Fresh powder everywhere you look – for some, a hassle that slows their daily commute, their minds drifting to thoughts of warm summer days. But for the adventurers, those not afraid to embrace Mother Nature’s gift, it’s an opportunity – an opportunity to witness firsthand the unadulterated beauty of a fresh snowfall, to inhale the crisp winter air, and to shred some epic downhills.

This year has been phenomenal for winter activities due to record setting snowfall, and together with my son, we’ve been hitting the mountain so much more than prior years. Hopefully you fall into the same category, and whether you’re already an avid snowboarder or you’re just getting started, here’s the 2019 Burton gear we’re using to hit the slopes and take advantage of Mother Nature’s plentiful bounty.

2019 Men’s Burton Custom Snowboard

I’ve been snowboarding for twenty years, and nothing’s more essential to enjoying the ride than the board you select.  The Burton Custom is a legend in Burton’s lineup – they’ve been making it since 1996 – constantly honing and improving it along the way.  The result is the greatest all-mountain board on the planet, capable of transitioning from the park to the backcountry effortlessly while excelling every step of the way.

If I had to pick a single word that embodies the Burton Custom, it’s “versatility.”  Finding a board that does everything and does everything well is not an easy task.  And yet the Burton Custom pulls it off, as it has been for over two decades.  Some of the things you need to know about the Burton Custom:  first and foremost, it notes a directional twin shape, meaning its nose is slightly longer than its tail, along with a slightly set back stance.  It’s this directional design that gives the Custom its backcountry and powder shredding abilities – especially with the bindings set back on The Channel (which we’ll talk about in a second) – or you can configure the Custom for the park and easily ride switch.  It’s an incredibly solid board, and just like Goldilocks and the three bears, offers just the right amount of power and stiffness – not too stiff, not too soft, but just right.

Paired with its directional design the two other key features of the Custom are its twin flex shape and cambered design, giving you perfect edge control from tip to tail along with plenty of pop when you need it.  More Burton tech includes an FSC Certified Super Fly II core with carbon fiber enhanced fiberglass layering, Frostbite edges to keep you locked in when carving up icy conditions, and The Channel. If you’re new to The Channel, it’s an infinitely adjustable way to position your bindings, and for me, I’d never go back.  You can dial your bindings in to fit exactly what you’re riding, and because your feet are closer to the board, you get better board feel throughout your ride.  If you’ve never used it, you’re going to love The Channel’s feel and limitless customization.

Overall, the Burton Custom is just a phenomenal all around board.  Plenty of pop off jumps and stable when landing; incredibly responsive and solid at high speeds with excellent edge grip in icy conditions; and plenty of float and stability to shred the powder – if you’re like me and love mixing it up, the Burton Custom is easily the one board to get if you’re only getting one board.  One ride and you’ll be hooked.

$599, Burton

2019 Men’s Burton Cartel EST Snowboard Binding

To take advantage of The Channel binding system I opted for Burton’s Cartel EST Snowboard bindings.  Like the Custom board the Cartel EST’s are an excellent all-around choice for bindings, offering a mix of comfort, performance and adjustability.  Mated to The Channel Cartel EST can be dialed in perfectly no matter the riding conditions, and the level of control and board feel is on another level compared to standard setups.

To keep you locked in, Burton Cartel EST bindings feature Hammockstrap 2.0 and Smooth Glide buckles, and they’re super easy to use in any conditions, no matter how deep the snow or how icy it gets.  To activate medial and lateral flex the Cartel EST’s feature what Burton calls The Hinge, giving you a smoother feel and more pop when you ollie, and Burton’s AutoCANT cushioning automatically tilts you to put you in the most comfortable position while providing ample cushioning and a smooth ride.

I haven’t used the Burton Custom with any other bindings, but after riding it with the Cartel EST’s, it’s a killer combo.  Support, board feel, pop, comfort – it’s all here in spades, and I’m loving every second of it.

$279, Burton

2019 Men’s Burton Imperial Snowboard Boot

The last piece of gear I picked up this season is a pair of Burton Imperial Snowboard boots.  I figured if I’m upgrading my board why not upgrade the whole package, so I went with the Imperial’s based on my dealer’s recommendation.  Obviously describing boots is somewhat subjective based on your riding style and preferences, but for me the Imperial has been phenomenal.  It’s on the stiffer end of boots – call it a medium stiff – and overall it’s a really comfortable, lightweight all-around option.

Some of the tech highlights include S4 Panels with the upper and lower Speed Zone Lacing System, Vibram EcoStep soles, footprint reducing Shrinkage, and an EST chassis with B3 Gel cushioning.  All of this translates into a boot that after a couple days of riding feels completely broken in, offers excellent board feel, and gives me just the right amount of stiffness. Paired with the Burton Custom and Cartel EST bindings, it’s an absolutely killer trio for almost anything.

