Women's snowboarding gear: More than pinking up

In the ski world, Jeannie Thoren conducts clinics for women, as a representative of Dynastar. (I met Thoren a few years ago, and wrote a few words about my visit.)

Would women benefit from gender-specific snowboards and bindings? Thoren (who has tried riding a time or two) said yes. I don't know enough about the design or physics of either bindings or boards to have an informed opinion.

But one thing I do believe is that you've got to have something that's not just simply "pinked up."

Last winter I received a press kit from ski-doo USA, one of the leading manufacturers of snowmobiles. A description of one of the company's helmets had this groaner: "Women riders will also be drawn to the pink version of the new" helmet.

Really? I know plenty of women who like pink, but many who don't. It will take more than "pinking up" to reach women.

But to get back to snowboarding, here's a question for the ladies: Have you tried women's snowboards or bindings? Do you see any value in them? If so, how does the gender-specific nature of the gear help you?

Bling Bling? No Thanks

I like Flow bindings, so I was disappointed to see they've gone "bling bling."

Behold, bindings with 24k gold.

Ridiculous.

Sharing the Love of Flow Bindings

I'm a shameless promoter of Flow bindings--the convenience is outstanding, for one thing. So sometimes I get the feeling that I'm part of a secret society.

Today I made what is probably my last local trip to the "mountain," and the end of the season is near. (As a marker, the pond-skimming contest was today.) I was at the base of one lift when I fellow with an Arbor board (I'll call him Mike, though I forget his name) asked to ride up the lift with me.

It's rare for someone to ask to share a chair, so I readily agreed. It turns out that Mike wanted to talk about Flow bindings. I have a pair of NXT-AT. Mike had a pair, too, though I never did make out what they were.

We then talked about boards. Mike was sporting an Arbor, a brand I like because it's got a good reputation and equally important, their topsheets generally don't look have a goth feel or resemble the imagination of someone on acid.

At the top of the hill Mike called some of his friends to hold up. One rode away anyway, but then three of us talked about Flow bindings. We all had one model or another.

Like I said, it sometimes feels like a secret society, or maybe a consumer cult, in the way that some people are obsessed with White Castle hamburgers or moon pies or whatever. And it's a nice addition to the day when I find someone who is equally enthusiastic about the Flow concept.

A kind word for Flow bindings: He's not getting them back

Read through this blog, the affiliated bulletin board or the associated site, and you'll discover that I'm a big fan of Flow bindings. No pressure points, no need to sit down on the snow, and easy to use.

Today I was on the chair with a fellow who was wearing what appeared to be an older set of Flow bindings. I asked him "What model are those?"

He said that he didn't know, as he had borrowed them from a friend. "But he's not getting them back," he said. He liked them that much.

Women Golfers and Adult Snowboarders

Do companies that neglect market niches leave money on the table? It all depends on the niche, the market, and the company. But I suspect that when it comes to snowboarding, the answer is yes: Snowboarding-related companies aren't doing enough to talk to the adult market.

I see an analogy with the market for women golfers.

The Golf Blogger reports that the magazine Golf for Women is ceasing publication. He blames it on a lack of advertisers, and in turn, companies missing an opportunity to tap 40 million women baby boomers who could be golfers.

The golf company that takes these women as seriously as they take the men can really position itself. And that doesn’t mean taking a man’s club, making it a little lighter and coloring it powder blue or pink. It means starting from scratch, and putting the same effort into research and development as they do with the men. Then they need to market that equipment—clubs, balls, bags, pull carts, and so on—with the same aggressive stance that they do with the men.

To their credit, some snowsports companies are coming out with gear designed for women, gear that takes into account the fact that women are not small men, but have (for example) calf muscles that are differently shaped than those found on a man.

What alterations would be useful for adult riders? Flows, K2 Cinch bindings, and other bindings help, by reducing or eliminating the need to bend over or stand up, heelside, after having sat down to adjust bindings. Other than that, I'm not sure what other adjustments to gear are necessary. But there are plenty of adjustments that can be made to marketing materials. In brief, offer some grown-up graphics and text.

Shopping Notes: Sierra Snowboard

If you will need or want a new snowboard, bindings, or boots for next season, this might be a good time to go shopping. You can save a lot of money off retail.

One place that may be worthwhile is Sierra Snowboard. I've never bought anything from them, but their site has several features that could be useful. There are user forums, a Wiki, a chat, and helpful videos, to start with.

There are many places where you can buy snowboards, so look around.

Dip Those Triceps

I came across a new (to this season) blog called Snowboard Women. I'm not sure how old Erica (riding since 1999) and the rest of her Southern California-based gang are, so I'm not sure if they'd be comfortable identifying with the Grays on Trays demographic, but they do get "age points" for remembering vinyl records.

