Gearing up for the season

My gear never really gets stored in the summer since I snowboard year round but today was the first day where I set up the new gear and cleaned up last years gear so it’s ready to go for opening day.

Hardgoods

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Each year I try not to get too much gear because I know how many days I’ll spend at demos and because I test products I’ll receive new gear pretty quickly once the season is underway.  I wanted to try a wider range of companies so I received two full setups to rock this winter, Capita/Union and Burton that will add to my Never Summer quiver collection.

Burton Malolo 158cm with Burton Scribe EST bindings

There’s a couple reasons why I wanted this setup.  First it’s been years since I’ve owned Burton but they are always consistent at demos, second I wanted to check the durability and how I liked EST over a season (not just a couple demo days) and third cause both the bindings and board were favorites at demos this year.  When it came time to decide on a powder board I went back to tapered but also chose the S rocker to try out.

The Scribe EST bindings have the ankle strap that widens so looking forward to spending the season and plenty of pow days on these bindings.  The setup is my entirely pow day board and binding.

Capita Ultrafear FK 155cm and Union Force SL bindings

It came down to two boards from Capita, Indoor Survival or Ultrafear and the ultrafear arrived on my front door.  Having never ridden it, it will be the most interesting board in the collection this year and one I can give an opinion on finally (had many requests about the model).

The Union Force SL’s were a favorite last year but I got the Forces which I loved as well but the SL’s are my all-time favorite from Union.  This year I get to rock them and they will be my main binding which means at the end of the season they will get the 100-day review.  I’ll be switching them between boards since I’m giving my old Forces to a friend in need.

Never Summer Circuit-R 155cm

The newest addition of boards to try is the circuit-r for this year, now with reverse camber it’ll be a fun ride and probably my rock/early season/late season board.

Never Summer Lotus-R 157cm

As soon as the season is well underway the Lotus-R will become my everything board since it handles the whole mountain.  I received plenty of days last year riding this board so it is still a favorite.

Never Summer Evo-R 155cm

The evo-r was my fun board of choice last season and it’ll continue to be there this season.  Now that it’s a tad softer and way more playful I won’t be riding it everywhere on the mountain but it’ll be good for park days.

Not shown is my Capita BSOD which is retired.

Boots

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Vans Veil Boots Size 8

I bought them late this summer and almost have them broken in finally.  They are a stiffer women’s boot and I’ve loved this boot for years (omni to veil).  It lasts long and continues to support me during the winter.

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Bonfire Geo Boots Size 8

These were the boots at Windell’s Camp and I’m stoked to get to keep riding them, especially for early season where a soft comfortable boot will be just right.

Outerwear

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I love outerwear so it’s no surprise that I tend to get more outerwear than I need.  This year I’ve acquired a mix of outerwear between 686, Analog, DC and Neff to add to the collection depending on the time of year.  It’s a good assortment for the varying conditions, from warm to cold days and with enough mm ratings to keep me dry even though Colorado is pretty dry.   The majority of 686 pictures are here and the Analog/Neff/DC pictures are here.

Gloves

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My hands stay pretty warm during the season and if you ever ride with me, you’ll notice I take my gloves off on the chairlift ride because they are warm.  I typically ride in pipe gloves because of that, except for the rare really cold days then I’ll get out a warmer set of gloves.  This year I’ll be trying the Rome MFR Gloves as my main glove, POW Shocker gloves (for the fun factor) and Drop Precious II gloves for the really cold days.

Goggles

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The majority of this winter will be split between two models of goggles:  Smith Heiress and Ashbury Kaleidoscope.  The Heiress’s are my overcast/powder day goggle because the lens is perfect for those days and it fits my face the best (no fogging).  The Ashbury’s are my bluebird/sunny goggles because of the mirrored lens and fit.  The Oakleys are my backup-backup goggle just in case, I should buy a new lens for them this year so I can sport them again.

Beanies/Touques

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Living in Steamboat means living in snow from November to April, it’s rare to not see snow on the ground during those times.  That means I’m always wearing beanies/touques around town to stay warm.  A couple of these I wear on the mountain but the majority are just hanging out hats.  I have a mix of Neff, Coal, Holden, Casual Industrees, Capita, Burton and the beloved New Era/Future Snowboarding Magazine Cap.