Snowboard Gear Guide - Amazon S3 · Snowboard Gear Guide Page 4 Snomie.com . Rough weight ranges and recommend snowboard sizes . 100 to 120 lbs (45 to 54.5 kg) = 140 to 145 cm . 120

©2013 Snomie Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Snowboard Gear Guide A Complete Guide To

Buying and Choosing Snowboard Gear by Snomie.com

This eBook is dedicated to my parents. Thanks for always supporting me and allowing me to follow my dreams!

The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only.

Any advice that I give is my opinion, based on my own experiences. The material in this guide may include products, information or services by third parties. Third Party Materials comprise of products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, I do not assume responsibility or liability for any third party material or opinions.

The publication of such Third Party Materials does not constitute my guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or services contained within the Third Party Material. The use of any Third Party Material does not guarantee any success to you or your business. Publication of such Third Party Materials is simply a recommendation and an expression of my own opinion of that material.

No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted, or sold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners.

Users of this guide are advised to do their own due diligence when it comes to making decisions and all information, products, services that have been provided should be independently verified by qualified professionals. By reading this guide, you agree that myself and my company is not responsible for success, failure or injury of yourself as a result of decisions made relating to any information presented in this guide.

©2013 Snomie Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Hi there!

Hopefully you've found your way to this eBook from our blog, or maybe it was given to you by a friend. Either way, welcome to Snomie.com's 'Snowboard Gear Guide'!

Ever been confused as to what snowboard gear you should buy or what type of gear you need? This guide was written for you. It's your handbook. It's meant to be your go-to resource to help you choose the snowboard gear that works best for you.

What you won't find in this eBook:

I'll never tell you 'This is the gear you have to buy!' or 'This is what you must use!' Instead, I'll give you all the information you need to make the choice for yourself. I'm going to teach you about each piece of equipment and how the different gear choices can affect your riding. Along the way, I'll also give you my recommendations.

By the time you finish reading this eBook, you'll be able to make all the choices yourself.

See you on the slopes!

- Jed (Founder & Writer at Snomie.com) If at any point while you're reading this eBook you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can best reach us on Twitter (@snomie), or on our Facebook Page.

Even if you don't have any questions, I'd love for you to come by and say hi!

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Snowboard Gear Guide

P a g e 1 Snomie.com

1. Why do you need a gear guide?2. How to choose a snowboard3. How to choose bindings4. How to choose boots that fit5. How to choose gloves6. How to choose goggles and lenses7. How to choose a helmet8. How to choose outerwear9. How to choose clothing for layering

(clickable) Table of Contents

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Why do you need a gear guide? Unfortunately, there’s a lot of bad information out there and it’s common for even veteran snowboarders to not know how to properly choose gear.

Shop employees are often useless

Most snowboard shop employees are no more qualified to pick gear than your average local resort resident. Sure, they may snowboard a lot, but that doesn’t mean they understand how to find the right set of gear for you.

I’m not saying that every shop employee is clueless, but there are a lot of shop employees out there that don’t have the proper knowledge to be giving you gear recommendations.

Don’t forget that a snowboard shop is limited to the brands of gear that they stock, which means their employees may not have much knowledge of other brands outside of their store’s product range.

Don’t get fooled by sneaky marketing tricks

When you go shopping for new gear, how many times have you heard terms like ‘Super grip edge’ or ‘New super hybrid x power camber’? It can be hard to tell whether or not the information you’re receiving is just a marketing gimmick.

Remember, companies are trying to get you to buy their gear, so not everything they advertise should be taken as the truth.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there

Snowboarding has come a long way since the sport first began. Many things have been discovered along the way and this has changed how we give gear advice. Unfortunately, not everyone has kept up to date and there’s still a lot of bad, outdated advice being given out.

One of the biggest examples of this is snowboard sizing. Modern snowboard companies have realized that weight is the most important factor in sizing a snowboard, but many people haven’t stayed up to date. There’s still a lot of shop employees who are still sizing snowboards based on the old ‘up to your chin’ rule.

Do you know the right questions to ask?

When you walk into a store, it helps to ask questions that will select the gear that’s best for you. So, what questions do you ask? The average person doesn’t know what sort of technical questions they should be asking.

You want to be a smart buyer. Going to the store with knowledge of what you want and what works best for you is the key to buying the right snowboard equipment.




