Our ‘spotlight series’, which sees us look at various bits of snowboard kit up close, is back. Here we’re checking out Seb Toots’ Signature Jacket from O’Neill.
O’Neill Seb Toots Signature Jacket in numbers
Waterproof: 5,000 MM
Breathability: 8,000 GM
RRP: £130
The Pitch
Seb Toots is one of the brightest stars in snowboarding the minute – as this 09-10 season wrap up video shows. The young French Canadian whizz-kid is still only 18, but he’s already racked up enough podium places to last a career. Despite missing most of last winter through injury, he still managed to finish in the top 20 of the TTR World Tour. There are few people in the world at the minute who are better over a slopestyle course or a big air kicker. This is his jacket.
The Design
O’Neill have kept things pretty simple here, with a few bold black diagonal stripes. Classic but classy, and will match most things you might ever want to wear with it. It features nice little touches like Seb’s signature on the sleeve.
The Tech
As the waterproof and breathability ratings suggest, this is made more for park riding (of the kind Toots specialises in) rather than hardcore backcountry hiking. Its lightweight fabric will keep you warm in all but the most extreme conditions, without letting you overheat. It features nicely tech details like critically-taped seams, but it’s mostly about the ease of use here – the little things like iPod pockets, wrist controls and built in bottle opener(!) that will make your time in the park or on the hill more entertaining. Anyone who went to Freeze (which O’Neill sponsored) will have noticed that all the kicker-shapers were rocking these jackets.