$339, Burton

2019 Kid’s Burton Family Tree Role Model Snowboard

I’ve been snowboarding with my son since he was five, and when I splurged on a new set of Burton gear I picked up a new board for my son as well.  He loves riding powder with me, so I upgraded his ride to the Family Tree Role Model snowboard.  It’s a directional all-mountain board that let’s him tear up a bunch of different terrain, with the added ability to hit the park if the urge hits.

Some of the Family Tree Role Model’s defining features include a directional camber with entry rocker, a 15mm taper (meaning the nose is wider than the tail), a twin flex design, and an FSC certified lightweight core.  The board floats great in deep snow, is super solid at speed, and is really stable throughout turns (as told to me by my son).

Like my Custom, the Family Tree Role Model also comes with The Channel, meaning the bindings offer infinite adjustment options, letting younger riders play with their setup to get the ride dialed in just right. My son told me it’s an huge step up from his prior board, and I know he’s shared his affinity of the board with multiple friends looking for new gear. I asked him to sum his thoughts on the new board, and his response was simple:  “I love it.”  Enough said.

$349, Burton

2019 Kid’s Burton Concord Smalls Snowboard Boot

The last piece of gear we picked up was a new pair boots for my son – the Burton Concord Smalls.  They pack of bunch of features from the adult lineup into a kid friendly package, including the Speed Zone Lacing system, a wishbone upper cuff, and DynoLITE cushioning.  The two things my son immediately pointed out to me is how much he loved their lightness and the upper and lower lacing system.  After riding them a few times, he followed up with how comfortable they are, and he called them a huge improvement over his prior boots. As with his new board, he highly recommends them.

$169, Burton

Conclusion

Technology is moving at an epic pace, and technology in snowboarding is no exception.  Burton is constantly pushing boundaries and incorporating next-level engineering into everything they build.  But they’re also keeping their environmental and social impact in check, with a host of sustainability goals they’re already implementing and more scheduled to be added by 2020.  You can read more about sustainability on the Burton website, but their goals are epic, and should be an example for everyone – better workplace environments, environmentally conscious materials, end of life solutions to avoid landfill waste… and plenty more.  Making insanely great snowboarding gear is awesome, but doing it by keeping people and the planet happy is what it’s really all about.

You can check out the full lineup of 2019 Burton snowboards at the official Burton website.

Mercedes-AMG has combined with some of New Zealand’s finest professional ski and snowboard athletes to create a stunning and exhilarating new video. Filmed at the Snow Farm in Cardrona, on New Zealand’s south island, the video fuses the dynamic, high-performance of AMG, with the extreme capabilities of professional winter sport.

C 63 AMG ‘”Edition 507″ Coupé: Fuel consumption combined: 12.0 l/100 km;
combined CO₂ emissions: 280 g/km.*

G 63 AMG: Fuel consumption combined: 13.8 l/100 km;
combined CO₂ emissions: 322 g/km.*

SL 63 AMG: Fuel consumption combined: 9.9 l/100 km;
combined CO₂ emissions: 231 g/km.*

E 63 AMG S-Model: Fuel consumption combined: 10.3 l/100 km;
combined CO₂ emissions: 242 g/km.*

If you’ve been watching the 2014 Olympics, you know that for the first time in history America failed to medal in the one event that’s as American as apple pie – an event that we invented, and an event that we’ve dominated in the last three Olympics.  The sport to which I’m referring:  the men’s snowboarding halfpipe.  This failure to medal means one thing and one thing alone:  it’s time to rise up and reclaim our place atop the podium, and the journey starts with you, the parents.  Get your kids a board, get them on the slopes, and get them prepped for 2022 men’s halfpipe dominance.

When my 4 year old son saw the event, it was the first and only event he watched, and it was followed by him pleading to let him get his own board.  I love snowboarding, so it didn’t take much convincing for me to give in to his demands.  But as with any outdoor activity, your kids’ success depends on the quality of their gear.  And this is where a lot of parents go wrong.  When you’re shopping for kids snowboarding gear, don’t run to a big box store and pick up a cheap board. If you really want your kids to learn how to navigate the slopes, shop like you’re shopping for an adult.  Get him a quality board, bindings, boots, and don’t forget the helmet.

I’m a huge fan of RIDE snowboards – it’s the brand that I personally ride – so it only made sense that I looked to RIDE for my kids’ gear.  They’ve been producing quality snowboards since 1992, and today they offer everything you need for the perfect setup, including boards, boots, bindings and gear.  Best of all, because everything’s coming from the same place, everything’s compatible, so the bindings work perfectly with the board, the boots work perfectly with the bindings, etc.

