Goggle Review: 2012/2013 Zeal Optics Voyager

So metal, so mirrored, it must be Metal Mirror.

Optical Clarity: The Voyager gets high marks here. It doesn't have as much haloing as the Slate and I didn't notice any warping.

Lens Tints: The Blue Bird Mirror has a visible light transmission of 28% making it a good choice for cloudy days and flat light in general. It has a reddish-purple base tint. Metal Mirror is darker (not sure on VLT, maybe 15%) and great on sunny days. It has a subtle brown base and high-polish mirror for, well, any time you don't want your eyes to betray you. Finally, all Voyagers come with a Sky Blue Mirror lens that transmits 80% of light for extra stormy days and night riding. It's damn near clear with the slightest smoke tint and mirror.

Blue Bird Mirror (on goggle), Sky Blue Mirror (solo). Check Zeal for even more.

Lens Changing: Held in place by six tabs and the frame on the nose, the lens is as easy to take out as it is to replace and you know exactly what you're doing. 

Peripheral Vision: Good horizontally, but not as good vertically. You may feel like a caveman with a giant nose and brow.

Fit: Medium to Small. I'd prefer something bigger, but I wear an XL helmet.

Comfort: Good. Cushy foam, good ventilation, no face sweating, no fogging.

Helmet Compatibility: Great. The strap had room left over even on my XL lid and it has the silicone stripes to keep it in place.

Look: I got the CS (Core Snow) Division Black colorway which has a black and white striped nose frame, black lens tabs and a black and white pattern strap with two old-school panther and spiderweb logo patches. Nothing over-the-top, but I like the classic look. 

Bottom Line: Better for medium to small face sizes the Voyager boasts quick lens changing and good optics in a range of tints, though peripheral vision could be better. Not that different from my everyday Oakley Crowbars.

Similar Goggles: Oakley Crowbar

The Northwest Awakens

Thanksgiving was especially apt for the northwest snowboard scene this year. Riders from Washington and Oregon are giving thanks for the start of the winter season as resorts from Mt. Baker to Stevens Pass to Mt. Bachelor all opened this week. On Mt. Hood, Meadows fired up the chairs and Timberline opened some lower-mountain terrain, too.

Word from Meadows is that it was as good as an opening day can be. And that's not just the company line, even Yobeat agrees.

Bachelor dropped a quick opening day edit, too. Cameos from Austin Smith and Curtis Ciszek at the end. Looks like they got it good.

Baker, to the surprise of no one, is claiming the deepest base on the continent. They have all of their lifts firing.

Yes, folks, happy days are here again. Get out there and get it, but remember to ease into it. Remember how to drive in winter conditions. Remember that rocks, stumps and small woodland animals lurk just under the shallow fall base. And remember, if you play your cards right, you could have a long and happy winter. Check your landings and start your winter beards. Let the good times roll.

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Burton Con Artist Snowboard Review

What the Rep Said: Aggressive powder board; high-end, Dragonfly core (same as in the Custom X); 20mm taper, only available in a 152

First Impressions: Not the best day to demo a powder board, let's see how she rides in a resort setting. What's up with the name? Lighter than average, but it's also shorter than anything I've ever ridden (besides my girlfriend's board).

Stats/Setup: I was 6'1" tall and 165 pounds when I rode the Con Artist 152 at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo day. I completed the setup with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and Burton Cartel EST bindings.

Conditions: Variable groom, some powder off the groom (boot-top at best), chop and chunder

Ask Burton for the whole story on this board. Specs on pull-down menu here.

The Ride: First, the paradox: you want to demo a powder board in real powder, but would you really want to risk a board you're unfamiliar with on a rare and precious deep day? Risk vs. reward. In this case I didn't have a choice. The demo day was not a pow day. I walked up to the Burton rep and asked him, "What's new?" This is what he gave me. I was intrigued and did my best to find some pow.

The Con Artist combines specs like a tight sidecut and 20mm of taper for the ride of your life through the trees. I found one grove that held boot-top powder and she was right at home, slashing mercilessly and floating effortlessly. It got back and forth on edge faster than some caffeinated ping pong pros.

Despite almost entirely lacking a tail, the Con Artist popped nicely. That's the camber and Dragonfly core talking. Burton calls it a 5 of 10 flex, but I'd say 6, especially torsionally. Lengthwise, there's so little board that it's easier to flex and even press on the nose and tail, but the waist holds firm through turns.

Even with the benefits of camber and all the carbon in the Burton universe, this is not a board you want to be blasting away on at high speed on hardpack. Unless your normal resort board is also a 152. Or you have a titanium skeleton. It definitely got squirrely on me as I pushed it. Interestingly, I've seen racers who are fast as hell through banked slalom courses on small tapered boards.

