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By leo.flor, November 5, 2012 12:06

One of the ways I notice I’m evolving into a parent is in the things I buy and don’t buy for myself.  Such is the case with this upcoming snowboarding season.  Despite finally getting an opportunity to pick up the Craig Kelly inspired Burton Mystery with my instructor discount, I instead decide to update my HELMET (who am I?!).  New snowboard money has been reallocated to the baby fund.  :(

Though definitely not on the same level of awesome, the new RED Shaun White Hi-Fi Helmet is cool in a couple of ways:

• my Skullcandy subwoofer earpiece is still compatible
  
• there is now an Air Band inflatable bladder in the lining of the helmet, making it even more comfortable to wear; similar idea to Reebok Pump
  

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By leo.flor, March 7, 2011 10:16

When I came back from the west coast with an obsession to ride, one person signed on as an ally in my quest to shred.  We forged a partnership, a sibling rivalry, whatever you want to call it, through snowboarding.  That person is my #1 snowboarding buddy Gina.  No one but us was willing to drive to Blue Mountain over 40 times a season to hit an icy park at night.  We’re witnesses to each others’ greatest achievements and most spectacular bails.  We have also ridden the gnarliest conditions together (e.g. hopping from ice patch to ice patch in the rain on a melting transition at Smuggs to avoid lining up for the bus or getting caught in a half-pipe that was being groomed (do not do this)).   It was her idea to become CASI-certified snowboard instructors so that we could become ambassadors to the sport (though I’m certain the killer discounts on equipment motivated her also).

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A woman of her stature (riding experience and skills) deserves a top-of-the-line shredding instrument and the latest addition to Gina’s collection is the Burton Feelgood Flying V Snowboard.  I asked Gina to evaluate her board for me but she confessed to not having ridden it enough to speak to it in detail.  That was two months ago in Mont Tremblant when she had ridden it only twice.  That was before she went to Aspen on her annual Colorado pilgrimage.

The Feelgood Flying V is a rockstar board on paper, it includes:

• Burton’s latest innovation in binding to snowboard interface, the Channel which essentially allows limitless binding configurations.  I can’t believe I bought a Vapor and new C60 bindings the year before they started doing Channel, such is the fate of an early adopter.  C’est la vie.
• The “Flying V” a double-camber base which is Burton’s latest attempt at the best of all worlds.  Playful flex between bindings for easier butters but enough camber to hold on tight to edges.

If this board were sitting flat on the ground it would look like a cosine wave (and you thought you’d never apply trigonometry).

In her own words:

I would say that this board is the best all-mountain board I have owned.  In Aspen, whether it was groomed runs, the park, or powder, I never felt like the board was lacking in anything.  I would get chatter on other boards when carving at high speed and this includes my older Feelgood but with this board, I could get all the way through turns aggressively and my edges were still gripping.  Despite this being one of the longest boards I’ve ridden, I was still very comfortable in the half-pipe.  It has an interesting flex, the double camber makes it easy to lift your tip or tail for butters/nose-presses and the like.

I absolutely love the Channel system.  It’s not just a gimmick, it is so easy to adjust the position of your bindings against both the length and width of a board.  In freestyle, I could adjust the position of my feet to better my overall body position which affects landings, riding on boxes/rails etc.

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By leo.flor, February 1, 2011 11:26

I’m all about being light and minimal when I ride.  Don’t like riding with a backpack.  I used to have one of these Bakoda Hi-Backs but have since done without it (also it doesn’t fit over my current bindings, Burton c60s).  It’s crucial to have a tool on you for emergency, on-mountain repairs but should I risk jabbing myself with a tool in my pocket?  No thanks, I ride wearing the 686 Original Snow Toolbelt.

The belt has a phillips screwdriver, flathead and wrenches of various sizes and even comes with a bottle opener.  Handy on the snow and apres!

You might be able to tell from the pictures, there’s a lot of wear and tear on this belt and it’s because I’ve had it for probably 5 years already.  I’m surprised how well the leather has held up to the snow.  It’s saved me countless times, like when the rental shop doesn’t tighten a friend’s bindings enough.  The bottle opener and studs make for lethal combo of being practical as well as a rockin’ fashion statement.

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By leo.flor, January 7, 2011 10:08

I started writing this post and meant to publish it before Christmas but in the December madness, I never got around to finishing it.  Still you can get that special someone some warm, cozy socks for a birthday, or maybe an early Valentine’s Day present?

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Looking for a nice (relatively) inexpensive gift for that shredder on your list?  Get them some snowboading socks. You can never have enough warm socks.