How to choose a snowboard You’ve finally saved up enough money to buy a new snowboard? Great! So how do you pick a snowboard that’s right for you?

To choose a snowboard, you’ll need to decide on 5 main areas: Size, Flex, Width, Shape & Camber. Don’t worry if you don’t understand these words, I’ll explain each term, as well as tell you which areas work best for what.

Remember that as you get more experienced, personal preference will play a bigger role in what you’ll prefer, these are only starting points. There are no set rules on what you have to snowboard with.

Part A: Snowboard size

Everyone buying a snowboard always gives their height and weight and asks what size they need. It’s not that simple. How flexible or strong a board is, will change the recommended weight for that board’s size.

For example: A 154 cm snowboard might usually have a recommended weight of about 65 kg, but if this particular snowboard is really flexible and built with lighter but weaker materials, the snowboard might instead have a recommended weight of about 60kg.

Also: Never a snowboard based on height. Rarely ever does height play a big role in the size of snowboard you need. This is a common mistake that even many experienced snowboarders will make.

Always pick your size based on your weight and what you want to ride.

Picking a snowboard size based on weight

Below is a list of some very rough weight ranges and their matching snowboard sizes. Remember that certain snowboards may be built slightly weaker or stronger, which will alter their weight range.

If you’d like a more exact weight range for a particular snowboard, you can ask any good snowboard store for a copy of the recommended specifications given to them by the snowboard brand.

Alternatively, you can email the company directly and they should be able to give you the exact recommend weight range for their snowboards.




Rough weight ranges and recommend snowboard sizes

100 to 120 lbs (45 to 54.5 kg) = 140 to 145 cm

120 to 130 lbs (55 to 59 kg) = 140 to 150 cm

130 to 140 lbs (59 to 63.5 kg) = 145 to 150 cm

140 to 150 lbs (63.5 to 68 kg) = 145 to 155 cm

150 to 160 lbs (69 to 72.5 kg) = 150 to 155 cm

160 to 170 lbs (72.5 to 77 kg) = 150 to 160 cm

170 to 180 lbs (77 to 81.5 kg) = 155 to 160 cm

180 to 190 lbs (81.5 to 86 kg) = 155 to 165 cm

190 to 200 lbs (86 to 91 kg) = 160 to 170 cm

200 to 250 lbs (91 to 113 kg) = 165 to 180 cm

250+ lbs (113+ kg) = 180 to 190 cm

Recommended snowboard sizes change depending on the terrain you’re riding

Besides the above recommend sizes, you should also choose the size of your snowboard based on the type of riding you’ll be doing.

All Mountain / Ride Everything - You’ll want to be at roughly the middle of the recommended size for your weight.

Powder - Large! Aim for as big a snowboard as you feel comfortable with. Bigger snowboards help you to float better in powder.

Just be aware that a huge snowboard may be fun in powder, but won’t be ideal for any other types of riding.

Park / Freestyle - You’ll want a slightly smaller sized snowboard than average. A smaller size helps you to spin and move your snowboard with less effort.

The exception to this rule is if you’ll be riding on very large jumps. If so, you may want an average to slightly longer sized snowboard for greater stability.

Rails / Urban Freestyle - A lot shorter than average. If all you’ll be riding is rails, you want a really short snowboard to make it easy to spin and perform rail tricks.

Part B: Picking the right flex

Flex describes the flexibility of your snowboard. Companies usually have some sort of chart saying the flexibility or a number system. Lower numbers usually mean more flexible and higher numbers mean less flexible.

Eg – A 5 would be average flex, a 1 would be super flexible and a 10 would be insanely stiff.

In general, beginner riders will prefer a more flexible snowboard because it’s more forgiving for bad technique and mistakes.




What flex is best for what type of riding?

All Mountain / Ride Everything – Medium flex or slightly stiffer. About a 5 to 7 out of 10.

Powder / Freeride – Medium to super stiff, 6 to 9 out of 10

Park / Freestyle – Medium, but go stiffer if you ride bigger jumps. Aim for 4 to 7 out of 10.

Rails / Urban Freestyle – Super flexible. This will make it easier for nose and tail presses. Look for a 2 or 3 out of 10.

Part C: Picking the right width

This is how wide your snowboard needs to be. Snowboards usually come in regular width or wide. Typically, you’ll only require a wide snowboard if you have large feet.