Bottom Line: The Burton site says it best, "Depending on your reality, it's a quiver board or a lifestyle choice, but either way this is for those days that define light and deep." I'd love to either make that lifestyle choice or at least be able to test powder boards in deep powder. Until then this will have to do. I still prefer a bigger board in the pow, but the Con Artist's deep sidecut and heavy taper performed better than some of its fishy kin. I don't fee like it conned me out of anything. 

Similar Boards: Jones Hovercraft (stiffer and less sidecut)

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Ride Berzerker Snowboard Review

What the rep said: Camber board with a little reverse camber in front of the front insert pack for powder float (nobody really rides switch in powder), urethane sidewalls for dampness, carbon fiber in the tail for pop, Jake Blauvelt pro model

Stats/Setup: I rode the Ride Berzerker 161 with Union Force SL bindings and Salomon Dialogue boots (size 9.5) at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo. I am 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 165 pounds at the time.

Conditions: Variable groom, a few inches of fluff off the groom, the rest chopped up

First impressions: This scene from Clerks. Lots going on in that topsheet. Says 'Made in China' right there. If it made me ride like Jake in Naturally I would buy any board, no matter where it was made. Lighter than average dangling from my foot.

Let Ride tell you the rest. Some specific technology may be hard to find.

The Ride: Wow, I like this board. It may be my favorite board yet. It ate up the tree slalom course, popped like a champagne cork on a contest podium, and evened out the chop like you were riding behind your own personal grooming fleet.

This board gets edge to edge so fast, other DJs say, "Damn." This is owed partly to its narrowness (25.0 at the waist of a 161 board). Big-footers, fear not; the Berzerker is also available in a wide platform for the big dogs. The nose rocker also helps with turn initiation, while the camber powers you through and on to the next one.

Speaking of camber, this board pops. I don't know what Pop Rods are, but couple them with camber and this board want to get off the ground. Maybe that's the carbon in the tail the rep mentioned. I think they're in the nose, too (the website is pretty unclear). That would help keep you from going over the bars on pow landings.

Seeing how narrow this board was coupled with the nose rocker, I was surprised at how stable it was at speed. It blazed hard through some dicey conditions on a flat base or on edge. The edge hold was remarkable for a non-wavy sidecut.

The flex was mid-firm. Ride calls it 7 of 10 and I agree. The nose rocker helped out presses; the tail, not so much. It was just waiting to pop you.

I did not test in pow, pipe or on rails. The last two might not be it's bag, but it should rip the pow apart. Note the nose rocker and set-back stance. Things to keep in mind are its narrow overall width and long relative effective edge. This will translate itself better into high-speed pow applications. Not for beginners or the timid. Size up and step up.

Bottom Line: A damp, yet poppy freeride board. Straight-line aggro and fast edge to edge. Pow-friendly features and stable on the hardpack. I'd buy this board. In fact, I tried to find it in a 164 after the demo for a good price, but failed. My love for you is like a truck, Berserker.

Similar Boards: Maybe the Yes Pick Your Line

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Salomon Man's Board Snowboard Review

What the Rep Said: Camber and a radial sidecut, crazy right? More bamboo, less fiberglass.

Stats/Setup: I was 6'1" and about 165# when I rode the Man's Board 159 at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo day. Salomon Dialogue boots and Union Force SL bindings completed the kit.

Conditions: variable groom, some ice, some old fluff off the groom

First Impression: Beer and a scantily clad woman, I guess I'm a man now. Average weight.

Nothing says 'manly' quite like it. Just ask Salomon.

The Ride: There is no substitute for camber pop. If you want to get up like a pole vaulter, do yourself a favor and get a cambered board. I've got to say that the bamboo Salomon uses is legit. This board not only boosts, but it maintains stability at speed, too. It's pretty stiff though, a full 7 out of 10. 

That's the key to this board, speed. It wants to be ridden hard and fast (mmhm). Low-speed turns don't get much reaction. It would rather blast fast turns that spray everyone from here to the nearest green run (which is waaaay over there).

On edge, I prefer a board with some sort of augmented sidecut. I feel more confident on ice and other hard conditions with the extra contact points. Not that you're going to be riding icy slalom courses all the time, but it would be nice for this board's straight-line aggression to carry through the curves. The tight tree run gave this board fits (again, lower speed turns).

I didn't get to test this board on rails or in pow. It should be fine in pow with rockered tip and tail and a little stance setback.

Bottom Line: This board rips hard in a straight line, but not as hard on edge. Point it and let loose. If anything is in your way, don't turn, just ollie.

Similar Boards: Lib Tech Jamie Lynn C3 Phoenix

Mt. Hood Ticket Prices Going Up

If you want to snowboard on Mt. Hood this winter, you're going to pay more than last season, unless you ride at Ski Bowl exclusively. Is anyone surprised? Leading the way is Mt. Hood Meadows. 

