www.snowboard-women.com

How cool is this guy’s jacket?  It’s graphics from the 80s Atari console video game called Asteroids!

When you ride, do you wear a helmet?  And why or why not?

I know people who don’t wear helmets because they “look dorky.”  I’d rather look a little dorky than break my head open, thanks.  Personally I will not ride without one because I ride in a lot of trees and as I’ve mentioned before, I also wear a helmet to protect myself from other people losing control!  (and I quote a past post, “You just never know when  some dumbass will run into you.“)

Today Boardistan.com posted a  link to a story on ConsumerAffairs.com which highlighted a proposed state Assembly bill which would require all California resort employees and riders under age 18 to wear a helmet.   The proposed bill, AB 1652, would also require resorts to adhere to more uniform standards of hazard & out-of-bounds signage, put standardized safety padding on lift towers & other obstacles, and provide more accessible information about the how and why of each ski or snowboard accident.

I agree with the proposed mandatory helmets law.  After all, isn’t it the law for kids to wear helmets biking?  Seems only reasonable to require for snowboarding too, given the inherent risks in the sport.   I for one am going to keep wearing my helmet!

If you’re in the SoCal area and available the morning of Saturday, 1/16/10, hit up Bear Mtn at 8:30am to check out the Burton 2010 gear and try it out.   This is also a stop for the Burton Am Series which will let amateurs compete for a spot in the US Open pre qualifiers.

Get details or RSVP for the Super Demo tour here (it’s a Facebook link so you may be asked to log in).  Here’s info about the Am Series.

I just learned about this cool clothing company focusing on the outdoor/mountain lifestyle, from Twitter!  Check these guys out - Cloudveil - they’re based in Jackson Hole, WY and have a product line really focused around performance and quality.

One of their PR peeps asked me to pass along this opportunity - they’re recruiting “Ambassadors” for the brand.  Check out some of their current snow sport Ambassadors at the bottom of this ski & snowboard category page… the program looks pretty cool.

Here is the release they sent me:

Cloudveil Launches Search for Inspired Mountain Ambassadors

(Jackson Hole, Wyo.) Cloudveil, maker of inspired mountain apparel, is looking for a team of inspired mountain ambassadors and has launched a search for 25 men and women who personify the inspired lifestyle upon which Cloudveil was built.

The application process is open to anyone: athletes, outdoor adventurers, musicians, artists, environmental advocates, the list goes on. The application can be found online at www.cloudveil.com/ambassadors and includes a 150-word description of why you should be a Cloudveil ambassador. Video submissions are also accepted, just upload your video to YouTube and send us the link.

The winners will receive Ambassador Purchase Discount pricing, which will be 45% below retail. Chosen ambassadors will also be a part of Cloudveil’s online website, blog content and ongoing product feedback. The contest ends on December 31st, so send in applications soon!

“This program is a way for us to look beyond sponsored athletes and give other people who are getting after it in their own way a chance to be a part of our brand, “ Cloudveil Marketing Coordinator Nick Brosnan stated. ”Cloudveil inspiration comes from the culture of small towns like Jackson and the creative people that make living here constantly dynamic and interesting, and there are thousands of towns like this. We look forward to finding an eclectic team of ambassadors for the winter season.”

Founded in 1997, Cloudveil is credited with starting the modern day soft shell revolution. Cloudveil draws inspiration from its home base of Jackson, Wyoming with a focus on building innovative and functional apparel for the outdoor, snowsports, fly fishing and casual apparel markets.

For more information about Cloudveil, visit www.cloudveil.com

It’s Thanksgiving… which means one thing, tomorrow is Black Friday!  The weekend is followed by what’s now known as “Cyber Monday” - another traditionally strong day in online retail sales.  So I thought I’d point out some cool offers from some of the snowboard gear retailers I am an affiliate of.  (Yes, if you buy through one of these sites I get a commission.)  Yay!

Have a happy and safe Turkey Day! Get ready for your weekend of shopping and hopefully you can save some cash on holiday gifts for the active folks in your life with these offers.

Altrec.com: Stay at Home Coupon - 20% off - use promo code STAYHOME (this is only good through Monday 12/1) plus Free Shipping on orders of $25 or more. Great selection on this site… Altrec has about 160 different snowboarding jackets available!