Also, I liked the post "Snowboarders Getting Older." At least I plan to be snowboarding while getting older, as are the folks on the Grays on Trays discussion board.

The blog has a post on pre-season conditioning that comes with this twist: strengthen those triceps.

Say what?

"You heard me. Unless you have step-ins, you’re gonna spend a fair amount of time sitting at the top of the run strapping in. Once your gear’s all set, you gotta push yourself up off your seated position… over and over! Getting your arms prepped will prevent you from being too sore the next day."

Not a bad idea to tone those arms, of course. But you could also get some Flow bindings and avoid that sitting on your bum.

New Year, New Gear

My old snowboard equipment was getting on the worn side, so I thought it ways time to ante up for a whole new setup.

Ouch.

Snowboarding can be an expensive activity, even if you find ways to get discounted gear. But I'm in for it now that I've worn the boots a few times, and my board suffered a chip to the topsheet when an out-of-control kid slid over it. I was standing at the edge of the run-out area from a lift when I heard an awful sound. "Sorry dude," a guy said, before shrugging and riding off. When I got home that night, I noticed a chip on the top.

The board is a Salomon Special. It is stiffer than what I am used to, but that's by design. I washed out during my first time using it, but I'm getting accustomed to it.

I've also got new boots, also Salomon. They're a bit tighter than I would like, so the other day I took them into a shop and they did some heat molding work. Briefly, they heated up a footbed and put it into the boot. I put an foam insert on the end of my toes--to make them longer--and stepped into the boot. Walking around for a bit with this arrangement packed out the front of the foot enough to make for a better fit.

Another piece of new equipment is a pair of Flow NXT-AT bindings. I've always said that a person either loves or hates Flows. Up until now, I've loved them. Now ... I'm not sure. I finally have had to deal with the "pressure points" that some people have talked about with strap bindings. I wonder if the bindings are the wrong size. I had bought XL based on what I had on my old set, but these aren't sitting well on one foot. Or maybe it's that the boot is too small. I'm going to take my old stinky boots for a ride in the new bindings and see what happens.

Are Customers Idiots? Company Official: We're Selling Eye Candy

This next item caught my eye from the March edition of Transworld Business:

Until recently, bindings have been the most utilitarian member of the hardgoods family. As the workhorses, bindings serve their purpose dutifully while constantly being upstaged by the pampered eye candy that is the snowboard. But no more—bindings in ’08 are coming out, busting loose with new looks, exotic touches, and some serious attitude.

“Binding sales are by far the most affected by shelf appeal—they’re basically fishing lures,” says Rossignol Snowboarding’s National Sales Manager Eric Hutchison. ”If they don’t pop off the shelf, they won’t sell. So rather than spend R&D dollars on improving an already-great binding, we spent our dollars on making it look like a great binding so the customer will be more inclined to consider them as an option.”

What was that about a sucker being born every minute? Granted, design is part of manufacturing today (see: Apple computers, iPods, high-end automobiles, etc.)

Just as long as Flow doesn't make all their bindings look like something suitable for 11-year old gamers.

(Source: "2007/08 Binding Trends," Transworld Business, dated 3/21/07)

In Defense of Step-in Bindings

A lot of experienced snowboarders have bad things to say about step-in bindings.

I'm going to be a contrarian and say that there ought to be more rather than fewer step-ins. I think they would help grow the sport.

Consider, for example, the cross-over skier. Someone's been a skier for a while, sees a lot of riders, and wants to give snowboarding a try. What's he used to in bindings? Step-ins. Toe, heel, click, and off he skis.

He then goes to the rental shop to get snowboarding gear. Straps? More work:
- Bending over for a prolonged time OR sitting down and then standing up with both feet in (neither are easy)
- Fidgeting with threading one piece of plastic through another (often requiring removing one's gloves--brrr!)
- Not stepping on a flopping rear strap while doing skating exercises.

I recently taught a very good skier how to ride. We did sessions at two different ski areas. One had step-ins; one had straps. The verdict? "Damn straps!"

I must say that step-ins don't always live up to their promise. More than once I have had to point out to one of my students the need to clear snow away from the binding on the board, the metal bar on the boot, or both. When I tried step-ins (admittedly, four years ago), I always had a hard time knowing whether I was "in" or not.

Count me in the "love 'em" camp of Flows. Adjust your settings on the dry land, slap that back lever into place on the mountain, and slide away. But even here, there are some problems, notably, a beginner getting into them on uneven ground. (One solution: enter toeside and then do a ground roll if a heelside ride-off is desired.)

In short, I think there's plenty of room for someone to come up with a newbie-friendly binding system that will work in a variety of conditions. Learning how to ride is difficult enough, especially if you're older than, say, 21. It's too bad that the equipment makes that more difficult than it otherwise could be.