The best way to make sure you’ve got the right width is to bring your snowboard boots when you buy a snowboard and put them where your bindings would be. If the toe and heel of your boot hangs out more than about 1 inch on each side, you may need to consider a wide snowboard.

Some snowboards may be slightly thinner than average so you may not need a wide snowboard but rather, you might just need to pick a different snowboard.

Part D: Picking the right shape

Shape is exactly like it sounds. It’s how the snowboard is shaped and how symmetrical the nose and tail of the snowboard are.

In simple speak, it’s basically asking 'Which direction will you be riding most of the time?'

Do you spend your time riding regular, switch (riding with your back foot leading first) or some mix of both.

Below are the 3 most common snowboard shapes and the type of riding that they are best suited for:

Note: Companies will have different names for them but you’ll be able to tell which is which by the description.

Twin – This means the snowboard is shaped completely symmetrical. There’s no difference in shape, whether you ride it switch or regular. Great for someone who spends a lot of time riding switch.

Twin snowboards are typically used for freestyle and terrain park riding.

Twin-ish - Nearly a twin, but usually just a tiny bit longer / larger in the nose area of your snowboard. Twin-ish snowboards are meant for riding both regular and switch. They're designed for those who spend their time doing a majority of freestyle riding, but with a little bit of all mountain riding as well.




Directional - The nose of the snowboard is longer / fatter than the tail of the snowboard. It's designed for someone who rides regular a majority of the time.

Remember, these shape descriptions are just recommendations and are not set in stone. For example, you’ll find A LOT of very good riders who do freestyle on a directional board.

Part E: Picking the right camber

Camber is the direction which the bottom of your board curves. There are 4 types of camber: Regular, reverse, flat / zero camber and hybrid camber.

Think of a banana.

Regular camber – The banana is curving down

Reverse camber - The banana is curving up

Zero / Flat camber – You somehow made the banana completely straight.

Hybrid camber - This is some sort of mix between regular and reverse camber. The most common form of hybrid camber is regular camber in the middle with reverse towards the ends of your snowboard, but you'll find many different types of hybrid camber.

I'll go into more detail on hybrid cambers under the next heading.

What camber works for what type of riding?

Regular camber – Performs the worst in powder but offers great stability for riding fast and hitting big jumps

Reverse camber – Great for powder. Also great for freestyle riding that’s focused on just rails and boxes.

Zero / Flat camber - Used as a middle ground. Companies are slowly phasing out regular camber and many choose to offer zero camber as an alternative to hybrid camber.

Hybrid camber – Can be used for all situations depending on how the hybrid camber was built. By mixing regular and reverse camber, companies are able to make many different




types of hybrid cambers. This means you can have one hybrid camber that's been built for freestyle and another that's been built for powder.

In recent years, companies have taken a liking to hybrid cambers. Regular camber is getting harder and harder to find and I’d say that at least 75% of snowboards are now hybrid camber.

Snowboard companies have many names for their hybrid camber, so you’ll need to look at the description to see what the hybrid camber was designed for.

Every hybrid camber is a little different because every company builds it a little bit differently.

One last tip for choosing a snowboard

Just remember that choosing a snowboard is a lot of personal preference. There is no set rule on what you must have.

To name a notable exception: Torstein Horgmo. He's one of the top freestyle snowboarders in the world. Instead of a longer snowboard, he prefers a short snowboard for hitting big jumps because he says it makes it easier for him to land.

All these tips are meant as guidelines, but you should feel free to experiment a little. As you become more experienced, you'll begin to realize what works best for you.

How to choose bindings Snowboard bindings come in many shapes, sizes and types. So how do you find the right bindings for you?

Here are the 5 key things you need to think about when buying your bindings.

Part A: Flex & Response

What is flex?

Flex is how flexible your bindings are and how much they bend.

Flex is determined by both the main chassis of your binding (the part you stick your boots on), as well as the highback (the part that goes behind your leg).

What flex do I want?

More flexibility means less response. Think of it like driving a car.

A more flexible binding is less responsive, like a big SUV. On the other hand, a really stiff binding is like a sports car, really responsive. Both have their purposes and just like a car, some people will prefer more response, while others will prefer less.

K2 Formula Bindings 2010/11




What flex should I start with?

