Buying Your First Snowboarding Jacket & Pants Guide

Even though I had no plans to purchase anything at this year’s Ski & Snowboard Show (the board I wanted was not going to be available at the show), I still went since attending the show has become the official unofficial kick off to the season (side note: I have goosebumps just thinking about what an awesome season this year is going to be!). I met up with a few friends, 3 of them being beginners. Long story short, I spent about 4 hours helping them pick out what they needed and man was it a lot of fun! More importantly, that experience made realize how hard of a time it is for a new rider buying his/her first snowboard and set of gear. Given how popular my ‘Buying Your First Snowboard: The Most Comprehensive Guide‘ article was, it made sense to write a similar article about buying your first snowboarding jacket and pants (this applies to both Men’s and Women’s gear).

Snowboarding Jacket

Finding a good jacket is essential. Not only do you want a jacket that will keep you warm and dry, you also want a jacket that will last a few seasons and can be worn in different weather conditions. Essentially, there are two types of jackets that you can consider:

• Snow Jacket: This is your traditional thick jacket that requires minimal layers to be worn underneath it. They can vary in thickness, but typically speaking, these jackets are thick and can keep you very warm. The warmest kind are made with Goose Down feathers. The advantages of this kind of jacket is in its ability to keep you very warm. The downside is, you are going to sweat your ass off if there’s any sun or if it’s not cold enough. Also, the warmer ones are usually pretty expensive. It’s a good option for those extremely cold conditions, but on not so cold days, you’re stuck with an overpriced jacket that’s going to make you uncomfortably hot.
• Shell: As the name would imply, this is a thin shell jacket that would be worn as the outer most layer. These wont keep you warm by themselves given their thin construction, but they are designed to keep you dry (water resistant) and block out as much wind as possible. The advantages of this kind of jacket is in its versatility. Worn as the outer most layer, all you need is a warm flees and thermal worn underneath to keep you warm, even under extremely cold conditions. I personally wear a shell jacket with a flees and a ‘stay dry’ thermal – this is what is known as a 3-Layer System. If you find that it’s an exceptionally cold day, all you need is a thick flees and you will stay warm. If it’s an exceptionally warm day, go for a normal flees and simply keep your shell jacket air vents open – you can even unzip the jacket if it’s too warm.

The Features of a Good Jacket:

• Windproof: Wind greatly affects the temperature within the snowboarding jacket, so you need a shell jacket that keeps as much wind as possible. Your body generates a lot of heat while you ride and you want to make sure that heat stays trapped underneath your shell jacket. I’m sure I don’t need to say this, but for clarity’s sake, if any of that cold wind makes it into your jacket, the heat your body generated is going to be lost. The easiest way to tell if a jacket is windproof to check whether the jacket is made with fully taped seams (basically every seam, regardless of whether it will come in contact with wind, is fully taped). You will want to avoid jackets with ‘critically’ taped seams. This basically means, only seams that are expected to be most in contact with wind are taped, while other seams will not be.
• Waterproof: It goes without saying, you need a jacket that is waterproof. Whether it’s rain, falling snow, or snow from the ground, the dryer your jacket, the warmer it will keep you (and the lighter it stays). The easiest way to figure out how water resistant a jacket will be is by checking its water resistance measure (how much water, measured in mm, can be suspended above the fabric before water seeps through). Mid-range jackets will have water resistance between 5,000 mm and 10,000 mm. You will want a jacket that is no less than 10,000 mm, but preferably 15,000 mm. Generally speaking, the highest measure is about 20,000 mm, but that’s overkill for snowboarders.
• Breathability: A good jacket should be able to resist liquid water while allowing water vapour to pass through. This basically allows the sweat generated by your body to evaporate and escape through the jacket. The easiest way to figure out a jacket’s breathability is by checking its breathability measure. Mid-range jackets will have breathability measures between 5,000 g and 10,000 g.  Anything between 5,000 g and 15,000 g is good, but obviously, the higher the better.
• Air Vents: Make sure you find a jacket with easily accessible (remember that you will have gloves on and nothing is worse than trying to fetch that tiny zipper grip) air vents. These will prove very useful if it’s a bit warm but not warm enough to justify unzipping the jacket or even using a thinner fleece. With these air vents, you can just open them up as much as you need to allow a little cool air to enter. These are usually located on the sides.
• Gore-Tex: You will undoubtedly come across products with Gore-Tex. Gore-Tex is basically a type of fabric that is extremely water proof, wind proof, and overall considered as a high grade type of material. Many different brands use Gore-Tex to ensure the buyer that they are buying something of excellent quality. While this may be true, Gore-Tex products are much more expensive and more the most part unnecessary, especially for beginners. Gore-Tex fabrics have the equivalent of 20,000-25,000 mm water proofing. You can read more about their technology here.

