Gear Review: Dryguy Circulator

When I went to a local ski and snowboard shop to see what they had left on closeout, there wasn't much. But I did make one purchase: a package of DryGuy Circulators.



They're easy to use. Plug them into an AC outlet, stick one in each boot, and wait. They make no noise and get the job done.

How do I know? It's my second pair. I bought this model to take on trips so that my companions can have a set, too. Storage is no problem, as they're both small and light, but effective.

At least on boots. I've tried them on some gloves, but they don't get the job done in the fingers. Your mileage may vary on mittens, however.

The Burton Thumb Drive

One of the Christmas presents I received recently was the Burton Flash drive. Shaped like a snowboard, it's an interesting and fun item.




The version I have is a smaller model--a single gigabyte.

It has, for example, two Quicktime movies. Actually, "movie" is too grand a word for what are actually 30-second commercials. One features an unnamed rider getting big air off a jump. Another features an unnamed rider taking a line down big mountain terrain, and getting air off of natural terrain features.

A much longer clip--10 minutes--is titled "Burton Lesson 101.” It opens with some eye-candy shots of big mountain riding that will inspire newbies to say “I’d like to do that some day.” Jake Burton gets some brief face time before receding for the rest the film, though he remains the narrator.

The video is one part pitch for the company, one part enticement to riding, and one third educational product. It pitches the company's various "learn to ride" programs at resorts.

The video also includes general tips for how to dress, how to select the right sized board, what safety equipment you might consider, and how to use strap bindings. (It also includes tips on how to use step-in bindings, which don't get much play today.) Fro there you get taken to the very elementary basics of a lesson.

Another feature is less useful--a collection of still photos of riders sponsored by the company. There are also three catalogs of Burton products. Those provide some information, but you'd be better off going to a shop and getting a paper copy to browse.

All in all, I'd say this is a useful product.