Most companies will have a number chart out of 10. Usually 1 is the least responsive and 10 is the most responsive.

A good starting point is getting a mid flex binding. Something in the middle-ish flex range will do the job and hold its own anywhere on the mountain.

Part B: Highbacks

What is a highback?

The highback is the movable section of the bindings that goes behind your leg and extends up the back of your calf.

What does a highback do?

Highbacks add to the flex and response of your bindings, as well as determining how much control you have over your heel-side turning.

What type of highback do I want?

You need to decide how tall you want your highbacks to be. Different bindings come with highbacks of different heights.

Higher highback – More control over your heel side turns, but some find it uncomfortable on the back of their calf and it’s harder to make small weight and balance adjustments.

Lower highback - Less control and response, but a lot easier to make small adjustments while riding.

They also tend to be more comfortable on the back of your calf muscle.

Part C: Forward Lean

Bindings come with an adjustment on the back of the highback area, behind your ankle. This adjusts how far forward the highback leans.

Why is this important?

All bindings have a little bit of natural forward lean built into them. Some bindings have a more aggressive forward lean that can annoy riders who prefer to ride with little/no forward lean.

Burton's 'Team Skyback' Highback




What forward lean do I want?

I’d recommend starting with bindings that have a low natural forward lean, unless you already know your preference. You can always add forward lean later by adjusting the settings behind your highbacks.

Part C: Binding Sizes

How do I get the right binding size?

Each binding company will have a general boot size guideline for their bindings, but I highly recommend that you bring your boots with you when buying bindings.

Each boot company makes their boots slightly different, so a US size 9 boot made by Burton won’t fit on your bindings the same size as a US size 9 boot made by K2.

Bring your boots with you to the shop and strap them into the bindings buying before them. This way you’ll know that they definitely fit.

Part D: Canting

What is canting?

Without getting too technical, 'canting' means that the base of your bindings are tilted to help your knees bend in a more natural, comfortable way.

Canting makes your knees feel more comfortable when you ride. It helps them to sit in a more natural position.

K2 Canted Footbed

Do I need canting?

It’s not a must have, but it’s definitely nice to have. I've had 3 knee surgeries and I do notice that my knees are more comfortable on canted bindings.

If you have knee injuries or knee problems, you’ll definitely prefer canted bindings.

What do you recommend as good all-rounder snowboard bindings?

Men - K2 Formula bindings. It's got a low forward lean with a nice mid range flex plus canted footbeds.

Women - Burton Lexa bindings. It's similar to the men's K2 Formula bindings in that it has a nice mid range flex, plus canted footbeds and a low forward lean highback.




Celsius

'Cloud 9' Boots

How to choose boots that fit Your snowboard boots are by far your most important piece of equipment. Nothing will affect your riding as much as having boots that don’t fit your feet.

If your feet aren’t comfortable, you’re in for a bad day. Snowboarding is not fun when your feet are hurting the whole time.

Here's how you pick boots that are right for you.

Part A: A Tight Fit Is A Good Fit

The biggest mistake that most people make is buying boots that fit well at first, but won’t fit you later.

Boots expand. After a solid week or so of riding, the padding in your boots will shrink about 1/2 a size to 1 size. You always want to buy boots that feel like they may be a little too tight at first.

How tight should you go?

Stand up in them as if you were riding a snowboard, if your toes are curling, you’ve gone too small. You want them to feel pretty tight with pressure against the front of your toes, but you don’t want them so tight that your toes are curling.

You should typically end up buying boots that are anywhere from 1/2 size to 2 sizes smaller than your regular shoe size.

Also, if you own snowboard socks (and I highly recommend you buy a pair), make sure you wear your snowboard socks while trying boots on. Snowboard socks are slightly thicker than regular socks, which means they'll make your foot a little bigger.

Part B: No Pressure Points

Make sure you keep the boots on for a good 5-10 minutes in the shop. You want an overall tight fit, but if any parts of your foot are getting pushed too hard, that’s called a pressure point and you don’t want that.

You can sometimes fix this by heat molding the boot, but they won’t heat mold the boots until you buy them first. This can be bad because if the heat mold doesn’t fix your problem, you’ll be stuck with painful boots.

Part C: Boot Flex / Stiffness

There’s no set rule saying that you have to use stiff boots for freeriding or soft boots for freestyle, go with whatever you feel the most comfortable riding with.

