Holiday Gear Guide: Snow

Dec 08 2006 / Los Angeles, CA

Sizzle in the Snow sizzle320x240
 
The holiday's aren't just about scoring cool gifts, it's about giving too. This winter keep the frost bite at bay while helping your fellow human with limited edition B4BC Sizzle goggle. VonZipper is proud to support Boarding For Breast Cancer and in doing so VZ donates a portion of all sales to this cause. This frame is ideal for a small-medium size face and is also helmet compatible without giving up a wide peripheral range.
 
Sizzle B4BC Goggle with Limited Edition Boarding For Breast Cancer googles with Detachable Earmuffs by VonZipper $99.99.  For more information go to VonZipper.com>
 
 
 
Where we’re going
 
If your special someone likes to live right on the edge, they are probably already very familiar with the entire Teton Gravity Research filmography. Fortunately for you, TGR has three brand new DVDs that need to be under your tree: ski/snowboard sickness in Anomaly, the surf film Shack Therapy, and The Big One, a documentary of TGR’s first ten years of footage and festivities in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jaime Pierre’s 25-story cliff huck and Chris Collins’ triple backflip make Anomaly our pick.
Through the eyes of a hero
 
Want to buy him some new goggles but don’t know where to start? Ask yourself this: What would his favorite pro wear? Chances are his favorite pro is either Shaun White, JP Walker, or Terje Haakenson, in which case Oakley has the trifecta covered with its Signature Series. Not sure on the pro front either? Go with Terje.
 
Terje Signature Series Crowbar Snow Goggles by Oakley $135.
 
 
Teton Gravity Research Anomaly DVD $27.95. Click here for more information>
 
Brain bucket with a bow on it
 
When you watch Anomaly with your loved one this holiday season, you’ll be glad you thought to wrap up a new helmet too. We like the Trace Audex Audio helmet by R.E.D. Protection, which can also be used for skateboarding or BMX with a few tweaks and features iPod-compatible speakers for rocking out while you wait for somebody to scrape up your remains after attempting to replicate that 25-story cliff huck.
 
Trace Audex Audio Helmet by R.E.D. Protection $90.00.
 
The tree-hugging eco-warrior’s ride
 
The Zen graphics and beautiful bamboo topsheet of the Element ALT from Arbor might make you want to hang this snowboard on your living room wall, but we assure you it’s a work of art on the slopes as well… no matter which part of the mountain you choose for your daily meditation. The bamboo makes this board light and flexible, and gives it extra strength and pop where it matters. It’s also environmentally friendly: bamboo grows like the grass it is, making it an endlessly renewable resource.
 
Element ALT 161 by Arbor Snowboards $499.99. Click here for more information>  
 
Breasts on your mind?
 
Get your head out of the gutter and into the G-10 by Giro: The company is donating a percentage of sales from its 2007 women’s line to support the educational outreach efforts of Boarding for Breast Cancer. If someone on your list loves the color pink, check out the B4BC Store at girlslearntoride.com for other great products that support the cause including pink scarves, pink goggles, pink iPod cases, pink watches, and pink lip gloss.
 
G-10 Snow Helmet by Giro $119.99. Buy it now>  
 
Good old rock, nothing beats rock
 
If you’re still messing with that paper and scissors nonsense, then what you don’t know about Ro Sham Bo could fill an entire DVD. This one from Misschief Films is full of female snowboarders like Hana Beaman, Anne-Flore Marxer, Annie Boulanger, Victoria Jealouser, Natasza Zurek, and Erin Comstock stomping all over the biggest, sickest stuff you’ve seen anywhere. Ladies? Step to the front. 
 
Ro Sham Bo DVD $29.95. For more info go to Projectmisschief.com
 
 
The Lady of Verona
 
If you’re looking for a cheaper board or are shopping for a female rider who is just getting started, we like the swift, soft Solace board from Ride Snowboard’s Foundation Collection. But if she’s been getting stoked watching Ro Sham Bo and plans to give the boys a run for their money, go with a stiffer all-mountain board like the Verona, from Ride’s ATV collection. It’s got high-tech specs under the hood – carbon array, anyone? – that all add up to speed, strength, and pop. We like the sound of “aggression-tuned core.”

Verona Women’s ATV, by Ride Snowboards $479.95. Learn more here>
 
 

 
 
 
The one that got away
 
Tired of hearing fish tales every time your favorite snow angler claims he cast his line off a backcountry cliff or netted a big one in the freestyle park? Try this for a polygraph: The accelerometer inside the Tech4o Air Pod measures hang time, keeps track of up to 15 jumps, and tracks total time aloft over the course of the day or even the entire ski season. We’re not sure what it would make of Jaime Pierre, but it’s worth a try.
 
Tech4o Air Pod Air Time Tracker $99.99. Check it out here>
  
Pimpin’ ain’t easy
 
After the show it’s the après party, and after the party it’s the hotel lobby: With his new Kass Après Shred Slippers from Vans, Danny Kass proves that a signature boot – we also like his Danny Kass IV in matching colorway – is not enough when it’s time to take your game off the mountain. Can’t decide? Go for the matching set: It feels good to be a gangster.
 
Danny Kass Après Shred Slippers by Vans $59. See them for yourself>
Danny Kass IV Snowboard Boots by Vans $208.95. More information>
 
 
Hung by the chimney with care
 
Stuck on stocking stuffers? Check out “The Premium All Weather Perfromance Sock” from Darn Tough. The family-owned company has been fighting foot frostbite for 25 years in Northfield, Vermont, and makes fine footwear for all your favorite outdoor action. Our pick? The Over-The-Calf Ultra-Light, a Merino wool sock from the company’s On-Mountain Series that is perfect for skiing or snowboarding and comes in our favorite Christmas color: Lump of Coal.
 
On-Mountain Series Over-The-Calf Ultra-Light Socks by Darn Tough $19.95.
 
More stuff for the stocking
 
You already know you can’t go wrong with Burton boards, boots, bindings, and outerwear, so we’ll let you pick your own favorite in each of those departments. But if you still need some little bits for those stockings, Burton also offers a full complement of tools and accessories. Start with the Burton Deluxe Starter Kit: The Bullet Tool alone has just about everything any rider needs, and the handsome carrying case also packs a few mini scraper mats, a cable lock, cord leash, and rub-down wax.
 
Burton Deluxe Starter Kit $49.95.