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?

How much do those graphics cost?

One of my pet peeves about the snowboarding industry, as long-time readers of this blog may know, has to do with the graphics of boards, both on the top sheet and on the base. If I had time to do it, I'd rummage around online to find examples of art that produce one response in me: "I'd never be caught dead riding that!" Whether artwork of it's skulls and other dark themes, women in g strings (there's a time and place for everything, people!), something that looks like it came from out of a bad LSD trip or the mind of a 9-year old boy who is just getting started in art, snowboarding graphics are routinely unappealing.

At least they are to me, who, admittedly, is part of a relatively small segment of the market: people 35 years old and up. My first board had a blue band around the tip, a black tip around the tail, and a few splashes of both colors near the bindings. That's it. The rest of the topsheet looked something like the the planks of wood that make up a lane at the bowling alley. Simple, classic, uncluttered. The prominence of the wood is like Prairie Style architecture (which I also like): Solid, clean, offering a subtle appeal rather than screaming for attention.

I like Flow bindings, and recommend them all the time. So I was interested when I saw that Shannon Johnson did an interview with Eric Luthardt, a produce manager with Flow, at her site, Shayboarder.

Luthardt casually mentioned something that I found distressing.

Shay: Is building a snowboard a collaborative effort?
Eric: Totally, a lot of people have a lot of input and we have a couple of guys who do the graphics, which is a huge part and is the most expensive part. I help the other categories and they help me.

The most expensive part? Yikes!

I followed up with a question (which you can find at the link), and received some answers, including what appears to be one from Luthardt. It's been an informative exchange.

Have Yourself a Mini Time

On Saturday I visited my usual local place for snowboarding, but had an unusual experience: I met someone from the Grays on Trays^® bulletin board.

As it turns out, Bob and I share a season pass. If you put four people's purchase on one credit card, everyone gets a discount. Bob and I had never met; we had conducted our business through e-mail and postal mail.

When you ride on our hill, those of us who are a bit older tend to stand out. Bob and I were at the top of one slope and started talking. Then we discovered -- hey! -- we already knew each other, though we hadn't met.

Bob and I had a great time swapping stories about how we started snowboarding, what attracted us to it, where our favorite places to ride are, and so forth.

We also talked about gear (he wears Flow bindings; smart man), and he mentioned that he had a Rossignol mini-snowboard that is just 123cm long. By comparison, Bob's was riding a 157cm, and mine is 162.



Once we were ready to wind down the day, we headed over to his truck and Bob pulled out the mini and let me try it on the bunny slope.

He has Flow bindings on the mini as well as his usual boards, so I didn't even have to mess with strap bindings. Hooray!

The stance was set for a regular rider and I'm goofy, but the angles were roughly equivalent, the board is an asymmetrical twin tip, and the bindings are set in (duck) stance similar to what I'm used to and they were roughly equidistant from tip to tail. So I didn't have much trouble riding the board the "wrong way."

I took three or four runs on it, trying first to get used to the feel of such a short board, and then working on spins. At one time I did 7 spins in a row and stopped because I was getting near the flats. That was actually a good thing, because at that point I was starting to get dizzy.

I also rode it switch from top to bottom. It was definitely easier than trying to do the same with my longer, directional board, though the experience pointed out that switch isn't my strong point.

So what do you do with a board like this? I didn't have the time or knowledge to play with the board to its full potential.

As one review puts it, "The Mini board makes small mountains big, easy trails interesting, and little obstacles larger."

More interesting. I can see that. The desire to make big, easy trails (and small , vertically challenged ski areas) more interesting is one reason why I started snowboarding.

I have very few freestyle tricks in my quiver. For those of you who are more experienced in this department, would a mini board help, hurt, or make no difference in learning some basic freestyle moves? If it would help, which tricks would it help me learn?

A Review of Online Snowboard Shops

Speaking of shopping for snowboarding stuff, be sure to check out the review of online shops offered by Shannon at Shayboarder.com.