Here are the benefits of both:

Stiff - More impact protection for your ankle, much better response and feel while riding.




Soft / Flexible – Better ability to tweak and move your ankle for tricks and small adjustments, a more relaxed / cushy feel.

Most companies use a standard 1 to 10 scale to tell you the stiffness of a boot. In this case, 1 is the softest and 10 is the stiffest.

Most people start out with something mid range, about a 5 to 6 out of 10. As you become more experienced, you’ll discover what kind of flex you prefer.

Just be aware that if you have ankle problems or previous ankle injuries, you’ll probably want a really stiff boot to protect your ankles.

Part D: Foot Width

Different boot companies make boots that fit best for different foot widths. You can narrow down your choices of boots by selecting brands that make boots aimed at your foot width.

How do I figure out my foot width?

The easiest way is to go into any decent snowboard or shoe store and ask them to measure your foot. They’ve got a fancy contraption called a ‘Brannock Device’ that will tell you how wide your feet are.

How do I know which brands are best for which foot widths?

The simplest way is to ask the shop’s bootfitter about this.

Some shop employees will not know which brands are best for which widths, but any good bootfitter will have a good knowledge of boot widths. It’s their job to know these things.

Part E: Try on as many boots as you can

As I mentioned earlier, boots are your most vital piece of equipment. So please don’t just go into a shop and try on 1 boot before you buy them and go home. That’s a recipe for disaster.

I highly recommend taking a good day or two to try on lots of boots before you buy a pair.

You don’t know exactly what boot may be the best fit for you until you’ve tried them on. Even if you’ve found a decent fit, give the other boots in the shop a go. The only exception to this rule is if a boot brand is obviously too narrow for you.

For example – I can’t wear Nike boots because I have wide feet and all their boots tend to be narrow.

It doesn’t cost you anything to try on different boots and it’s definitely worth the effort to find boots that will allow you to ride comfortably all day.

Brannock Device




One extra piece of advice

Please don't buy boots over the internet unless you've tried them on first and you know that they'll definitely fit.

Never go online and buy boots just because 'my friend wears this and our feet are similar.'

Always, always, always try on your boots before buying them.

How to choose gloves Ski/snowboard gloves come in a variety of types and each type is better at different things.

Here’s some decisions you need to make to decide which glove is best for you.

Part A: Do you want a glove or mitten?

Gloves - Advantages & Disadvantages

Your fingers are separate, unlike a mitten. This means you have better control when using your hands for things like using your phone or adjusting your goggles.

The downside is that you may get cold fingers easier than with mittens.

Mittens - Advantages & Disadvantages

Your fingers are basically guaranteed to always be warm. It's a lot harder to get cold hands when wearing mittens.

The downside is that you lose the use of your individual fingers. In addition, some people find that mittens get too hot, which causes their gloves to get sweaty and wet.

Part B: Do you want a gauntlet cuff?

What's a gauntlet cuff?

A gauntlet cuff refers to the large funnel shaped area that goes around the base of the glove and your wrist. This helps to keep the snow out of your glove.

The downside of this is that some people find them annoying and unnecessary, especially on non powder days.

Burton AK 3L Hover Mitt with gauntlet cuff




Dakine Glove Liners

Part C: Do you want removable liners?

What are liners?

Liners are a thin inner gloves that are either sewn into your glove or removable.

Why are removable liners useful?

You can wash them and dry out your gloves more easily when they get wet. They’re also a tiny bit warmer than sewn in liners.

The downside is that your gloves are also slightly more bulky and you’ll typically only find removable liners in larger gloves with gauntlet cuffs.

Note: You can also buy additional removable glove liners separately if you wish.

Part D: Do you prefer a low profile?

Low profile gloves are designed to only cover up to a few inches past your wrist. There’s also no gauntlet cuff extending from the base of the glove.

This can make them more comfortable to wear throughout the day. However, this also means that snow gets into your gloves more easily.

Additionally, form fitting gloves rarely have removable liners because their liners are sewn in to reduce bulk.

You'll need to decide for yourself whether or not you prefer a more form fitting, low profile glove or a bulkier glove that extends past your wrist.

Try on both types of gloves at a shop to see which you prefer.

Part E: Insulation

You need to decide exactly how warm you need your gloves to be. This is based on how much insulation they put into each glove. Remember that if you choose mittens, you can usually go with slightly less insulation.