Snowboarding Pants

For the most part, pants are very similar to jackets as it relates to things to consider when buying one. You can purchase pants that have a built-in thermal layer to keep you warm, or you can buy ‘shell’ pants and wear a separate thermal layer underneath. I’ve tried both options, and personally I prefer the two-layer system for pants. One other thing I would point out is to avoid tight pants. When trying them out on the store, just keep in mind that you will want something loose so that you don’t feel restricted on the slopes.

The Features of a Good Pair of  Snowboarding Pants:

• Windproof: As with jackets, you need pants with fully taped seams.
• Waterproof: While with jackets you could get a way with 10,000 mm waterproofing, you will want nothing less than 15,000 mm for pants. Pants come in contact with the snow a lot more than your jacket (every time you sit to do your bindings) and nothing is worse than wet pants and boxers/thermals.
• Breathability: This is much of a concern for pants, so anything above 5,000 g is good enough.

Layering

As suggested above, the ideal set up to use different layers. For jackets, a 3-Layer system is best. As you may know, the ideal way of clothing for every activity is to use different layers. Generally, it is advisable to follow the Three layer system. The first layer is your base layer and consists of thermal/’stay dry’ underwear. The middle layer is generally a fleece or anything else that keeps you warm. And the outer most layer will be your shell jacket as described above. The advantage of the layer system is in its flexibility. Typically speaking, your shell jacket and base thermal layer don’t change much, but the middle layer will be more of a variable depending on the weather and temperature.

For pants, you can go with 1 layer, but make sure the built-in thermals are warm enough. However, I would recommend a Two-Layer system, to accommodate for extra warm or extra cold days. With a Two-Layer system, you can find a water and wind proof pair of pants as the outer layer. For the base layer, you will need a good pair of thermals. I have a set of two; a slightly thicker pair for those extremely cold days, and a normal pair for all the other days.

In case you’re curious, my set up consists of the following:

• Jacket: AK 2L Softshell Jacket, which I am VERY happy with (link goes to my official review).
• Fleece: AK Fleece, which is no longer available.
• Base Layer: HH Dry; this is more of a ‘stay dry’ base layer than a thermal (link goes to Helly Hansen’s product listing page)
• Pants: Ripzone Trilogy Pants (link goes to Ripzone’s pants listing page)
• Pants Thermals: Old school 100% cotton long johns.

In summary, I wanted to keep this as simple as possible so I didn’t go into too many other details. As long as you watch out for the above things (and make sure you get a set of gear with the above requirements), you will have yourself an excellent jacket and pair of pants. Brand, design, and features like pockets, etc… will depend on your preference and budget. Honestly, you don’t need to spend too much for a good jacket, but it won’t hurt to buy a high quality one from the beginning. Good jackets last 4-5 seasons (even more if you really want them to), so don’t skimp out too much. As for pants, they are typically less expensive, and you should be able to find an excellent option for no more than $200. Just make sure it has at least 15,000 mm water proofing!

As always, please feel free to leave your suggestions or questions in the comments section.

Should I buy online or from the local store?

I’m a huge, nay, the hugest, proponent and advocate of the internet. I’ve been drinking the internet koolaid since I was 10, back when the internet cost $60/month, Google did not exist, Yahoo was still a rudimentary directory in the making, and text-only websites were the recommended viewing choice). And when it comes to online buying, I feel the same way.

I buy whatever I want online, not because I’m lazy, but because it’s more convenient, and usually cheaper (and I’m lazy). With same-day shipping and next-day delivery, why waste the gas and time going into a store if I know what I want. What’s more is that, if you’re not doing your research online, then you’re not being smart . Websites like this and thousands of others dedicated to providing honest reviews on just about anything (I mean com’on, there are websites out there that review sex toys and birth control products for your sake) are available to help you make a better shopping decision.

So when it comes to buying your snowboarding gear online, I say go for it, BUT given the nature of snowboarding gear, it’s always best to go into your local store first. “But dude, doesn’t that defeat the point?” In a way it does, but here’s why buying your gear online is a smart choice:

Deals - you will always find deals on the gear you want. If it’s not website X, then it’ll be website Y. There’s always a website out there that’ll offer you a good deal on what you’re finding. Tip: If website X has a deal on a snowboard you want, but not on the boots, buy the snowboard from website X, and go to website Y for a deal on the boots.

Fast and Free Delivery – when you’re forking over an arm and a leg (and even a kidney sometimes) for your gear, websites selling you the gear will offer same-day AND free delivery.

Cheaper – Even if there are no deals on the gear you want, you can find the same gear for a better price online than at your local shop.

Last Year’s Model – I love buying last year’s models, because they’re always significantly cheaper. My new 2008 Burton T6 cost me $450 instead of $850 when I bought it. Unless you’re at a board show, you won’t find last year’s models except for online stores. Most local shops, don’t stock previous models.

