Fun and forgiving, this freeride board is relatively soft—jibing with the best of them, but slowing down bomber powder descents. Best suited for cruisers who shy away from speed.

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Fun and forgiving, this freeride board is relatively soft—jibing with the best of them, but slowing down bomber powder descents. Best suited for cruisers who shy away from speed.

http://www.womensadventuremagazine.com/your-sport/snow/winter-2011-editors-choice-awards-snowboarding/

“For Freeride Flirts”
Powder whores will truly appreciate the Zephyr’s hefty feel and rocker in its tip and tail for a floating feel in deep snow and speedy descents on-piste, too.

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“For Carving Cravings”
An adapting board modeled after the whims of pro-rider Barrett Christy. A patented mini serrated edge grips snow in variable conditions, mixed-camber is perfect for advanced, all-mountian rides.

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“To replace your favorite plank”
An all-mountain charger of a directional board, this new Promise is soft and responsive, impressing in packed powder, groomers, and on the half pipe, but holding its own in powder.

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super-responsive ride, the Infinity is the last all-mountain board you may ever have to buy. Deserving of its cult-like following among riders in-the-know, Never Summer joined the alternative-camber revolution early on, but combined regular camber in the nose and tail with reverse camber in the center to help maintain edge control and stability at speed. Slightly stiff, the Infinity carves better than a caffeine-fueled boardercross racer and cuts through powder like it was half- melted butter. The reverse camber between the bindings also means you won’t catch an edge—this isn’t a soft park board, but testers could still slide a box or two in the park between powder days. In 20 years of manufacturing, not a single Never Summer sidewall has broken, so you can count on a long relationship with this beauty.

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4.2 stars “For Big-Air Heads”
Burton’s Red Hi-fi is proof that this company caters to the hip, music-loving crowd, but the fact that it’s the helmet of choice for the entire Burton women’s team proves that this lightweight, ASTM-certified helmet offers serious protection. A mini air chamber across the back third of the helmet pumps up with the push of a button and fine-tunes fit for a comfortable (and safe) ride. Six of the eight external vents are screened to keep out debris while you’re riding trees, and the interior padding is easily removable for washing and for better fit over the top of your favorite beanie. The helmet’s stand-out feature (aside from the fit system) is the REDphone-compatible ear covers—zip your earphones seamlessly inside and escape into a surround-sound experience. The women’s version fits head sizes XS-L and comes in six colors.

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4.4 stars “For Retro Royalty”
Testers found this sliding vent system most effective but also loved the retro-pilot look of the ear pads and bling-bling embellishments such as gold-stripe accents and super-plush lining. Once you set its sliding adjustable fit system, which some testers found a little difficult to master, you’ll never have to tinker with it again, just as you’ll never need to worry your eyewear will slip from its rear goggle lock. One of this helmet’s nine available colors is sure to match your style, and its Snapfit ear pads accommodate any audio system as well. But its greatest intrigue: the fleece lining—unmatched in velvety comfort.

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Stylish and lightweight with a ventilation system that’s both intuitive and well-formed to direct air through the helmet in the name of temperature regulation. The Grove, one of Giro’s two new women’s-specific snow helmets, meets ASTM impact standards and includes a large back panel to protect against backward falls—the most common among intermediate snowboarders. In mold construction fuses the outer shell and impact foam in one process to save weight which testers noticed despite the addition of Giro’s beefy dial-to-fit system (adjustable for both depth and circumference) which allows this helmet fit a wide range of tester’s “medium-sized” heads. The 3-way venting system applie to 10 of the helmet’s 14 vents, and testers loved the ability to regulate air flow for low, moderate, and heavy-sweating situations via a glove-friendly switch on the helmet’s outside. Additional perks: a plush interior liner and headphone-compatible ear flaps.

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Photochromatic lenses mean these goggles transition between bright sunshine and white- out flat light. Other perks: UV protection, a waterproof vent, and a micro-fleece lining on the triple-layer face foam.