Pow 'Stealth' Gloves - Low Profile




How do I decide how much insulation I need?

Try on a friends gloves on the mountain to get an idea. You can use it as a starting point. Each person is different and some people have poor circulation, while others can wear thin gloves all year.

Remember that the mountain you ride at needs to be kept in mind. Obviously, if you’re going riding in -20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), you want a really thick glove.

Important Note

Be careful not to buy gloves that are too warm. This causes your hands to sweat inside the glove.

Sweat makes your gloves wet, which can make your hands cold. This can make it seem like your gloves are too thin, when really it’s just that your gloves are too warm and have started to make your hands sweaty.

Remember, the temperature changes from winter to spring. If you snowboard a lot, you may want to look into buying one set of gloves for winter riding and one set of thinner gloves for spring/warm weather riding.

Part F: Sizing

You want your glove to be snug. Don't pick gloves that are so tight that it becomes uncomfortable, but make sure they are tight enough that it’s a nice snug fit around your hand.

Also, don’t be worried if your gloves are a little stiff at first. In particular, leather gloves can be a little inflexible, but they do break in with some use and the snug fit ensures your hands stay nice and warm.

One more piece of advice

Try to stick to higher quality brands. Some examples of higher quality brands are: Pow Gloves, Dakine and the upper price bracket Burton gloves.

You may pay a little bit more than the budget brands, but you also get a much higher quality product that tends to last longer.

How to choose goggles & lenses Ski and snowboard goggles come in many shapes and sizes, with many different types of lenses. What do you need and what’s best for what conditions?

Here’s a simple explanation of what to look for and what will work best for you.

Electric

'EG2' Goggles




Part A: Face shape & size

How big is your face? If goggles don’t fit your face shape and size, you’ll end up with them sliding down your face or fogging up on the inside. No one likes riding with fogged up goggles.

How can I figure out what works for my face shape?

The best way, is the simplest way. Go and try out every goggle at the store. Check for any gaps in where the foam meets your face. The most common gap is around the nose area of the goggle.

If you have a smaller nose, you may be interested in companies like Smith Optics and Oakley. These companies offer an ‘Asian Fit’ which is designed especially for people with smaller noses.

Part B: Lens tint & coating

Goggle lenses come in a variety of colors, tints and coatings.

Lens tint

Companies design each lens tint based on how much light can come through the lens.

In plain english, this means you should select a darker tinted lens if you ride in sunny conditions and a clearer, less tinted lens if you ride in snowy/overcast conditions.

Mirror Coating

This is a special layer that is put over the goggle’s lens. You may notice them on goggles that reflect images similar to a ‘mirror’. This is useful because it helps to get rid of glare from the sun.

Polarized Lenses Mirror coated lens

This can help to cut down on glare and reflections in the snow.

Note: Most people will avoid buying polarized lenses due to the huge price increase. It’s nice to have, but not really necessary and it can also make it harder to see icy reflections in the snow.

Part C: Lens color

The color of each lens affects the clarity of your vision and offers different benefits, depending on the color.

Yellow / Pink / Rose - Increased contrast and it helps to hi-light the terrain in lower light conditions

Orange / Persimmon - Increased contrast that's more suited for medium bright conditions. Useful as an all-rounder lens.




Black / Grey - Darkest lenses that are aimed at blocking light on very bright days. Used on very bright, sunny days with no overcast.

Clear - Does not block any light. Used exclusively for very foggy days and night riding.

Part D: Lens Shape

The shape of a lens will affect the accuracy of your vision.

Cylindrical lenses (flat shape) - These lenses provide a good level of accuracy for a lower price. They're ideal for those on a tight budget.

Electric 'EG1' Goggles with Cylindrical Lens

Spherical lenses (curved shape) - These are the higher end lenses that deliver the best accuracy. They're more pricy, but they're also the best type of lenses available.

Electric 'EG2' Goggles with Spherical Lens


Don't forget that the mountain/resort that you ride at will affect your choice of lens. For example, if riding at Whistler Blackcomb, they get a lot of cloudy days, which means that many riders in Whistler use a lighter tinted lens.

How to choose a helmet A helmet is a great investment in protecting your head. There's often a lot of sharp rocks and tree branches hidden in the snow and a helmet can make sure you don't crack your head open.