For kids, RIDE offers three options for children’s snowboards:  the Lil’Buck for teens, and the Lowride and Blush for the smallest of riders up to early teens. My son is four, so I chose to go with the RIDE Lowride in a size 90.  It’s an all mountain freestyle board, meaning it’s a board that can pretty much do it all, and it’s really the perfect board to learn on and gain the fundamentals of riding, turning and stopping.  Inside, the Lowride features RIDE’s Gummy Core to provide ultra soft flex in the board and make turns far easier than with a stiffer board. Put its design and construction together, and the RIDE Lowride is the perfect board to introduce your kids to snowboarding and to give them the easiest and quickest path to learning how to snowboard properly (and enjoy doing it).

Once you’ve got the board, it’s time for the bindings. As already noted, RIDE offers their own set of bindings, so you don’t have to wonder whether or not the bindings are compatible with your board.  For my son’s setup, we went with RIDE’s Micro Bindings, which are also an all mountain binding. While there are a lot of binding options on the market, the Micro Binding uses a simple ratchet system that makes entry and exit a breeze – another key in making your time out on the mountain more enjoyable. Incorporated with the ratchet system is a BaseLine-V strap system and a Wedgie footbed that guarantees minimal to no movement once strapped in. While bindings may not seem important, if your kids’ boots are wobbling, their ankles aren’t protected, they won’t be able to turn properly, and in all probability, injuries are going to happen. Get the Micro Bindings, tighten them up and enjoy watching your guy or gal shred without worry.

The final piece of the board setup is the boot, and like any boot or shoe you would buy for yourself, you want a boot that is comfortable and supportive. RIDE’s Norris Boa Boots are both of those things –  extremely comfortable without any pressing points to cause pain while heading down the hill, and also exceptionally supportive to stabilize the ankles. Even better, however, is that RIDE took their design a step further by integrating the Kids Boa lacing system.  Once your boarder has his foot in the boot, you push the knob in and twist until tight, and to take the boot off, pull the knob and all the tension is released for easy exit.  There’s no laces to yank on, no questioning whether or not the boots are tight enough and no time spent loosening the boot to get it off.  It makes getting ready to hit the slopes a super quick and painless process.

And while all of the above make the perfect setup for snowboarding, I can’t stress enough that you should never send your child out the door without a properly fitting helmet (and I’m not talking about throwing on that unused bike helmet you have laying around).  Invest a little bit extra and get a helmet specifically designed to fit your mini-shredder’s noggin while out on the snow. My son wears the Greenhorn Helmet, a helmet designed specifically for his little dome but with all the protection you’d expect in an adult helmet. It has an ABS hardshell for complete protection and a RideDial fit system to ensure a correct fit.  There’s also venting, detachable ear pads and a soft liner for added comfort, meaning the Greenhorn is as comfortable as it is safe.

So whether your child has Olympic aspirations of regaining halfpipe dominance or you just want a new partner out on the mountain, RIDE Snowboards has the perfect gear to get them shredding.  Great Olympians start with great parents, so get your kid a board, get them ripping the slopes, and let’s bring those halfpipe medals back to the USA.

To truly appreciate the enhanced traction and stability of advanced 4MATIC all-wheel drive, you really have to see it in action. And that’s exactly what you’ll see in the two videos below as a Mercedes-Benz C350 4MATIC Coupe takes professional snowboarder and AVALON7 founder, Rob Kingwill, for a ride through what was once a mere road, but thanks to a fresh coating of powder, is now what may be the world’s longest halfpipe.

Shortened Version

Staying warm in the winter is an often misunderstood science.  Let me rephrase that:  staying warm in the winter while being active is an often misunderstood science.

Whereas going out for a quick trip in the cold is simply a case of throwing on a warm coat, spending an extended period of time in the cold with fluctuating body temperatures is significantly more complicated.  Skiing/snowboarding is a great example.  Starting out the day, your body is cold, so you need something to keep your body warm.  But as you begin engaging your body, it heats up from the activity, causing you to sweat.  As you sweat, this moisture accumulates on the clothing layer closest to your body, and when you stop engaging your body (such as your trip back up the mountain), this soaked layer is the first to cool.  It’s this layer that is single biggest cause of uncomfortably cold body temperatures during your time outdoors.

Putting it bluntly, it doesn’t matter how much you spend on your outerwear, if you don’t have the right baselayers, you’re not going to be warm.  It’s as simple as that.

I just got back from a weeklong skiing/snowboarding excursion in Vail, and it’s a truth I became intimately familiar with, as I had the opportunity to test several baselayers that are part of my winter gear collection.  With temperatures fluctuating about 30 degrees during my stay, ranging from cold and windy to relatively warm and sunny, I found that it was exceptionally difficult to find a baselayer capable of managing the expanded temperature range.  They either didn’t warm adequately, or when they did warm, they ended up saturated with sweat, resulting in not only an uncomfortable baselayer, bus also one that cooled significantly during any downtime.