REI: Free Shipping on your entire order  if you include an item from The North Face, Keen, Marmot, or Delorme, Garmin, and Tom Tom GPS.  The North Face is a dependable brand and has a great selection of warm layering clothes.  And while expensive, a GPS would make a good gift for the backcountry boarder!

The-House.com: FREE Skull Candy headphones with every snowboard purchase.  Most of their snowboards are on sale right now.  Plus, free shipping on $50 orders and no sales tax except in Minnesota.

I wrote a post about shopping for snowboarding gifts back in December ‘07 and thought I’d come forth with some new recommendations for this year.  This year, I built a handy Amazon store where you can browse through all the gift ideas at once and conveniently buy right from Amazon.

Check out the new Snowboarding-Women.com aStore now!  You can use the links at the left of the page to navigate through the product categories.  I’ll be editing and updating the products regularly. Enjoy and hope it is helpful!

(blowing the dust off this blog from its summertime hiatus)

It’s time to get ready for snowboarding season again!  The summer is over and it’s already October - where does the time go? - and we are planning our trips for the year.  First big trip will be to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the first week of January.  I’m sure there will be other trips before that, specifically to Mammoth Mountain and Snow Summit just to get ready.  We really don’t gear up for big trips until after the first of the year.

With that said, I’ve been bookmarking some news I’ve seen in the past month or so, that might be of interest as you get ready to hit the hill yourself!

• If you’re shopping for a new snowboard, you might want to check out the Transworld Snowboarding “Season’s Best Boards” article for recommendations.
•  To that end, Mervin Manufacturing, who makes Gnu and Roxy snowboards among others, posted some cool info about their environmental initiatives during snowboard manufacturing.

For what it’s worth, I recommend you check out fellow snowboarder bloggers Adam over at Highly Obsessed and Shay over at Shayboarder - both have been significantly more active than we here at Snowboard Women have been this summer.  I have particularly been enjoying Shay’s Snowboard Industry Profiles, where over the summer, she interviewed about 30 people who work in the snowboarding industry and posted the transcripts on her blog.  Great stuff!

So, as for this blog, there’s more to come as we really get in the spirit of the winter season

When it comes to dressing for snowboarding, it’s all about the layers. If you don’t wear enough layers, you’ll be too cold. If you wear no layers, and just a bunch of bulky clothes, you’ll be too hot because you won’t have anything to take off. So here’s some basic advice on what to wear & how to dress in layers on the mountain.

1. First, you need a base layer to provide the initial layer of insulation and to wick sweat away from your body while you ride. The base layer is usually snug-fitting (not super tight) thermal pants or tops made of a polyester blend, or a layer of silk long underwear.

Recommended base layer items:

• Shirt: Under Armour Base 1.0 Long Underwear Crew
• Pants: Hot Chillys MTF3000 AM Baselayer Long Underwear Pant

2. On top of your base layer, comes your insulating layer. This is a thicker layer which plays the biggest role in keeping you warm. This layer is typically fleece or wool for warmth. I typically go with a fleece zip-up vest over the base layer, or if it’s really cold, a long-sleeve fleece. Then, fleece pants, or another pair of thermal pants on top of some silks.

Recommended insulating layer items:

• Vest: Women’s Furnace Vest
• Long Sleeve: Columbia Colter Bay Fleece Hoodie
  
• Pants: Under Armour All Season Gear Fleece Pant

3. Next, on top of the insulating layer, is the protective layer. This layer is your outer layer - pants and jacket, usually made of a waterproof and windproof material. I won’t list recommendations because your choice of jacket & pant is highly personal, but look for both a jacket and pants with a lot of pockets, gaiters in the waist and the ankle to keep out snow, and a hot color combo that you won’t get sick of after 1 season.

• Shop for a jacket and pants in the Women’s Snowboard & Gear shop at The-House.com.
  

4. Capping off your day on the mountain should be these other items, for warmth (and in some cases, additional safety)…

• Beanie or Helmet (your choice of color & style. just make sure to buy ASTM rated F2040 helmets)
• Face Mask w/ Neck Warmer: I recommend & wear the Seirus Neofleece Combo Scarf
• A nice warm pair of mittens
• Goggles (again, a personal preference so no reco’s here)
• Snowboarding socks - I wear Wigwam Wigwam wool-blend socks
• Hand and foot warmers to stash inside your mittens or boots - they last for hours!

