An introduction to snowboarding gear This page covers the basics of snowboarding gear, some of which you might be able to buy at the Grays on Trays Amazon.com store. One reason to prefer snowboarding Are you interested in snowboarding, but intimidated? Take comfort in this: its equipment is easier to deal with than skiing. Much like its cousin, skiing, snowboarding requires boots, and bindings, which secure the boots to long sheets of wood encased in slippery plastic. But gear is one area where snowboarding has its advantages over skiing: snowboarders need less equipment than skiers. Less to keep track of, less to carry. A snowboard typically weighs less than a pair of skis. That means less fatigue while walking about the ski town, parking lot, or other places where you may need to carry your gear. Furthermore, snowboards are easier to carry than skis. Even if you have moved over to the shorter shaped skis, your skis will probably be longer than your skis. With its more compact form, one board will be easier to carry than one, let alone two, skis. Next, you can actually walk in your snowboard boots. Oh, it's a bit ungainly, but with their lighter weight and greater flexibility, snowboard boots are much more walking-friendly than ski boots. (This assumes that you use soft-sided snowboard boots. A subdiscipline of snowboarding, alpine carving, requires hard boots much like ski boots.) Finally, boot pain is a thing of the past with snowboarding. Have you ever said, or heard someone else say, "the best part of the day when skiing is taking off your boots?" That's not true for riding. Even well-fitting ski boots will sting in comparison with a good pair of snowboarding boots. A very brief history At the least, you'll need the "3 b's" -- boot, board, and binding. Snowboarding gear has evolved over time, and so has its gear. The sport traces its roots to skateboarding and surfing,which use no bindings, and it's related to skiing, which does. The "bindings" of a Snurfer (a very primative snowboard) consisted of raised bumps that you stood on, and a rope, tied at the front of the board, that you held with one hand. there were no specialized boots. (Take a look at this photo if you're not familiar with the Snurfer.) Today, snowboarding gear is becoming increasingly tailored to the needs of today's riders. Snowboarding clothing You could wear a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt snowboarding. But don't. Keepin' it Warm You need to keep warm when the air is cold--simple enough. But what should you wear? Any durable winter coat can do, though it shouldn't be so long as to restrict your movement. In time, you may find that a specialized snowboarding jacket, with lots of bells and whistles, or at least water repellent treatments, multiple pockets, and sealed zippers, will be useful. Most any old shirt will do, but it's better to dress in layers than to bulk up with a huge sweatshirt or sweater. If you want to go upmarket for the coldest of days, try a fleece vest or shirt. When it comes to pants, don't wear jeans. Don't wear anything, anywhere, in fact, that's made out of cotton, except your underwear. Why? Cotton retains moisture, whether that moisture is sweat or snow. Cold pants, in particular, will freeze and become stiff, making you miserable. Buy a pair of ski or snowboard pants for the most comfortable experience. Bagginess not required. Remember long underwear? Very useful. It's called a "base layer," and it comes in several fabrics. Look for something that has "wicking" ability. Thanks to the magic of modern fabrics, you can find something that will keep air in, and expel sweat. Look at your sporting goods stores for this, in the department that sells skis and snowboards. Remember what your mom said about wearing a hat? It's still a good idea to cover your head. You can try wearing cotton socks, but something with wicking (again, check your sporting goods store) ability is much better. Double-bagging socks--wearing two on each foot--is definitely not a good idea. Don't be afraid to try thin rather than thick socks. A good boot should keep you warm, and if you are really cold, there are heat-generating packets you can stick inside your boots. The advantage of thin socks? A better feel for the boot and board. Your cold-weather gloves might suffice. Or you could always buy snowboarding-specific gloves. They are more expensive but they tend to be more durable. The most under-appreciated piece of apparel on the slopes may be the neck gaiter. This oversized fabric doughnut can protect not only your neck, but also your face. It's a very useful thing to have while on the chair lift. Boots Snowboarding expert Kevin Ryan has some things to keep in mind when you select a boot. Read Fitting boots to your feet. Boards Like many sports, the kind of gear you buy for riding may depend on what you plan to do. Just as there are differences between, say, mountain bikes and racing bikes, or racing skis and powder skis, there are differences in snowboarding equipment. You can get "all-around" equipment that can serve several kinds of riding styles, or you can buy gear that is especially strong in one area. Freestyle (trick) riding lends itself to softer, flexible boots as well as boards. Extreme carving lends itself to hard boots and stiff boards. Riding in powder is easier with a wider board. In snowboarding, you can become as much of a gear and gadget geek as you can with other sports (though perhaps not as much as, say, fishing). You can also become a near-fanatical devotee to your particular form of riding or style of equipment, and kill the joy of riding. Or you can, as we do, limit the money and storage space required for snowboarding by keeping it simple: soft boots, easy-to-use bindings, and a board that is moderately stiff and long. Your specialty ski shop can help you pick the right equipment, based on your skill level, favorite mountain, and type of riding. Bindings For the most part, there are two types of bindings: step-ins, sometimes known as clickers, and straps. Let's start with step-ins. Here's are two differnet kind