Team Geared Up

As you hit the slopes this season here’s a list of gear that will have you competing with NASA space suits. We’ll start off with your paws so you can put on the rest of your gear without frostbite.
Bite Back

First up we have the iGloves from Marmot. These inners are have special touch pads on the index fingers and thumbs to allow you to touch and control your iPod without exposing your fingers.

Not high tech enough for you then maybe you want to try out the Bionic Gloves. Bionic Gloves is a hand wear that increases your grip strength by providing strategic support along the fingers and palm. This gadget enables you to carry more, longer, and with less injury to your hands. It offer a second skin of technologically advanced protection for hands which give better comfort, enhanced fit, improved grip strength, natural flexibility, reduced hand fatigue and calluses.

Wear Your Music

Direct from the masters of snowboard gear and the creators of the the RAZR phone comes the Audex Motorola Cargo Jacket from Burton. This jacket comes with a fully featured bluetooth stereo system built right into it. Two headphone/speakers are embedded into the collar along with microphone for music and calls, an battery that will let you listen to your favorite slope tracks for 8 hours and a control pad on the left wrist that has caller id and controls for your iPod or other mp3 player. Oh yeah and all the features you’d expect from a Burton jacket:
# Storm-lite 5.0-C Fabric (20,000MM, 10,000G)
# Thermacore Insulation
# Crossflow Ventingâ„¢
# Mesh-Lined, Back-of-Arm Vents
# Oversized Venting/Organizer Chest Pockets
# Fulltime Exo-Contour Hood
# Matte Waterproof Zippers
# Pass Pocketâ„¢
# Includes Burton Jacket Features Package

Not toasty enough for you? Burton also packs this system into a down jacket model.

Need either music or communication but not the other? Burton also makes the Audex PTT AK 2T GORE-TEX Jacket that sports a push-to-talk 2-way radio.

Or the the Audex iPod Field Jacket with iPod integration and wireless remote.

Don’t have 6 Benjamins to lay down? Not a problem, the Belkin SportCommand for iPod is there for you. For $80 you can have an iPod adapter that allows for the big button strapped control to give you control of your music on the fly.

Armor Up

Have you already got a jacket without phone or music integration or want sound closer to your ears and protect the old noggin at the same time? The Bluetooth Frequency Audex Helmet from, yep you guessed it, Burton helmet range R.E.D. and Motorola allows wireless bluetooth music streaming and phone connection complete with controls on the side big enough for gloved hands.

Let’s face it. Snowboarding can be dangerous and we all know it. Especially if you try to pull off some sick tricks off 30 foot jumps and what not. You know, the usual. POCSKI offer a range of back, butt and elbow protection armor as they are some of the more likely spots your going to hit when you fall. They come in many flavors, the one pictured is the light weight strap-on that protects all parts of your spine without weighing you down.

Strap In

Sure bindings are obviously necessary and the Burton Custom range are as good as they come but there’s nothing special about these right? Wrong. Look closer and you’ll notice a feature that in my book is essential: a beer bottle opener. The Custom Brew from Burton are top of the line bindings with that one extra feature that’ll make it the popular guy at the party.

Lights. Camera. Faceplant….

Whether your shooting the next great snowboard movie or just you and your friends eating snow you’ll be wanting to get the VioSport Helmet Mounted Camera for those awesome eye view shots. Just plug this baby into a regular DV video cam, strap it to your head and ride out to shoot intense action style footage.

The Magic Hat of Snowboarding

Forget everything you just read because the O’Neill H3 CamPack is the way to go. This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bag comes with a VioSport head mountable lens, will house all of your electronics in tough weather resistant compartments and has sleeve controls for your DV camera, iPod and Bluetooth enabled phone. Allow that sink in for a second. Good, moving on. A proprietary module becomes a bantam liaison for your trio of gizmos, giving the integrated joystick full control over your camcorder’s lens and / or playlist directions. The bag also touts the ability to keep your precious gadgetry safe and secure within the bag, while giving you full control over the functionality of each. A must have for all you snowboard techies. Although the absence of solar panels from last year’s model is a bit of a let down.

So now that you know what to get this season so sell all those socks and sweaters you got for Christmas and your grandma to get them. Don’t forget to fill in the blanks too like pants, boots and, oh ya, a board!

Knowing which kinds of sports equipment are suitable for the task at hand is important for professionals.