More pop off jumps and a better edge on a slope: you’ll feel the difference that the angled footbed this freeride binding provides.

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Getting your board from Point A to Point B sometimes means flying it there. This large-capacity luggage case fits all the gear, has internal bags help organize it, and lush padding to protect it.

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Climbers, yoginis, and city girls agreed that these comfortable and versatile separates, inspired by classic 1940s dresses, flattered with functional fashion sense. It’s got a built-in shelf bra that offers mild support (not quite enough for big-chested testers to go bra-less) and has delicate bunching to add enhancing volume for flat-chested testers.

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The Lolita (available in both pant and Capri versions) features a flat, high waistband with an offset stitching detail that stays put during downward dogs and flatters the stomach line. Its long straight cut provides a sleek, lean look that makes the wearer seem a bit taller. Both the top and pant are made from a durable, moisture-wicking blend of spandex and recycled polyester prAna calls “Chakara fabric.”

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In irresistible and earth-friendly flavors, these tablets dissolve neatly into 16 oz. of water for a tasty refresher with vitamins and electrolytes.
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($85 and $75; www.smartwool.com) 4.3 stars “Next-to-Skin Natural”
A midweight Merino baselayer set that’s next-to-skin soft, stink-free, sturdy enough to last several seasons.

“Long-John Longevity”
More than 125 years of wool-weaving experience go into this Merino layer that feels dry all day, stays warm, is machine-washable, and rib-knit for under-layer comfort.

Close-fitting and soft with a wide range of temperature ideals, the ultra-wide waistband on both pieces seals out drafts and adds chafe-free padding.

With a flourish of web-inspired styling these separates are a blend of wicking polypro, nylon, and spandex with silver-coated fibers called X-Static. X-Static is heat-reflective, anti-microbial, and static-free and testers noticed the difference: These pieces reflected more heat on cold days, and testers could wear them more days between washes. The compression fit left testers feeling pleasantly refreshed during on-snow workouts—be sure to check sizing for a snug but not constricting fit—but flat seams and a lightly brushed surface meant they hardly noticed this next-to-skin layer when they piled on insulation. In addition to the woven spider-woman motif, testers loved the internal shelf bra which provided extra support during aerobic ski sessions where these compression-fit separates scored the most points.

Entry level” isn’t usually synonymous with high-performance, especially when it comes to a technique-intensive sport like skate skiing where clicking directly into a race-ready kit doesn’t necessarily translate to a great on-snow experience. That’s why Salomon created their Equipe 9 Vitane. This light and agile women-specific ski has noticeably more stability than a top-of-the-line World Cup racer, but not so much it feels sluggish. It’s got energetic flex and springy rebound, and it grips well in turns thanks to a gentle, tapered shape that gives it plenty of edge contact around corners. This ski (available in 3 lengths) is best for new skiers who don’t want to start at square one, or intermediate skiers looking for an upgrade—you’ll grow into it over seasons not months. Tester after tester called it “a great all around ski at a reasonable price.” Length: 174/179/186 cm; weight: 1,250 gm (all sizes).

Entry level” isn’t usually synonymous with high-performance, especially when it comes to a technique-intensive sport like skate skiing where clicking directly into a race-ready kit doesn’t necessarily translate to a great on-snow experience. That’s why Salomon created their Equipe 9 Vitane. This light and agile women-specific ski has noticeably more stability than a top-of-the-line World Cup racer, but not so much it feels sluggish. It’s got energetic flex and springy rebound, and it grips well in turns thanks to a gentle, tapered shape that gives it plenty of edge contact around corners. This ski (available in 3 lengths) is best for new skiers who don’t want to start at square one, or intermediate skiers looking for an upgrade—you’ll grow into it over seasons not months. Tester after tester called it “a great all around ski at a reasonable price.” Length: 174/179/186 cm; weight: 1,250 gm (all sizes).

Give your skis some tender loving care; they’ll love you back by sliding smoothly over the snow. This wax kit comes complete with an iron, brush, wax scraper, table clamps, and, of course, wax.
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