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.

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.

Demo Days

If you get the chance to attend a demo day, do it. Yesterday I went to a demo day at tried several boards. Even more than trying out the gear, I enjoyed being part of the a swarm of people enjoying the opportunity to be back on the snow. I am far from being a gearhead, but I'll pass along a few thoughts and tips gleaned from the experience.

I tried some a few boards--not nearly as many as I would have liked--and was amazed at how much lighter they are compared with current board, which needs replacement soon. That will ultimately be a good thing, but it's also a bit scary.

If you're shopping for a board, try to replicate the first principle of scientific experiments: minimize the number of confounding variables. Do what you can to make sure that the only thing different about each demo of a board is the board itself.

For example, take your current bindings to the hill with you, and ask the manufacturer or store rep to mount them to your board. Reps like to sell bindings with boards, naturally, but if you will be keeping your old bindings, you won't get a true comparison of board-to-board.

To extend this principle, use the same stance with each board.If you ride duck normally, make sure that your demo board has a duck stance. If you're a goofy rider, don't accept a board that is set up for a regular rider.

Take some measurements of your current setup before you leave the house. What stance angles do you use? (If you are currently renting, you may need to guess from your experience). Do you ride with a narrow stance, a wide stance, or something in between? Measure the distance between your bindings. Again, the principle is to minimize the number of things that are changing so that you can focus on the board and not innovations in your stance or anything else.

This next item sounds silly, but don't overlook it: What kind of board do you ride now? I don't mean brand name, but type. Is it a twin tip, with tip and tail of equal size? Is it directional, meaning that the nose is wider than the tail? Does it have a lot of flex, or just a little? (And, by the way, would you like to change any of these qualities because of a change in your riding interests, abilities, or the kind of terrain you expect to ride?)

When you take the boards out on the hill, cover the same terrain each time you demo a different board. If you take one board on an icy run through the woods and another board into an open trail that has been softened by the sun, you'll distort the comparison.

Run the board through different kinds of techniques. Ride it hard. Ride it playfully. Ride it in the pipe or in the park, if those are your things. You may need to make these little experiments on several runs, or you may be able to get them all done in one. It depends on how much and what kind of terrain you have to work with.

Finally, know yourself. What kind of rider are you? Are you the fastest one in your group? The one who brings up the rear? Are you aggressive or mellow? Are you a speed demon? Do you like going down the fall line or do you like to play with the rolls of the terrain and cover more ground before you get to the bottom of the run?

I said that you should make a true board-to-board comparison. That's not entirely possible, of course. The change of temperatures and sun exposure throughout the day will make a difference, as will your changing energy levels. But do what you can to minimize those confounding variables, and you'll have a more useful demo day.

By the way, thanks to Shayboarder, whose insights I have included here. Shay is not yet old enough to be a Gray on Tray, but she is one of the better young voices out there on snowboarding.

Demo Day

Though I've never been much of a gearhead, yesterday I tried out two new pieces of snowboarding gear.

The first was a new set of gloves. They've got some built-in wrist guards, designed to disperse the forces of a sudden impact so that you don't suffer a fractured wrist. Did you know that wrist injuries are the most common injuries in snowboarding? I've suffered two mild sprains in my time, the first coming on my second day out.

I'll have more to say about these gloves later, but I was pleased with their performance as gloves. I didn't get to sample their effectiveness in avoiding injury, thankfully.

The second piece of snowboarding gear I sampled was an all-mountain snowboard. Thanks to being an instructor, I came across a guy who is a sales rep. He hooked me up with a new board for a few hours. When I held it in my hand and compared it with my current board, it didn't feel any lighter. But it felt lighter when it was attached to my feet. Perhaps that's because it seemed to have a quicker edge-to-edge response.

It didn't ride too well for me, though; I wiped out on heelside turns several times. Though I rarely fall these days, it could have been operator error--an unfamiliarity with the board. Perhaps I'll try it again next week.