Meadows ditched the shift ticket pricing they've done in the past in favor of one open-to-close ticket with different pricing for peak and off-peak days. The shift pricing featured three sliding shifts per day that shared a ticket price 9am - 4pm, 11am - 7pm and 1pm - close. That price was $74, but you could upgrade any shift to open-close for $5. Effectively an open-close ticket was $79 last year. This year an open-close ticket will cost the same $74 off-peak and $89 during peak days (which are December 26-31 and Saturdays and Sundays in January and February or 22 total days).

One bonus, if you're coming from Portland, you can get a seat on Meadows' PDX Park and Ride for free on these peak days. The same $89 buys you bus ticket and lift ticket. The same bus without a lift ticket is $20, which I think is lower than last year, but don't set fire to my hair if I'm wrong. They're even increasing the number of buses making the trip in anticipation of higher demand.

Meadows is clearly trying to tackle the parking problem that's plagued their lots. Weekends at Meadows have gotten to be a parking nightmare with parked cars lining the access roads all the way back to highway 35. One way or the other, this year will be different. Either the increased bus service will keep skier visits up and cars down or visits will plummet in response to ticket prices and all those buses will go idle. I think Meadows better start advertising those buses better.

One good reason to think Meadows will lose business is across the mountain at Timberline. They also increased ticket prices, but only by $2 up to $66 peak and $60 off-peak. Timberline does have more peak days; November 22-25, December 22-January 2, January 21 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), February 18 (Presidents Day) and weekends from Jan. 1-March 4 [that's 36 total days] but you pay $23 less  when compared to Meadows' peak days and still $8 less than Meadows' off-peak.

Skibowl won't be open during the day on weekdays, which means fresh pow at 3pm. They're also holding the line on ticket prices, just $49 per shift (shifts are open-4pm, 11am-7pm and 1pm-close) or $69 for open-close.

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Lib Tech Jamie Lynn C3 Phoenix Classic

What the rep said: C3 is camber dominant, banana submissive. The board is based on an overall camber shape with a small amount of rocker at the waist.

Stats/Setup: I checked in at 6'1" and 165 pounds when I rode the Jamie Lynn 157 Mid-Wide with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and Union Force SL bindings at Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon.

Conditions: variable groomers, some ice, some ankle deep fluff from a couple days ago off the groom

First impression: Of course, Jamie's signature graphics. The base is as curvy as the sidecut. I wonder when Lib is going to make a board with C4. That would really pop... Average weight.

Move on over to lib-tech.com for more specs and Jamie Lynn videos.

The Ride: The first thing I always do when I demo a board is get up to speed and rail some mid-radius turns. This board handled those turns well enough to put a smile on my face that didn't leave until I gave the board back. Magne-traction is the real deal, people. With less banana than C2, this Phoenix was really ripping. While we're on the subject of ripping turns, this board got edge to edge pretty well for a mid-wide, though my feet would have preferred the narrower 160. It was at home in the trees, too, but its real element was laying down deep trenches with big, fast turns.

Going from C2 to C3 also rewards you with a welcome increase in pop and stability. This board had some spring that's been missing from Lib boards since the banana takeover. It's also less likely to rotate through turns and more apt to link them up with power. It handled speed and landings like a boss with that trademark Lib Tech dampness.

You're not going to butter this board around like a full banana, but it's not plywood-stiff, either. It has a nice, all-mountain, medium-stiff flex. It won't do your nosepresses for you, but it will give you what you put into it.

As with most demo days, I didn't ride any rails or substantial pow. I think this would be a capable board in either of those avenues. It has a relatively short contact length for its overall length, giving it plenty of nose to float. It's also set a half-inch back on a twin shape. Move the bindings back more for pow and closer to the center for optimal switch riding. If you want to ride switch in the pow, well, get a bigger board.

Bottom Line: More camber means a more snowboardy, less skateboardy feel than past Lib offerings. The pop is back. The flex is right. For me, this is where it's at. This is my favorite Lib Tech board since a pre-banana TRS MTX. And I'm not the only one who likes it. Snowboard Magazine made it a Platinum Pick this year. It definitely lets you charge the whole mountain. Can you cover the bill?

Similar Boards: Salomon Man's Board

Isenseven Premiere TONIGHT!

Who wouldn't want to use a product called Crack Grease?

That poster really says it all, doesn't it? Well, I have a little bit to add. SOS Outreach is a wonderful organization that provides outdoor adventure to at-risk youth. It's similar to a group I volunteer for called Snowdays. Put simply, we all know how expensive snowboarding is, but we all know how much fun it is and how rewarding it is, too. That's what groups like SOS and Snowdays are for, bridging the expense gap to provide the rewards. Rewards to deserving folks who might never get that chance otherwise.

The tricky part is raising the money. Enter Isenseven and Crack Grease and the movie premiere format. You donate $10 to SOS (or $5 and a useable pair of goggles) and you get to see some good snowboard movies at a theater with 100 of your closest friends. Throw in product tosses (look at all those sponsors), raffles and beer and you've got a solid Thursday night's entertainment. Get there. And don't forget K2uesday next Tuesday benefitting Snowdays.