Goggle Review: 2013 Zeal Optics Slate

Zeal Optics are reinventing themselves. It's time to relearn anything you thought you knew. Now owned by high-end, independent sunglass maker Maui Jim (third in sales behind Luxotica brands Ray-Ban and Oakley) the brand was rebuilt by snowboard industry vet and new Director of Marketing, Joe Prebich (who came over from Oakley). This is a good time for me to get familiar with Zeal because I didn't know anything about them in the first place. They sent me a couple pairs of goggles from the new 2013 line to demo and return. Here's my take on the Slate.

Zeal Slate with Phoenix Mirror lens

First the lenses, the Phoenix Mirror is rated at 28% visible light transmission. I got a day to test them that started out partly cloudy and then cleared up. These lenses are not for your sunny days. They performed much better in the cloudier conditions. One reason is that they show some haloing when looking at brighter lights (brighter reflections around the actual light). The tint is neutral to brown/orange with a gradient to the bottom of the lens that shifts subtly to a gray/green. I'm not a fan of the gradient, but if that's what you like it, go for it. You don't find it in many lenses, so just be aware.  I didn't test these goggles in a real deep or rainy day, just some sprinkles, but they never did fog. Most goggles have that figured out by now, thankfully. Changing the lenses was easy, too. I popped it out and put it back in first try, no problem. What more do you want? Now check out these frames:

Separate foam liner for cheap replacement

That's right, in a stroke of genius Zeal made the inner foam liner detachable from the rest of the frame. Now, when you wear out the foam, all you have to do is replace a $20 part and you're back in action. The final pricing for that isn't set just yet, but it'll be cheaper than the frames, that's for sure (MSRP of $149). Now if they could make the upper foam as easy to replace, they'd have me for life.

How about the looks? I got the black frames with white strap. Black logo and name hits adorn the strap, along with a reversible leather and plaid snap-on piece of flair. They've got a half dozen colorways, all classic looks, nothing flashy. They worked great with my huge helmet and even have strap to spare. Like most new goggles they have the rubberized strap to keep it stuck to your bucket. I'd say these goggles are for a medium-sized face. My XL noggin would like something a little huskier.

Goggles are all about personal preference. If you like a lens with gradient, check these out. If you need a giant, flashy fishbowl, look elsewhere. That said, peripheral vision, optics and comfort are all good. Nothing to really blow you away, but with the replaceable foam liner, they might be your go-to frame for years to come.

Also, lookout for Zeal's techy Z3 and Ion goggles with heads-up display and built-in video respectively. Finally, some serious Jetsons tech in a goggle!

Canned Heat: A Guest Blog

Everyone, meet my brother. We'll call him Mule. Mule, everyone. Introductions aside, he lives in Minnesota, but does not snowboard, much less demolish rails. He tried skiing once and was not having it. He's more of a football guy. He reads my blog, but often has no idea what I'm talking about. He thinks a backside 180 is what happens when you have to turn and look at a girl's ass as she walks past.

Near as I can tell, he is attracted to energy drinks for their convenience and their taste (yes, he likes the taste) in spite of the near-foreign language spoken on their ingredient lists. As he mentions, I don't drink them often. I get them at movie premieres and give them to a friend as payment for rides up the mountain and work on my car. Currently, I have five energy drinks and four sodas that will serve as currency.

Past that, I will drink one on the occasional long drive. I generally opt to sip a sugar-free variety over a few hours. I do not think they have any place in snowboarding. I think they're best served for maintaining your consciousness and cranking out short, quick efforts, as in the weight room. Hence my posting in the summer, though he wrote this many months ago. Why waste any time on them? They're out there, might as well drop some knowledge. I lobbied for him to include water, coffee and beer in his experiment, but he declined. The following are the words of my esteemed sibling.

Want the other side of the story. Just ask Scotty Wittlake.

PS Mule also thinks Monster Rehab tastes like ass.

