO NOT wipe the goggle interior with any kind of fabric material. gently dab the inside to prevent the anti-fog coating from wearing off! If you have any questions in regards to anything snowboarding related, feel free to ask me here of pm me. I've spent hours upon hours upon hours researching equipment, talking to reps and pros about all this stuff. PS: Disregard any typos. I mad typed this out! and just for shits and giggles: Stupid Sexy Flanders High Quality - YouTube __________________ jbsali Last edited by jbsali; 10-16-2012 at 08:30 PM.