Step-In Bindings: Another One Bites the Dust

The other day I took a family friend out for a private lesson. It worked out fine, with numerous top-to-bottom runs. But the session was another example of the changing market in bindings.

Read this blog (or its associated web site) for long, and you'll know that I'm a vocal fan of the kinds of bindings produced by Flow: one large cap over the foot, secured by four ratchets adjusted in the shop (or at home), and one lever in the highback.

Snap the highback into place, and bam!, you're sliding. No need for threading ratchets after every run, stopping over for two minutes at a time, or getting wet butt syndrome by threading the ratchets while sitting down.

So today I go to one of the local ski hills. It's not one that I have been to yet this season, though I always enjoy going there.

I guided my student through the rental shop. First we got the board, and set the bindings ("goofy with a slight duck," I said.) The bindings were the standard-issue straps.

It made me long for the days of step-in bindings. Not that I prefer those to Flow bindings, but I do prefer them to straps, especially for beginners. I always say that learning to ride is hard enough without having to deal with ornery bindings.

Sure enough, I was right. My student today did very well in sliding and making turns, but had a lot of difficulty with the straps. Since the runs in the Midwest are at the most 2 minutes long, that is a significant sinkhole for time.

Someone in the rental shop told me that they replaced all the step-ins last season. They couldn't get enough of them, or something.

So that makes two ski hills that I know of that have dropped step-ins in the last two years.

I've got a word for the shops: go with the Flow(s).

In Praise of Flow Bindings.

(Bindings: One of those perpetual debating points among riders. Here's my view.)

I have an 3-year old pair of Flow bindings and I love 'em. One reason is that straps are too complicated for me. I know that sounds like I am an idiot, but there you go. The fact that I was a novice rider when I tried them may have had something to do with it.

The switch to Flows came when, at the end of one run, I spent 5 minutes, without success, trying to unlatch a pair of (cheap, used) strap bindings. I then found a way to pull my feet out of my boots, with straps still buckled in. I walked, in stocking feet, to my car and then drove to my favorite ski shop, where I bought both a pair of Flow FR-11 bindings and some Ride boots.

What do I like about Flows? Obviously, no messing with the tiny notches on the strap bindings. Plus, getting into the binding is quick: slide in foot, push lever from its open position to a closed one, and go. It's like putting on a pair of loafers compared with lacing up tennis shoes. While other riders are messing with their straps at the top of the hill, I'm already sliding away. Sometimes I even start sliding before I put the lever into place. It's that easy.

A bonus is that you don't have as much bending or crouching--good for the aging body.

Some people have praised Flows for eliminating pressure points that they got from straps. As I never stayed on straps long enough for this to be an issue, I can't speak to it.

There are several raps against Flows. Some of it is style prejudice--the "you're not a REAL snowboarder unless you do this" nonsense. I've read some complaints that they are somehow less secure than straps. I doubt that; the Flow professional team regularly medals at freestyle events, suggesting that the binding style is quite suitable for jumping in the air, if that's your thing.

The most legitimate knock on Flows is that they tend to be heavier than a strap binding. This is probably true of the older versions such as the ones that I have. But I have also read that the Flow NXT (newer models) are much lighter than the old ones.

I think that Flows would be good for a beginner (and many other riders), since it simplifies time on the snow at a point when so many things are new and different, if not difficult.

During a clinic last week, we pretended to be new students. We took a tow rope (one foot out) halfway up the bunny hill and sat down for a few minutes. Then we had to get the free feet into a binding.

At that point, the lever that slips into the highback can get in the way. If for some reason I have a foot out and the ground isn't flat, I often find it easier to do a flip (we call it a "turtle roll") so that I am facing uphill. Then I dig my foot into the binding, slap the lever into place, and stand up toeside. (Obviously if I want to start out heelside, then I have to roll again.) Rolling may not be an easy task for a beginner.

As for the k2 cinch, I tried them one day and wasn't impressed. It felt awkward getting in, for one thing. In my Flow bindings, my foot goes in flat. In the Cinch, the toes go in, followed by the heel, followed by the heel pushing down an elevator of some sort. That's an extra step that I found rather weird and inexplicable.

The word I've read is that it's not quite ready for prime time; Flow has their model going for a while now, but the Cinch is still new and the first year presented some problems. I think this may be the third year for the Cinch.

One guy whose judgment I normally trust on snowboarding thinks that both the Flow and the Cinch have too many moving parts, which means that they are susceptible to breaking down. He prefers straps. Obviously, I don't share his conclusion.

You can find a lot of discussion about bindings at either http://snowboard.colonies.com/forums/forum/21/ or at http://www.graysontrays.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=9

By the way, I wouldn't recommend driving in snowboard boots, at least based on my one experience. There wasn't enough give in my boot to make me feel comfortable controlling the pedal(s). Then again, I was using a clutch, too.