2009-2010 Winter Gear Guide
Ski and snowboard product testing, taken to the streets.
This is a test. Each fall, thousands of hardgoods, softgoods and accessories hit retail outlets worldwide, destined to fulfill the aspirations of 14.8 million folks, from novices to pros, young and old, male and female, who participate in a snow sport each season. In fact, there were $2.8 billion dollars in sales during the 2008-2009 season alone—an amount of dollar bills that, if stacked atop one another, would stretch from Denver, up I-70, through Glenwood, and come to a rest just before Aspen. Them's a whole lotta products.
But how do you pick the best stuff? Well, first you take a staff of four editors with 100-plus years of combined lifetime on-snow experience and let them decide, because it's their job to do the legwork for you. Then, for the real test, you bring the gear to people who've never seen it before, to places it's never been, to do things that were never in the blueprints during their creation. Then you wait and see what happens.
We hit the streets in four snowy epicenters of the country to determine the best gear for each location.
Launch Northwest gallery »
In the Pacific Northwest, the forecast calls for rain. Winters at high latitude and low elevation are dark and stormy, but, assuming temps stay below freezing, 1,000-inch seasons are not uncommon (Washington's Mt. Baker got a record 1,140 in 1999). With a moist snowpack and dramatic vert, the mountains of Cascadia require serious waterproofing, edge control and low-light solutions. With Portland, Seattle and Vancouver within five hours of one another, this region implores a palate for fresh ingredients, an ear for music variety and a sensitivity to crosswalks, coffee, reflective clothing and recycling. Bring your skate or surf-stick. The afternoon après is always within reach.
Launch Idaho gallery »
Boise isn't a widely-known ski destination, but this gem of a Gem State is only two hours from Sun Valley and Brundage. In Idaho, it might rain, it might snow ... or it might do neither, for a month. The mountains aren't as steep as their neighbors to the Southeast, but what they lack in shock and awe, they make up for with warm, friendly atmosphere. You won't get eyeballed by vert-logging heavyweights, but you might see a guy with electric wiper blades on his goggles, and you'll definitely hear a good-natured hoot every time you wiggle through moguls under the lift. Essential gear: brand new all-mountain skis for sparking casual conversation and a bright jacket to maintain a current look.
Launch Boulder gallery »
Boulder is home to all types—climbers, tri-athletes, hippies, new-agers, students and so on. There are also a few skiers, including those who, while they may not readily offer it up over beers, prefer chairlifts over earning turns in the backcountry. They're usually up for ducking a rope and taking it to the sidecountry, and they ain't scared hiking bootpack. They rep resort-centric gear—fat, powder-munching skis and stiff boots—but they need certain essentials to feign preparedness on slopes beyond ropes. Fashionable and functional at Eldora, Berthoud, Breck or Vail, the only thing missing is the HOV lane-passengered Prius to track a pow fix up the I-70 corridor.
Launch New York gallery »
On the East Coast, things aren't all what they seem. The sense of superiority pervading the west skews the reality of how good it can be on the east. Just try to match the tight and technical tree riding of Stowe, Vermont, or test your skill through challenging steeps found further north at Jay Peak. At New Jersey's Mountain Creek you'll find the East's answer to Bear Mountain—the all-mountain park. Yes: it can be harsh, it can be icy, and if east coasters don't take anything for granted, it's only because there is no room for error. You best come correct: here's some gear that will ensure your success.
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