Some other advice:

• Do not wear jeans on the hill. They just get soggy.
• Same goes for cotton socks. Wool blend are better.
• If it’s really cold you might be tempted to wear a scarf. Not a good idea… you could get it caught on the chairlift when you get off, I’ve seen it happen! Use a close fitting Seirus face mask/neck warmer combo or just a fuzzy neck gaiter instead.
• It’s better to be too warm than too cold… you can always take layers off at the lodge and put them in a locker. But if you forget items at the condo and you’re too cold on the hill? Well, either stay cold or buy more stuff in the lodge (ugh, that’s how you end up with 5 face masks!)

For a handy, more comprehensive list of what to pack, you can also check out our downloadable PDF of a snowboard trip packing list for women.

In honor of last week’s National Ski Area Safety Awareness Week, might be a good time to highlight a rad ladies snowboarding helmet we saw at the Mountain Riders snowboard shop in Whistler.

Here is Jessie modeling the Bern Baker Snowboard Helmet w/ Red Plaid Liner. We thought this helmet was so cute - both functional (um, protecting our brains!) as well as practical - it came with a very cute removable plaid liner with fleece on the inside. The fleece helps to wick sweat away when you’re riding, and I’m sure it’s also very warm on those cold cold days! And we liked the low profile, close-to-the-head plastic protective outer shell.

I’m a big advocate of wearing a helmet in general, not because I ride crazy and do the superpipe or jumps and stuff, but more because you just never know when some dumbass is going to run into you and who knows what will happen.

Want more safety tips about snowboarding?

• Remember the Skiers/Snowboarders Awareness Code - respect your fellow riders and skiers first and foremost!
• If you ride trees, keep these Tree Well Safety Tips in mind from Shayboarder
• Check out this recent article in The Coloradoan for more good tips and some stats about injuries from skiing/boarding

My personal guiding principles for riding: just te safe out there - wear protective gear, always ride within your abilities and above all, please don’t be a dumbass.

Feeling the need for your own helmet? Get your shop on… check out all the snowboard helmets available at Snowshack.com

This weekend I had the opportunity to try out my new women’s Burton Lexa Snowboard Bindings. It was a cold weekend in Mammoth, with packed-powder and somewhat icy conditions at times.

These Lexa bindings were my first pair of toe-cap bindings, and what a huge difference this style made! Previously I was using a really cheap pair of bindings which just strapped over the bridge of my foot.

The toe-cap style works a little differently. It securely holds your boot into the binding, with a combination of pressure two ways: against the top of the boot and towards the back of the boot. This results in your boot’s heel being held in place and less of a chance of your heel to lift up during toe-side turns. (You may also find you don’t have to tie the boots quite so tightly, a definite bonus!)

I found that the toe-cap bindings made my board a lot more responsive during turns because of the better contact they gave my boot to the board. And this was a huge bonus on the icy, packed powder conditions this past weekend. I have yet to see how they perform in the powder, because I usually don’t have a too much of a problem with turns/control in powder.

As for comfort, the Lexa bindings offer a wide cushion across the top-most strap for a more even distribution of the strap’s pressure against your foot, resulting in better comfort over the course of a day riding.

The buckles are easy to tighten and loosen, although you do have to be careful on the toe-cap because at least for me buckle “skipped” as I tightened it - it felt a little loose at the connections. I’ll have to ask the guys at the Burton store if this is normal.

Being Burtons, they will fit most effectively from what I understand with other Burton boots (even older ones - my Sapphires are 4 years old.) These bindings also will work on any board - the plate comes with a hole configuration that works for 4-screw and 3-screw boards.

All in all, I’m very happy I made the investment ($180) for these Lexa bindings - made a huge improvement in my riding, they’re very comfortable with lots of padding on the straps, and are easy to adjust and fit. And they’re cute, too - white with pink, yellow, and blue stripes and cute Louis Vuitton-style insignias on the highback section. And, they were fairly light; didn’t add a lot of weight to my setup. Buy some today!