Every time I stay at the Yak’s house, I find various energy drinks in his fridge.  He explains to me that he gets these for free from snowboarding events, but doesn’t drink them very much so they just kind of accumulate.  That is, until I show up and drink them all over the course of a weekend.  Extreme sports and energy drinks going hand-in-hand, he asked me if I would write a guest blog reviewing some of the more popular choices.

The experiment:  I judged each drink for its energy and taste.  For some semblance of scientific control, I tried to limit myself to one a day:  between the end of my work day and the beginning of a workout.  There are no winners or losers except my motivation level (winner) and journalistic integrity (loser).

Red Bull

Aesthetic:  Basic. Everybody knows Red Bull by its packaging, so there’s no need to change.  I went with the standard 8.4 oz can, although Red Bull is also available in 12 oz cans and pounders.  The gas station was offering two pounders for $6, which seemed a bit excessive (What? You don’t have to drink them all at once?).  With the exception of Red Bull Cola, they have only one flavor.

Cultural Significance:  Spawned a $10B industry; multiple soccer and racing teams; Jagerbombs

Taste:  Relatively tame citrus flavor with little carbonation.  Combine that with the smaller can size and it’s easy to pound.

Energy Boost:  Not much in the way of what the FDA would consider “essential nutrients”—250% of B6, 100% B3, 80% B12, and 50% Pantothenic Acid, plus energy-standards caffeine and taurine.  Provided a nice opening boost; kept me going throughout the workout; perhaps worth mentioning that I found myself raking leaves in the dark when I got home.  Crashed hard about 4 hours after drinking.

Monster

Aesthetic:  The gothic can indicates it may appeal to a younger audience; indeed, Monster is catching up with Red Bull in terms of sales.  Also contributing to its growth is a wide variety of choices including juice and coffee hybrids and a line with infused nitrous oxide.  I went with the standard pounder; Monster is also available in 24-oz silos and the completely unnecessary 32-oz BFC (and you know what that stands for).

Cultural Significance:  Similar sponsorships of extreme athletes, Warped Tour, and X-Games, not to mention De-bo and Wee Man.  Also, this lawsuit from a huge fan of the Strange Brew movie.

Taste:  Super-sweet bubble-gum citrusy flavor, again with little carbonation.  Goes down smooth; before you know it the can is gone.  Maybe there’s a need for the BFC after all.

Energy Boost:  Hella vitamins!  200% B2, B3, B6, and B12; 1000 mg Taurine, and 2500 mg of an energy blend full of things I can’t pronounce.  The initial kick packs a wallop, which is a shame because I wasted it at work in my cubicle. A high peak, but a low plateau--I had no motivation to do anything after my workout.

Rockstar

Aesthetic:  The radio-friendly can design suggests it should have been called “Pop Star.”  Quite the variety of flavors, but not as many as Monster.

Cultural Significance:  The first to rip off Red Bull; several music tours; potentially overcompensating for homophobia

Taste:  The flavor, much like the can design, is bubble gum.  Heavy texture makes me feel like I’m drinking maple syrup.  Highly-carbonated for minimum slam-ability.  It’s definitely different, but that’s not always a good thing.

Energy Boost:  So many vitamins it made my pee look like Mountain Dew.  Comparable to Monster but with double the B2.  It didn’t kick in right away, but it still foiled my plans to eat only half of my Jimmy Johns Gargantuan.  Kept me extra wide-eyed throughout my workout.  Extra long-lasting buzz, if you can choke it down.

Xenergy

Aesthetic:  The can looks like something out of The Matrix with its tech-y font features.  Comes in a dozen flavors.  I didn’t know which was the standard flavor, so I chose a pounder of fruit punch.

Cultural Significance:  Official energy drink of the UFC.

Taste:  A ton of bite, and the super-tart fruitiness made me pucker a little.  I’m not gonna lie, I’ve had several flavors and they’re all delicious.  Difficult to slam; this is a savoring drink.

