Published in Whitelines Magazine Issue 96, March 2011
1. ADIDAS
ID2 PURE GOGGLE – £120
Adidas is a brand that needs very little introduction, especially in the UK, where they’ve been supplying the likes of Angus Leith and Dom Harrington with goggles for years. This ID2 Pure is their flagship model.
2. GIRO
SHIV HELMET – £115
Made to protect your head when the shit (or should that be shiv?) really hits the fan, this is one of Giro’s more expensive technical park helmets.
3. THIRTY TWO
SHILOH JACKET – £150
8,000 MM / 5,000 GM
Thirty-Two’s Shiloh Jacket, worn by JP Walker amongst others, is fast becoming a classic. With its big logo branding, there’s no mistaking what you’re rocking here, so you’d better hope your riding’s up to it. Uhhhh son!
4. UNION
FLITE BINDING – £140
Flex 5
Union’s Flite bindings are so called(apparently) because they’re f*cking light! With a stripped-down highback, a light-weight base plate and a minimalist toe-strap, this is the binding equivalent of a drag racer.
5. ELECTRIC
EG2 GOGGLES – £120
Electric’s EG2 is a long-running model but it never seems to get old – a fact that might have something to do with the little tweaks and fresh colour ways they keep coming up with each season. Like this Lichtenstein inspired version here. Sick!
6. BURTON
ION BOOTS – £280
Flex 8
The Ion is one of Burton’s stiffer boots, aimed at freeriders or people who like hitting big kickers. The styling is kept deliberately low-key, cos it’s the tech that does the talking here. It’s got Burton’s speed-zone lacing system, and their most advanced liner.
7. ANALOG
ASSET JACKET – £170
10,000 MM / 10,000 GM
Analog is Burton’s more ‘street’ brand, producing skate wear as well as snow stuff. If street is your bag but you want a jacket that’ll still handle mountain conditions, check out the Asset.
8. NIKE 6.0
H2OODY – £70
Water-resistant fabric means this is more than just an après garment. If it’s warm outside and you’re getting a spring shred on, this’ll stop you getting soaked to the bone. And keep you looking cool at the same time.
9. BONFIRE
ARC JACKET – £160
15,000 MM / 10,000 GM
With an urban-inspired fabric that comes in plain colour ways, the Arc jacket keeps things classic – at least as far as style’s concerned. If you’d rather your riding made the statement, then this mid-tech offering is well worth a look.
10. ELEVEN
SONIC PANTS – £200
20,000 MM / 15,000 GM
Swiss brand Eleven make quality kit for quality riders – like this pair of pants, which would suit most snowboarding styles. Nicely tech for the price, and good looking. Shit, they’re even a bit blue, like that hedgehog off the Sega games. What was his name again…?
11. VANS
WOMEN’S AURA BOOT – £185
Flex 5
Vans have been backers of the Boa technology from pretty early on for one simple reason – their team love ‘em. This women’s Aura comes in near the higher end of their range, with no less than two boas to keep your foot properly locked-in.
12. BERN
MUSE HELMET – £75
Bern have a pretty good record of having your back, whether it be in snowboarding, skating, or the heavy-slamming world of downhill mountain biking. Aimed squarely at women, the Muse is one of their most popular models.
13. VOLCOM
BLAST JACKET – £140
8,000 MM / 8,000 GM
The Blast jacket comes in at the cheaper end of Volcom’s range, making it ideal for park rats and piste cruisers with an eye on style. It’s still got an impressive 8k rating and critically-taped seams though.
14. EVOC
WORLD TRAVELLER – £180
Solidly built and well thought through, Evoc bags are always a good bet. This World Traveller has several easily-divisible compartments, convenient pockets and most importantly, wheels. Oh, and it may not look it, but there’s 126 litres of space in there.