There was one base layer, however, that managed to withstand the temperature swings and fluctuating body temps, and unsurprisingly, it came from the brand that pioneered the concept of layering:  Helly Hansen.  Not only did the Helly Hansen baselayer manage to keep me warm in every temperature I used it in, it excelled at maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the day, irregardless of my activity level.

Helly Hansen Baselayer Construction

The secret to the brilliance of the Helly Hansen baselayer range lies in the fabric it’s constructed from, which Helly Hansen calls Lifa.  Invented by Helly Hansen in the ’70’s, Lifa is a technological marvel – a super fabric developed to not only keep you warm, but also to wick away moisture from your body better than anything else.

Without getting overly technical, Helly’s Lifa baselayers operate under a simple premise:  they repel moisture.  Whereas polyester (one of the most commonly used baselayer materials) absorbs moisture, thus becoming saturated during activity and keeping moisture in contact with your skin, Lifa was created to do exactly the opposite:  it repels moisture away from your skin.  So as you sweat, Helly’s Lifa baselayer is constantly channeling moisture away from your body and onto your mid layer.  Your skin stays dry, which translates into warmer body temperatures, whether you’re active or not.

It’s Lifa’s moisture wicking properties that make the baselayer the first of Helly Hansen’s unique 3-Layer system.  The Lifa baselayer wicks moisture away from your body; the midlayer absorbs the moisture from the baselayer, keeping it safely away from you skin; and the third outer layer protects you from the wind and elements.  The result is continuously stable, warm body temperature, irregardless of conditions or activity level.

Helly Hansen Baselayer Families

During my time in Vail, temps ranged from the 20’s to the 50’s, so I used baselayer pieces exclusively from the HH Dry family.  Constructed entirely from their Lifa fabric and virtually seamless, Helly’s HH Dry family is ideal for a wide range of temperatures and heightened activity levels, due to the aforementioned moisture wicking properties.  Available HH Dry baselayer pieces include the HH Dry Stripe Crew (men’s), the HH Dry Charger Half Zip (men’s), the HH Dry Dynamic LS Crew (women’s), the HH Dry Dynamic LS 1/2 Zip (women’s) and the HH Dry Fly Pant (men’s and women’s).

For even colder temperatures and added insulation, Helly Hansen also offers the HH Warm baselayer family.  Whereas HH Dry is constructed entirely of Lifa fabric, HH Warm is essentially two layers in one, with a Lifa core to maintain exceptional moisture wicking ability and an outer Merino wool layer to provide added insulation in sub zero conditions.  Available HH Warm baselayer pieces include the HH Warm Ice Crew (men’s and women’s), the HH Warm Freeze 1/2 Zip (men’s and women’s) and the HH Warm Pant (men’s and women’s).

Helly Hansen Baselayer Care

One of the things I love most about Helly Hansen baselayers is how exceptionally easy it is to take care of them.  Simply wash your baselayers with a mild detergent at 60 degrees Celsius for HH Dry or 40 degrees Celsius for HH Warm, then let air dry.  Due to their moisture repelling properties, they dry exceptionally fast.

Interestingly enough, the Helly Hansen care guide notes that if you dry your baselayers, they’ll actually melt.  Intrigued, I emailed Helly Hansen’s customer service to find out why my baselayer would melt, and their response was quite interesting.  Unlike conventional thread that’s woven from even smaller strands, Helly’s Lifa fabric is unique in that its thread is created by melting particles together.  When magnified, Lifa’s thread would show a smooth surface, whereas other threads are simply multiple smaller threads joined together with millions of crevices and gaps.

Helly’s process of creating thread through melting has two key advantages.  Unlike woven threads that allow bacteria to enter and hide in its various crevices, Lifa thread’s smooth surface doesn’t have the same places for bacteria to hide.  The result is a baselayer that doesn’t maintain an odor after you wash it.  Secondly, and my favorite part of Lifa, is the fact that the color chips are actually baked into the fabric during its melting phase.  As a result, colors of Helly’s Lifa baselayers will never fade, and they’ll never bleed onto one another, as they’re actually a part of the thread.

After using Helly’s baselayer this winter, it’s easily the most durable, easy-to-take-care-of baselayer system I own.

Where to Get the Helly Hansen Baselayer

I’m clearly a fan of Helly Hansen’s baselayers, so much so that I now own multiple sets of both the HH Dry and HH Warm series.  They’re the warmest, most breathable baselayers I’ve used, period.  If you’re interested in picking up a Helly Hansen baselayer for yourself, you can do so at the official Helly Hansen online store, Altrec, and a variety of other retailers.