Jason Michnick

I love the fit on this, slim and longer. I'm 6' and 180 lbs and wear a large. The material is a lightweight stretch cotton so its awesome for summers or wearing under a sweater.

Not gonna lie, I've been a Lib snob for quite some time now but this board has changed everything for me. I took this board out on two separate occasions at Snowbird. One day was your standard bottomless day we get here in Utah..no big deal. Anyway short story even shorter: effortless! I also took it out about a week after that storm on a sunny fast day and this board has incredible edge hold and you can go as fast as you want...scarrrry fast! Oh and its lighter than calista flockhart was on Ally McBeal.

Pros: Uber light, great response and stability, effortless float
Cons: no wide widths for my big feet

I haven't had a chance to put my hands on this years Rainier but last years was lined with what they called Buffalo Bill Fleece. This liner was more of a microfleece/brushed tricott than an actual fleece. I don't think it actually added any warmth to the jacket but rather a more comfortable/warmer touch to the skin. This jacket is still balled out with tech so if you need something waterproof that zips into your ride pants to make a one piece...this is definitely a good look. My other complaint is that in RIDE jackets, they do not have a designated MP3 pocket, rather a stretchy pocket inside the chest pocket but there is no hole to push headphones cord through. I solved this in about 2 seconds with a standard hole punch and it works great.

This is one of the nicest jackets you can buy period. The combination of down and goretex makes those miserable days the best ones of the year. No longer do you need to add layer upon layer when it dumps in January, just roll out of bed and put this on and you'll be good to go for the day. Not only is this one of the warmest, most waterproof jackets out there, its also incredibly light and easy to move around in. AK or bust

Lib Tech is introducing Horsepower this season which essentially is a more eco friendly construction using a fast growing renewable wood, basalt resins instead of fiberglass, and a castor bean top sheet. In addition to being treehugger constructed, the HP is also suppose to give the board a more lively feel.

Lib Tech introduced Horsepower to a couple boards this year and each of these boards comes with a nice sparkly graphic. Horsepower utilizes a fast growing renewable wood, basalt resins instead of fiberglass, and a castor bean top sheet. On top of all these things making the construction of the board more eco friendly, they are all suppose to make the board a more lively responsive ride. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet but I can't wait!

The material is water resisitant on the outside and microfleece on the inside so its warmer than your standard hoody because it doesn't get wet and is windproof.

Sizing: This runs a little big so if you want to layer with it, size down. I'm 6' and 185 and need a large. its too big to wear under anything but looks sick on its own or under a vest.

I've always been an Oakley lover and had crowbars but these are sick. The goggles sit a lot closer to your face than anything I've ever used. It almost totally eliminated having the frame in my perif's which doesn't even happen with my $150 crowbars.

These are super responsive bindings and pretty comfortable but nothing about them made me that stoked on them. More of a freeride binding than a freestyle binding becase there isn't must play to metal.

Sizing: I wore a size 11.5 Prion and def needed the XL
Pro:Responsive, wedgie footbeds
Con: Not playful enough to be called all mountain

Got these pants when I moved out to Utah my first season and they worked out great until about Feb and then the cuffs were shredded and the waterproofing was gone. If you only ride on the weekends or take a few trips a year, these are great pants. If you put in more than 50 days a season, spend the extra cash in the first place and you won't end up buying two pairs in one season.

The palm of these ripped on me the first day I had them. They are waterproof and warm but if you ride more than 40 days a season or do a lot of grabs, get something that has a leather palm. It'll hold up a whole lot longer than these. Great piece for someone just getting into the game though.

There's not too much to these gloves. They prevent your fingers from freezing when you scramble for a lighter or your ipod but being made from polyester....good lord do they smell! Requires frequent washing and seams can be bulky under low profile glove.

This is a super simple, softer binding which is great for a beginner but is still responsive enough that you can still use it after you progress into a better rider. I think this is a great point to start because it allows you to progress and decide what features you want to add on your next pair and what features you could live without.

So why aren't snowboard boots as comfy as a pair of skate shoes? J. Jones didn't but luckily Burton cares about his opinion. Thus was born EST optimized midsoles! This essentially is the elimination of forward ramp in the boot so instead of being forced to rest your weight on the balls of your feet and being in the 'athletic' position, you can stand flat footed and get a better feel for your board under your feet. Recommended for the advanced freestyler, not a beginner.

So as all this new tech gets puked at us this year, the trend I'm seeing is all taking the weigh distribution of a traditionally cambered board that goes to the contact points and moving those contact points and flex patterns in towards the feet. Burton is dropping EST optimized boots on us and the basic premise of this is to eliminate the forward ramp of the boot so instead of your weight being distributed on the balls of your feet naturally, it allows you to stand flat footed....think skate shoe, so more feel for your board. Definitely something for the advanced freestyler, not the beginner.