Energy Boost:  Zero B-vitamins, which I found strange, but high on taurine and ginseng.  No sugar and zero calories.  Not much of an initial boost.  Didn’t appear to give me any extra energy, but I wasn’t lethargic, either.  No buzz to speak of.  But damn is it tasty!

5-Hour Energy

Aesthetic:  A small two-ounce shot—hello my friend!  Now I don’t have to go through the hassle of all that drinking.

Cultural significance:  tiny serving sizes, marketing to cube-jockeys such as myself, under-produced and over-distributed commercials

Taste:  Pretty awful.  A flat berry flavor with an aftertaste that will make you look like the cop in Dumb and Dumber.  There’s a reason they don’t give you 16 oz. of this stuff.

Energy Boost:  2000% B6, 8333% B12 (that’s not a misprint), 1870 mg energy blend.  I was a bit drowsy when I took the shot, and it pepped me right up.  Was able to take a nap shortly afterwards, but got up and had immediate energy which included a tingling sensation in my fingers.  No crash to speak of.

These are only a few of the more popular brands.  On your own time, you can try others such as NOS, SnakeEyes, WhoopAss, and SLAP.  Almost every beverage distributor now has a line of energy drinks, so slam one before your next snowboard run and thank the Yak later.

This Ain't No Stadium Cheer

2nd Annual Big Wave Challenge Barrels Mt. Bachelor

The surf was firing at Mt. Bachelor this weekend for Gerry Lopez's 2nd Big Wave Challenge. Bachelor Parks staff were putting in serious work with Superpark just finishing up and now an ocean full of berms, hips and snake lines constructed for this event. They even had to bring in an excavator for the over-vert cradle at the bottom of the hill.

Mystery rider just getting shacked

Contestants were ripping the course from every possible angle. Big methods and bigger slashes were popping every other hit. The judges - Bend resident Austin Smith among them - were were under constant fire as one 'wave' was right under their chairs. I'm not sure if spraying the judges helped or hurt scores. I bet it felt good either way. A big middle finger to the man. Contestants and public alike sessioned the course until long after the event was over. Curtis Woodman was ripping all day. After his first run, he exclaimed, "That was the awesome-est run of my life!"

The line-up

Some kook

Bjorn Leines taking a big drop.

Leis and Hawaiian shirts were in full effect all day. Board shorts, too, as the temp broke 50. The sweet sounds of Hawaiian musician Bill Keale kept everyone feeling the aloha into the night. Well, that plus the drink specials.

Men

1st - Gus Warbington

2nd - Forest Devore

3rd - Josh Dirksen

Women

1st - Ashley Thornton

2nd - Desiree Melancon

3rd - Jess Kimura

Old Dogs

1st - Mike Newcomb

2nd - Matt Montage

3rd - William Weaver

Groms

1st - Gus Ferguson

2nd - Alder Butsch

3rd - Lui Bilello-Lewis

Show them what they win.

Nice little fin plaque

Custom Gerry Lopez board for the real deal.

Superpark 16: Go Ahead and Tell 'Em

Snowboarder Magazine's Superpark 16 presented by Gatorade, Prinoth and Sunriver Resort (should have been presented by Drink Water or Boneyard Brewing) is officially over. I think some ski contest is desecrating using their jumps now. Mt. Bachelor saw some heavies over the week and it all got critical on the final day.

I didn't witness any of them, but I sure heard the cheers and stories about three triple corks that went down. Two out of three (ain't bad) of them are on the day 5 video (don't miss the frontside 5 to tripod and Big Mike spitting hot fire - shirtless, natch - on the top Boreal feature).  I never did hear who pulled off the third triple cork, but Pat Bridges himself was trying to hunt down video of it as late as the wrap party.

Speaking of the editor of Snowboarder Magazine, he knocked off his 68th different handplant location at Superpark 16. I think he goes by event because he also said he planted three different features at Superpark. What's up, Pat? What's the plant count and criteria? 

