Our picks for the best in resort gear will have you enjoying the mountain and looking damn good this season.
1. K2 Slayblade
Tough, stable, and rockered like a surfboard, the Slayblade is the type of board that will give you confidence anywhere on the mountain. Built with bamboo and featuring an “ollie board” for extra pop, it’s light and snappy—ideal for improvising while bombing down the mountain. But it’s not just for groomed terrain. This freerider floats in the soft stuff and smashes crud. $575; k2snowboarding.com
2. Rossignol Experience 83 TPX
Big-mountain powder skis use rockers— curved-up surfboard shapes—to attain flotation in deep powder. But here’s a dirty secret: that shape also makes it easier to initiate turns and ideal for hitting hardpack and even bumps. The Southern skier will relish this rockered board that has enough slice and dice to handle manmade snow, but can still levitate when it does snow (or when you travel West). $500; rossignol.com
3. Nikwax BaseFresh
Yeah you stink. But this stuff will wash that smell out of the base layer that claimed to be stink-proof, then turned out to eventually hold onto your own personal funk. It works well on workout clothes and yoga mats too. $7.50 (300 ml); nikwax.com
4. OR Incandescent Hoodie
You could get overwhelmed with the sheer number of puffies on the market these days, but Outdoor Research got creative here by using a quilting pattern that doesn’t just look different but also puts the down where its insulation is most effective. Even better, the light Pertex fabric on the outside allows those goose feathers to loft and hold more warm air. It weighs a mere 17.9 ounces and easily stuffs into a pack. $325; outdoorresearch.com
5. Powderhorn Powderride
Powderhorn worked with Gore-Tex to create a four-way waterproof/breathable stretch fabric for this baby—the first use of the material in the U.S. The result is an athletic soft shell with all the protection of a hard shell.
$475; powderhornworld.com
6. Liberty Retro Light Bamboo Pole
Liberty combined pliable bamboo with a carbon core here, making for a light pole that looks stylish yet can handle some abuse. $118; libertyskis.com
7. Zeal Ion HD Camera Goggle
Yep, nothing beats homemade ski porn (or so we are told) and no helmet cam can compete with these goggles when it comes to keeping a low profile on the hill. The camera is impressive, shooting full 170º wide angle 1080p video and 11 megapixel still photos. $399; zealoptics.com
8. POC Fornix
The purpose of a helmet is of course to protect your skull and the Fornix does that better than most thanks to POC’s Aramid Bridge System—which combines outer shell and inner foam to keep the helmet both quite light and to ensure that it stays in one piece during the multiple impacts of a serious fall. Beyond that, it looks damn stylish and features six vents to keep things cool. $160; pocsports.com
9. Teva Lifty Chair 5
Built with the long, cold, thankless days of lifties in mind but good for everything from winter hiking to getting you to the mountain, these soft boots are stuffed with 3M Thinsulate LiteLoft insulation and wrapped in a waterproof shell. Best of all, they compress down easily for travel. $170; teva.com
