Gear Sports

Looking for snowboarding gear can be quite a challenge, especially if you allow brand names to cloud the decision making process. However, if you nail down what you want taking stock of your skill level and personal style, you can never go wrong. The cardinal rule then is, start with your needs, look at brand names later–unless you know that a particular brand suits you perfectly.
Let us start from the bottom up. By that we mean, the snowboard comes first. We will help you narrow down your choices by presenting the features of each brand–then you pick it up from there. We can assure you, we will try to play down the brand name as much as possible to help you make an intelligent choice.

Are you looking for a snowboard with a stiff flex that can rip through the park? Then the Burton 0 dB is the best one for you. It retails for $500. Looking for a board that is true directional in shape with versatile riding? You cannot go wrong with Salomon Ace Snowboard 2004/2005. This one retails for $330–not bad, we should say!
Now there is a lot of hype about the Burton Air Snowboard Freestyle 2004/2005. It is being marketed with the same advertising hype as Nike Air, but the bottomline for this model is simply this. It blends pop and strength and a directional shape with smooth edge-to-edge transitioning. In simplest terms, it helps you balance and gain speed at the same time–but then it all depends on how well you use it! Even the best, most high-tech equipment cannot help someone who has no idea what he is doing out there in the snow. Regardless, the price is right: $255.