There's a few things you need to think about when choosing a good helmet, so here's a simple breakdown of what you need to look for.




Part A: Fit / Sizing

You want to aim for a nice and snug fit to ensure your helmet doesn't move when you're riding. However, be careful not to go too small or you may find that your helmet squeezes your head too tight and causes headaches.

I recommend wearing the helmet at the shop for 5 minutes to make sure you're not getting any pressure points on your head.

Sizing charts & how to measure your head

Most helmet companies offer a sizing chart on their website. This chart lists the size ranges for their helmet to help you to get a rough idea of what sizes you should be wearing.

The simplest way to measure your head is to get a piece of string and wrap it around the widest part of your head (usually just above your eyebrows). Now just measure the length of the string to find out the size of your head.

Will you be wearing a beanie under the helmet?

Some people prefer snowboarding with a beanie under their helmet for comfort and/or warmth. You should remember that if you are going to do so, you need to wear the beanie when trying on helmets to ensure you get a good fit.

Note: There's some debate on whether or not this decreases the effectiveness of a helmet's impact protection, so do this at your own risk.

Part B: Goggle Compatibility

You don't want any gaps between the top of your goggles and your helmet. Aim to have the top of your goggles exactly in line with the front of your helmet.

Brimmed helmets

A popular design in recent years, is to have a brim on your helmet. This helps to eliminate any goggle gaps by having a downward brim to cover any gaps between the top of your goggles and the helmet.

Sandbox 'Brain Bucket' Helmet with brim

Part C: Weight

If possible, try to aim to buy a light helmet. Not only are lighter helmets more comfortable to wear, but a lighter helmet also means your head hits the ground with less force when you crash.




How to choose outerwear

Burton 'Puffaluffagus' Jacket

Buying ski/snowboard outerwear comes with many confusing technical numbers such as 15,000MM waterproof or 10k G breathability. There’s also lots of other strange terms such as wrist gaiters and fully taped seams.

Here’s a simple explanation on what it all means and how you should select your jackets and pants.

Part A: Waterproof Rating

This is how waterproof the outerwear will be. A higher is better. Waterproof rating typically starts at about 5,000 MM and goes as high as 30,000+ MM.

What waterproof rating do I need?

This depends on what sort of conditions you like to ride in, but generally, you’ll want 10k or higher waterproof rating.

A 5k rating is usable if you only ride really dry snow and don’t ride in wet conditions, but generally you should stick to outerwear that's rated at 10,000 or higher waterproofing.

A useful tip:

People generally look for higher waterproof rating for pants.

You sit on chairlifts and snow throughout the day, so higher waterproof ratings in pants helps to keep your legs dry.

Part B: Breathability Rating

This is how much moisture can escape from your jacket/pants. Higher is better. Breathability rating usually starts at about 5,000 G and goes as high as 30k+ G.

What breathability rating do I need?

You’ll typically want a minimum of 10k breathability rating. I find that going below 10k breathability results in your jacket/pants holding in too much sweat and moisture.




Unless you ride for really short periods or never sweat, I wouldn’t go below '10k G' breathability rating.

Part C: Seam Taping

Seam taping describes how the waterproof tape has been placed over the stitches and seams of your clothing.

You’ll generally see 2 types of seam taping descriptions:

Critically or partially taped seams - Only the main seams have been covered with waterproof tape.

Fully taped seams - Every seam/stitching on the garment has been covered with waterproof tape.

What seam taping is best?

Try to stick to outerwear that has fully taped seams. Fully taped seams are just as important for waterproofing as waterproof rating. Partially taped seams lead to moisture and snow leaking in from all sorts of random places.

Note: You can get away with critically/partially taped seams on a jacket if you ride in very dry conditions, but I suggest never going partially taped seams for pants.

Part D: Insulation vs. Shell

Insulation is basically how much stuff they put inside the clothing to make it warmer. 60 g insulation means that there’s 60 grams of insulation, so higher numbers mean warmer clothing.

What's a shell?

Shell jackets/pants are garments without any insulation. They won’t keep you warm by themselves, but they are thin, light and won’t restrict your movement.

Special Blend 'Signature' Shell Jacket




How much insulation do I need?

This depends on if you ‘layer’ your snow clothing. Layering means you wear multiple layers of clothes under your jacket/pants.