I contemplated making a list of online stores, but in an effort to remain neutral, I’d have to compare each one fairly and I’ll leave that for another post.

So if you’re looking for new gear: check out snowboard reviews, go to your local store, figure out what you want, compare prices, and buy from the cheaper source.

Snowboarding Gift Guide

Snowboarding Gift Guide

Well, it’s nearly that time again boys and girls — the time that reminds us that we got way too much stuff when we were younger but completely failed to appreciate it. That’s right! It’s Christmas time — or holiday time for yee of varying faiths. No matter how humbug of a snowboarder you are, you’re likely unable to resist the Christmas cheer and hopefully, you have some people in your life who you can mooch some killer snowboarding gear from.

In the interests of documenting the top possible gifts for snowboarders as of right now (think pre-Thanksgiving), we’ve went ahead and compiled just such a list. And it’s frigging awesome! Without further ado:

1. Team Endeavor Boards

No doubt you were perplexed by this sections title, likely even asking yourself, “But wait a second — Team Endeavor is known for their ridiculously high-priced (while still warranted) snowboards!” And if you did so, you would be right. However! Team Endeavor has always been known to have an ear to the industry and apparently, the aforementioned fact got back to them. So they did what any other self-respecting, snowboarder loving company would do — they put together a fantastically designed snowboard at an uberly-affordable price. That’s right! You can stop breathing so heavily though, just go make sure this bad boy gets to the immediate top of your Christmas list!

2. Chuck Buddies ($25)

While certainly not about to win any awards for ‘Most Appealing Snowboarder Holiday Gift Idea’, Chuck Buddies must be seen to be believed. The best description we can come up with is an extremely sleek Play-Dough-esque sculpture of an in-run freestyle champion snowboarder in some cool pose. It really can’t be done a high service on paper (or screen!) so you’ll really need to get your hands on some type of picture for one of these guys, because when you do, they’ll very likely find their way onto your list almost immediately afterwards.

3. Warm, Durable Snowboarding Clothing

While you certainly might want to worry about what type of brand you get as a gift — because, well, in this day and age, who doesn’t — in the end, the most important thing to really any snowboarder at all is whether or not those clothes keep them warm. Sure, having “The North Face” emblazoned fifteen times on your jacket, gloves, beanie, snowboard, socks and boxer-briefs might be cool and everything, but those logos won’t mean jack shit if they aren’t heavy duty layers and there’s a nastily chilly cold front rolling through. So if you have the extra loot to play the name game with your snowboarders gift then by all means do it — but if you don’t, seriously, don’t worry too much about it. Just get something with quality material that isn’t some heinous color or covered in rival logos (see: skiers vs snowboarders).

4. Tail Saver

Let’s face it, as riders, we fall on our asses a lot and sometimes it can hurt. So this is where this little nifty product comes into play. Tailsaver is a simple tailbone /butt protector which is made from ridiculously lightweight EVA foam. The good thing about it is that you won’t even notice or feel it when you put it on. It’s perfect for both parks and all mountain riding, especially if you’re just starting out.

5. My Own Two Feet DVD ($16.95)
Leeward Cinema presents something new for the snowboarding community – a feature length snowboarding film produced without using any fossil fuel, 100% sustainable – so instead of using sleds, helis and chairlifts, they’re using human power.
With some of the best athletes from around the globe, they’re exploring the mountains of California on foot, accessing some of the steepest and most remote locations that snowmobiles and helicopters can’t.

“MY OWN TWO FEET” is the result of months hiking, traversing, winter camping and sub-zero nights in some of the most remote and undocumented terrain on earth. The entire film will be shot in the California Sierras, in wilderness areas illegal to all motorized vehicles. We will be uncovering new terrain that has yet to be seen in any other snowboard film, creating a truly unique action sports film experience.
With eighteen of the best and most diverse riders, from progressive freestylers to big mountain pioneers, these athletes have signed on to an adventure like no other, exploring on of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world, in the most environmentally sustainable style.

6. Airhole Facemasks

Not only do these look cool, they really are useful. These facemasks will keep your face warm and protected.

In the end, unless it’s just an off-gift for your third nephew or something, just get what you truly think whomever you’re purchasing your snowboarding gift for would like. Snowboarders are usually pretty easy to read and are also incredibly easy to keep pleased, so it’s very doubtful they’re going to give you a chewing out for getting them the wrong brand snowboarding video. Or at least, if they do do something like that, just start getting them ski gifts every as a gag. But seriously, just go with what you know they like — or think they like — and if worst comes to worst, just try and call their parents, siblings or grandparents or something in a non-creepy way to try and get some hints into what you should get. Any gift is a good gift as long as it comes from the heart, so just make sure it comes from there and you’ll be just fine!