As always, I am looking for the latest and greatest innovations in snowboarding and thus I had to try the Burton Phase II Sock.  The socks are made from real silver (as in the precious metal) and Burton boasts that it will keep your feet warmer and dryer and that they won’t stink.  Further, there is strategically placed padding throughout the sock to make riding more comfortable.  BOLD claims, so I was compelled to test them.

As with all my posts, I like to have a basis for comparison.  I snowboard enough to have more than one pair of snowboarding socks and I have a collection similar to my shoes, gloves, etc.  All of these are Burton socks except for one pair of Smartwool (which I think are great).  Yes, I’m a freak.

So what’s the verdict?

Anyone who has skied or snowboarded on Mont Tremblant will tell you that it is a VERY cold ride.  I used the Phase II Sock on the colder of the two days I was on Tremblant this past December (numbers below) and despite this fact, my feet were warmer and noticeably more comfortable.  I had to try and remember to think about my feet, rather than the usual, my frozen toes coaxing me to get back inside.  And although I was skeptical, and reluctant to perform the sniff test, the Phase II Sock was indeed less smelly than the sock I used on the control day.  As for moisture, I couldn’t discern a difference, it would have been difficult to measure anyhow.

I also recently used these socks while playing football in the snow with soccer cleats on.  Didn’t think about my feet once so it’s safe to say these are quite effective socks.  Glad it all worked out because they are more expensive than your average snowboard sock, though now I wish I bought two.

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Temperatures in Mont Tremblant, Quebec during the test (keep in mind numbers are sans windchill and it is always colder at the peak)

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By leo.flor, December 8, 2010 13:27

If you’re a gadget geek like me as well as a snowboarder, this thought may have crossed your mind:  how do I use a touch screen device with a glove on?  It prompted me to check out the Burton Touchscreen Liner.

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I think a better design for a touch screen glove is something like a magic mini – only with the whole tips of the index fingers and thumbs wrapped in the T-Ink membrane or made out of conductive thread (check this guy’s post).  That way you don’t have to line up that membrane just perfectly, you can tap the screen with the side of your finger.  I reference magic minis because they are gloves that stretch to be flush against your fingers.  Anything to make the tapping easier.  Also it would be extra awesome if Burton put the rubber padding material on the other fingers and the hand pad, enhancing one’s grip on the device.

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By leo.flor, November 15, 2010 12:02

Before Shaun White became a household name by capturing the hearts and imaginations of snowboarders everywhere with multiple gold medals in the Olympics and the X Games and tricks that seem like they can only be done in a video game (double McTwist 1260) there was another rider who pushed the sport to where it is today, his name was Craig Kelly.

portrait of Craig Kelly hanging in the Burton Chicago flagship store

This is a picture of the Craig Kelly Air from the Burton New York flagship store in Soho, one of the first snowboards to be named after someone.

There are so many things about Craig Kelly that I admire:

• He was never satisfied with the snowboards.  Though he dropped out from college to compete in snowboarding, he was obviously a smart guy and learned enough from his time at University of Washington (where he studied Chemical Engineering) to be able to give valuable feedback to snowboard manufacturers (Sims Snowboards then Burton Snowboards).
• Despite tremendous temptation, he would not “sell out”.  He left potentially millions on the table in terms of sponsorships to ride his way.  And his way was awesome, freeriding terrain in the world that had never seen a snowboard and becoming an ambassador to the sport.
• He trained to become the first ever Certified Canadian Mountain Guide on a snowboard (he used a board that could split into skis).
• He rode as if style counts (which it does).

I like to think I’m pursuing similar goals in my riding (though on a much much more modest scale).  Perhaps Craig Kelly’s spirit, living in the mountains of Washington, inspired me during the time I spent there and snowboarded in his backyard.  When I’m on a mountain, I am at my happiest.  Maybe it’s the feeling of being close to heaven.

I know that I have some finite number of days, x, to snowboard.

• I would like to maximize those x days as much as possible which is why I keep up with emerging technological advancements in snowboarding equipment.
• I want to distribute x days across a broad spectrum of mountains, a shredding world tour if you will.  (Still working on a map to show all the places I’ve been blessed enough to snowboard)
• I became a snowboard instructor so that I could introduce anyone to the sport, it’s the reason I teach my friends for free.

Every time I ride I know I get closer to x, so I savour every moment.  Every day I wake up, I get closer to dying, so I want to make the most of it.

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Fellow shredders that would like to learn more about Craig Kelly’s life can watch his biographical movie, Let It Ride.  If you know me, I can lend you my copy.

One reviewer on Amazon.com writes:

I don’t care if you’re a snowboarder or an artist or just a dreamer, this movie will inspire you. Craig Kelly the man and Craig Kelly the athlete are both personas to be reckoned with. This movie will make you ask yourself what the heck you’re doing with your life, and why, if you have a dream, you aren’t chasing it right now.

I couldn’t agree more.