I'm not T. Rice yet but I'm definitely one step closer thanks to this board! This board does it all and really let me start progressing because whatever I needed it to do, it would. It has a very similar flex to the TRS but without the super aggressive sidecut so its a little more forgiving of a ride but still will let you go fast enough to kill yourself, or break some ribs.
Sizing: I'm 6' and 185 with a low profile size 11 boot. I recommend going with 157 Wide for an all mountain stick.

Burton is bringing out a boot technology to go with all their new EST/Channel tech and trying to give snowboarding more of a skate feel. In the past most boots have a forward ramp in the midsole that causes you to bend your knees and support yourself on the balls of your feet. This is awesome for anyone looking to go fast and make aggressive turns or someone just getting into riding. If you're freestyle oriented or skate, you'll love the new EST midsoles. They eliminate the ramp and allow you to stand more flat footed, like a skate shoe. This really allows you to center your weight and distribute it more evenly which goes well with all the new tech like rocker and frostbite that bring your weight into the center of your board anyway. I do NOT recommend this boot to a beginner.

These boots are some of the lightest I've ever felt and dual zone speed lacing is super ergo. One of the best features of this boot though is the EST Midsole. This eliminates the forward ramp that boots typically have and replace it with a flat sole so you can evenly distribute weight and get more of a skate shoe feel to your ride. A true park boot but works well if you like to take freestyle to the whole mountain.

Late release Raptor is going to be same light weight design but adds a strap on the top so you can adjust the flex of the boot. If you want a more all mountain boot that still has a skate shoe feel, wait for the Raptor. The Disney colab colorway called Tron is gonna be epic too!

This is one of the funnest boards on the market in my opinion. With that said, it doesn't do everything well though. This board is epic in the powder and super fun to butter around the park in. However its not what I'd want to be on if you're riding icy steep conditions. Even though you have BTX, nothing holds an edge like a cambered board.

Sizing: I'm 6' and 185 lbs, Size 11 boot (low profile with footprint of a 10) and I recommend a 156 wide. You can get away with a nonwide but with the shorter effective edge you will get washout on aggresive turns that will be necessary sometimes.

After I learned to snowboard this was the board I really progressed on and its for a reason. This is one of the most versatile boards I've ever been on. It rides somewhat like my TRS but not as aggressive of a sidecut so its a little more forgiving but still has incredible pop. Since I had this board they've added the C2 which only makes it better since it holds a better edge without full BTX.

Sizing: I'm 6' and 185 with a low profile size 11 boot. I recommend going with 157 Wide for an all mountain stick.

This is one of the funnest boards on the market in my opinion. With that said, it doesn't do everything well though. This board is epic in the powder and super fun to butter around the park in. However its not what I'd want to be on if you're riding icy steep conditions. Even though you have BTX, nothing holds an edge like a cambered board.

Sizing: I'm 6' and 185 lbs, Size 11 boot (low profile with footprint of a 10) and I recommend a 156 wide. You can get away with a nonwide but with the shorter effective edge you will get washout on aggresive turns that will be necessary sometimes.

I've had the TRS for two seasons now and I still haven't found a board I love more. This thing shreds everything on the mountain and LOVES to go fast. If you love powder and pointing down groomers than this board is for you! This board is pretty playful and has a really nice flex but is one of the snappiest boards I've ever had. I'm 6' and 185 lbs, size 11 (low profile boot) and I ride the 162cm at Snowbird and love it. I only get heel drag on super aggressive turns so if you are worried about heel and toe drag, don't be unless you have a bulky boot (ThirtyTwo, Vans, older Burtons) and wear above a size 11.

The Ride Belltown pants are super heavy duty and have that super special steeze somewhere in between baggy and tailored, I love them! The 15k is plenty of waterproofing for the UT powder and these have a soft mesh material on the inside in the seat and upper part of the thigh. My one complaint about these is they are pretty much capp3l pants but with cheaper zippers and accents so I ended up pulling the zipper pulls off in like a week but that's easily fixable. Lots of tech if you can pick these up on sale but they look awesome so probably wont be around for long.

If you're familiar with capp3l than you know that ride brings banger style to the mountain but sometimes with all the metal 'style' points they add on, their outerwear can get a bit heavy. The material is the same (15k/10k) but all those metal accents turn to plastic and the zipper pulls aren't quite as nice. If you pick up a pair of ride or capp3l pants with this, they zip together to make a one piece which is amazing on those especially deep days here in Utah. Super pleased with this jacket and my only complaint is the zippers and zipper pulls are a little cheap.

These are definitely waterproof and warm but the rubber palm is not durable at all. Second day I used these they got snagged in my binding and ripped a small hole, that got bigger...and bigger. I recommend these to the weekend warrior but not someone getting 60+ days a year on the snow. If you do a lot of grabs, get something with a leather palm.

I was lucky enough to win a pair of these at work and I just tested them out. The first song I listened to was "hip hop" by Dead Prez and it was epic! The bass on these is ridiculous and rattles your head, its awesome. For the price these are really good. They aren't as crisp as beat headphones are but these don't cost $300. Def worth the money!