If you don’t layer your clothing, then buy garments with more insulation in them. If you layer, you don’t need as much insulation and will only need light insulation or a shell garment.

Note: If you buy outerwear with lots of insulation, be aware that they get very hot to wear during spring or warmer weather riding.

Part E: Gore-tex and other special materials

These are special materials that are waterproof and breathable without any extra spray on liquids. Many jackets/pants rely on waterproof spray on liquids to stay waterproof, but Gore-tex and other waterproof materials are already waterproof from the start.

Do I need Gore-Tex or other higher end materials?

Not really, unless you ride wet, snowy conditions or you want the best waterproofing/breathability available. It can be nice, but it’s not necessary.

Gore-tex has insanely high breathability and waterproof ratings (25k+ at least). You can almost go swimming in Gore-tex.

Just be aware that Gore-tex and any other special waterproof materials will usually raise the price of the jacket/pants.

Other things to think about

Wrist Gaiters

These are a thin layer of material inside the wrist area of your jacket. They fit around your thumb/hands like a glove and they stop snow from getting inside the arm hole of your jacket.

Powder Skirt

These are similar to the wrist gaiter, except they are at the top of your pants and go around your waist/stomach area. They help to stop snow from getting into your pants.

Wrist gaiter from ThirtyTwo's outerwear line




Fit

This is how tight or loose your outerwear is. This is largely a personal choice, some prefer tighter clothes while others prefer loose and baggy outerwear.

Vents

These are zip openings in your jacket/pants that you can open/shut to control how much air gets into your jacket. More vents means more air flow when you get hot.

Pit vents found on a Burton Jacket

Color

Don’t forget to think about color when you pick your outerwear. If you're taking a lot of photos or filming yourself, brighter colors are better. They show up well in photos/video and make you stand out better against the background.

How to choose clothing for layering When going to the slopes, you have two options for keeping warm:

1. Wearing 3 or more layers of clothes

2. Wearing 1-2 layers of thicker clothes

Here’s a guide on how to choose clothing to layer correctly and why you might want to choose each option.

Part A: Wearing 3 or more layers

The advantage of wearing 3 or more layers is that you can change things really easily if it gets warmer. In addition, it’s a lot more flexible when it comes to altering thicknesses of your layers to match the temperature.

The typical method of layering 3+ layers is:

Base Layer - Your warm thermal/base layer shirt and pants to wick away moisture and keep you dry.

Special Blend Base Layer




Mid Layer - A fleece zip up or pullover to keep the heat in.

A good plan for those who ski/snowboard a lot is to buy a thin, medium and heavy fleece. This allows you to match your fleece thickness to the temperature.

Burton Fleece Zip-Up

Outer Layer - Shell or lightly insulated jacket/pants.

This keeps out the wind and moisture, while providing an extra layer to keep you warm.

Burton Shell Jacket

Part B: Wearing 1 to 2 layers

The advantage of wearing 1 to 2 layers is that it’s simple and easy. You wear the same thing every day.

The big downside however, is that you rely on vents and zippers in your jacket/pants to cool you down and you can’t remove a mid layer if you get hot.

The typical method of wearing 1-2 layers is:




Base Layer - Your warm thermal/base layer shirt and pants to wick away moisture and keep you dry

Mid & Outer Layer - Thick puffy jacket/pants with heavy insulation. This functions as both your mid layer and your outer layer to keep you warm and keep moisture/wind out.

Burton Puffy 'Heritage Down Jacket'

Note: Many people don’t get as cold on the lower half of their body, so it’s not uncommon for many to go with a shell or lightly insulated pants with a puffy jacket.


Don’t forget that if you snowboard a lot, you can buy multiple sets of outerwear for cheap, as long as you’re willing to buy the previous seasons gear.

This mean you can have both a 1 to 2 layer set and a 3+ layer set of outerwear.

Stay warm and happy riding!

Thank You So Much! I hope you found this eBook helpful. I'm very grateful for each and every one of you who has continued to read our blog and who continues to support Snomie.com!

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- Jed (Founder & Writer at Snomie.com)


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Documents

Snowboard Gear Guide - Amazon S3 · Snowboard Gear Guide Page 4 Snomie.com . Rough weight ranges and recommend snowboard sizes . 100 to 120 lbs (45 to 54.5 kg) = 140 to 145 cm . 120