Back to the day at hand. The first thing I did on the last day was peep that weird Mt. Bachelor feature:

Not that weird.

All that and a pole jam on the backside. No homo.

Dudes were handplanting and jibbing. No weird simultaneous air/jib/plant action. I hope someone did that though. That feature had more angles than the Missouri River. Wait, maybe that's 'anglers.' Either way, fools were reeling in the transition like walleye.

Handplant-tastic

Wyatt Caldwell jibbin'

After that, I rolled down to this multi-purpose structure you may remember from Thursday:

All about choices. Some of the lines cut in this thing were straight confusing.

Just in time to see this gang mobbing through:

My snowboard for a video camera, STAT!

The resultant Chinese downhill plus innovative slope feature was the best thing I saw all trip. Nothing but homies popping up and disappearing, over and over. Like being in an Airblaster movie.

Not even close to doing it justice. So much fun.

I ended the day and the event at the Boreal feature up top. I didn't really think that thing was ever going to get finished or look good or get hit if it did get finished. Proven wrong once again. It looked like a shred BBQ when I got there. Fools just camped out drinkin', smokin', straight west coastin' and all that. 

Some more interested than others.

Pat Bridges, interested; photog, not.

Jake Olson-Elm with the drop after creeper crawling across the top of the wall.

Bjorn Leines, frontside 5 tail tap, shadows looming.

Fo' real

At the end of it all, riders descended on Bend's Astro Lounge like ants on a forgotten deviled egg. Wes Makepeace rocked a set and Pat Bridges gave some of that Gatorade money to Seth Hill for the Driven from Within award. Said he had to kick Seth off the hill at 7pm multiple times. Said Seth broke a board at the sunrise shoot before most riders were awake. Probably a safe bet it was before some of them were asleep. A member of Bachelor's park staff confirmed it. Said Seth was dropping twice to most others' once. Look for this young Sims rider on the come-up.

Look for me not snowboarding again for a while. Unless it's at Timberline just getting my slush slash fix. Actually look for the Big Wave Challenge recap coming up quick. In a word: awesomefunsurftastic. Hashtag that twerps. 

Superpark 16: Eyes Wide, Shut Up and Sit Down

I feel like I should be riding around this place with a bag of Reese's Pieces and a bucket of popcorn. Maybe some Junior Mints and a Pepsi. Between all the tech rail wizardry and aerial acrobatics performed without harness or net I'm in a constant state of astonishment. I know, I shouldn't give in. I should remain fully with-it and detached. 'He wheelied a little on the landing of that switch backside 12. I wouldn't even use it in the edit.' That should be me. With the cappuccino in the shade. I'm not that guy. Hope I never am. We'll leave that to jaded team manager dude. I just close my eyes and shake my head. Take for example Jaeger Bailey. Watch this video all the way through and tell me what you think of the ender - his second edit-ender, by the way. Did he really just do that? Close eyes. Shake head. Usually I'll talk about someone doing a late front flip as a way of saying he fell on his face. Guess I'll have to come up with a new one. Plenty of guys doing tweaked out shifties and slo-mo spins on these uber-booters, too. Chris Bradshaw's style. Andrew Brewer's backflips. A double cork over here. A handplant on a tree over yonder.

That's the only problem with Superpark. It's too big. You never know where - or when - the epicness is going to go down. Two things to look for are the big inflatable Gatorade bottle and Pat Bridges. One of those usually oversees all things earth-shattering. Pat, being more mobile, is the better bet. But he's also smaller and harder to pin down. Here's a rundown of the shred rad that I managed to witness on this day.

Knut Eliassen, Robbie Sell and Cory Grove among a crew checking the upper Seven Springs jump.

He could tuck the knee more, but the style arm is right there. That's as jaded as I get.

To the hills.

Oh, we got rails, too. I'll get a better shot of this feature. Too much rad for one shot.

Speaking of rails, the Boreal rail feature was one of those 'right places' last night. Niko Cioffi blasted a wallride across the whole thing, Sage Kotsenburg gapped the whole feature and Halldor Helgason did a sick nose stall to backside boardslide to shut the place down.

As close as you're going to get to a sequence from me...

...because this one's from a non-make anyway. Halldor Helgason

Aaaand here's how to miss the shot. Niko Cioffi with the full-pull wallride.

I've got one more day of Superparking left, so prepare to be astonished just a little more. Bangers and hammers. None of that 'He came off the rail a little early,' bull. Close your eyes. Shake your head. 

Superpark 16: Seeing Ghosts

Snowboarder Magazine's Superpark 16 is such a mindjob. So many riders are cruising around and they're all so good. I had never heard of half these kids before I got here and they're all just out of control. Jaeger Bailey sounds like some college-kid drink. Turns out it is a person and he rips. Check out the shin-bang front flip he does to end this video. 

Plenty of old-school shreds are representing as well. Dale Rehberg, Dave Lee, Russell Winfield and Wes Makepeace were cruising. Winfield was riding on '93 rules, "Nothing over a 360 and if you don't poke it, you gotta go home." Chris Brunkhart was even capturing it all on Super 8.

How to give a cop a heart attack. Rider: Brandon Reis, Graffiti: Avert Guldemond

So much fun, even I took a run through.

The mountain in the back is Broken Top, the rider is hoping not to get broken off.

At one point, Austin Hironaka came up short on this burly step-up, sending the photographers on the deck scrambling. Everyone was OK, but it prompted a brief shutdown to reshape the takeoff and change underwear. The photo below shows the deck, photogs and I supposed we might as well put a feature there, too.

Josh Dirksen practicing for this weekend's Big Wave Challenge

Pouncing on the cat

Peter Line, still a big deal. The Burtners know what's up.

Keep checking back. Features are still being built, if you can believe that. Boreal was still working on an even bigger wall when I left last night. Of course, check out Snowboarder Magazine for all the best. It being their event and all. Now go chug a Gatorade and buy a Prinoth! Energy! Snow pushing!!

Superpark 16: This is Not a Contest

Superpark 16. It's all there in the name. It's just like your resort's park, only super-sized. Just like the dudes who ride there, only super-pros. Just like the bloggers who cover it, only, well actually the bloggers are the same. The other photogs and filmers are super, though. The number 16 represents the number of years Snowboarder Magazine has been running Superpark. I'm glad they didn't go with the easy 'Sweet Sixteen' theme and opted instead for a gameshow motif.

You're the next contestant on Superpark 16

Props go out to Gatorade for sponsoring the event and hooking everyone up with liquid sugar. They also have some 'energy chew' candies this year that are basically gummy bears for vegetarians. Wait, do vegetarians eat gummy bears? No? The gelatin, eh? Also on the sponsor tip, Prinoth. Never heard of 'em? They make snowcats, which are important to this event. Look for lots of them parked in the channels and on the decks of jumps. You know, to provide context and texture.

Prinoth: pushing pow for prime pop

Just in case you forgot who was paying for the show

Mt. Bachelor is hosting the proceedings on the Sunrise Lodge side of the mountain, the Sunrise and ultra-slow Rainbow lifts shuttling riders. Park builders from Boreal, Loon and Seven Springs joined the Bachy crew to turn what's left of the snow into features fit for freestyle fantasy.

Keeping the Mongols at bay

Look for some jumps to really start going off tomorrow. Speed should be checked. Conditions should be prime. Corks should be multiplied. Dudes gettin dizzy. 'Til then, this.

Get To Meadows While You Can!

This is the last weekend of the season at Mt. Hood Meadows! Get your Cinco de Mayo shred on today and your, well, Seis de Mayo shred tomorrow. Sunday is looking like the nicer weather day with sun and upper 40s. Either way, once the lifts stop running Sunday at 3pm, they won't start up again 'til next season.

Coming next season, RFID gates like at Mt. Bachelor...