of step-in bindings: Some people find that step-ins are easier to enter and exist. They are also the kind of binding that most resembles alpine ski bindings in that you click and go. If you use step-in bindings, your boots and bindings must be compatible with each other, as there are several ways of attaching the binding to the boot, such as toe and heel, or side-to-side. You are most likely to find step-ins in two very different places. One is among Eurocarvers. Another is in rental shops. Rental shops are phasing out the use of step-ins. You can still buy step-ins through on-line vendors, and many of those will have both a highback (the hard plastic that goes behind the back of your leg, from your heel up to and beyond your ankle). Curiously enough, many also have straps, which brings us to ... Strap bindings are by far the most widely used binding. Here's a 2006/07 Ride SPi binding. You must thread two hard plastic straps through a buckle, one near your ankle and another over your arch. A variant of this approach moves the arch buckle to the toes. Think of it as a shoe with the section between the toes and ankles removed. Advocates of strap bindings claim that they are best for providing greater feel and responsiveness. They are often (though not always) preferred by riders to hang out in terrain parks and halfpipes, performing jumps, spins, and the like. The management of GraysonTrays.com highly recommends Flows, a third type of binding. If you're an old-time skier, you'll recognize that they bear a very slight resemblance to rear-entry boots. The above model is from 2004 or so. Below is a photo of the NXT-AT, a higher end model, 2008. It looks something like a strap binding but with some extra webbing in-between the straps. What they've done is take the old cap that goes over your foot--what Flow calls Powerstrap, and removed some of the material to make the binding lighter. Note also that there are two ratchets on each side of the binding. You don't use these every time you get off the chair lift, as you would in a strap binding. Instead, you use them for fine adjustments. You get into the binding by pulling down on the lever on the highback. Here's what another adult rider had to say about Flow bindings: "Until I got a pair of Flow bindings, I hated the threading and ratcheting straps, and pressure points over my instep. Flow's bindings are more comfortable. They're also so much easier to use, so I don't waste my limited energy fighting with equipment." Speaking from experience, we can only second that emotion. They tend to be pricey, but they're much easier to use. No sitting down (and having to get up) to secure the bindings, no messing with straps, no need to clear away snow from the tiny, hidden crevices of step-in bindings in an attempt to clear away the snow. Thanks to their ease of use, you can quickly get from lift to trail, leaving behind everyone who is using a strap binding. Some people will tell you that Flows don't work well in the halfpipe. It should be noted that the winner of the 2005 Winter X Games superpipe competition was wearing Flow bindings. Should a beginner buy? If snowboarding equipment is so great, should you go out and buy your own boots, bindings, and board? Eventually. But take a while before you do it. Why wait? Start with the financial cost. If you go with high-end equipment, you may be looking at $800 or so. At the very least, you may end up spending $75 for boots, $150 for a board, and $75 for bindings, or $300. And that's for the cheap stuff that you may not like. Do you know that you will want to keep at it? Perhaps you should test your perseverance first. Your needs and interests may change. While many board are good "all-around" boards, you may find that you prefer some kinds of riding over others. That may influence the kind of board that you buy. Here's a personal example from the related sport of skiing. I bought some skis that were good at the time, but now that I am wanting to spend time outside of groomed trails, I would be better served with a ski that does not have such a narrow waist. Replacing (or supplementing) my skis with a different pair is an expensive proposition. The board you buy now may not serve you well later. You may, for example, be well-served by a very flexible board when you are starting out. But over time, you may want a stiffer board. Flexible boards are good for learning (it is easier to turn them) and for use in the halfpipe (where you need to make quick turns). But stiffer boards are better for the big mountain. Which terrain will you prefer? It may be hard to say right now. And alpine carving, yet another form of riding, requires an entirely different set of gear. You might benefit from trying experiment with different types of equipment , including bindings and boots, for a while. There are several major styles of bindings, for example. Your decision will be driven by budget and personal preference. Since you may end up spending more money on your bindings than on your boots (I did), you may wish to rent for a while. On the other hand, if you know what you want to do, and foresee riding on a frequent basis, buying saves you money in the long run. It may also be that sinking some hard-earned money into gear is just the motivation you need to tackle the learning curve. A quick word on safety Finally, consider some safety gear, especially a helmet. Not only will safety gear help you out when you fall, it will help keep you warm. You could, for example, get by without wearing a hat if you have a helmet. Check out SkiHelmets.com for one place to learn about helmet sizes, selecting helmets, and so forth. And while Lids on Kids is geared to persuade parents to buy helmets for their children, adults would benefit from taking some of the information to heart themselves. For more For more on this topic, please see the Useful stuff/Gear 102 page as well as the page on protecting your stuff. DISCUSSION Stop by the GraysOnTrays discussion board to add your comments or questions of interest to gear, riding styles, and snowboarding for adults. Return to the home page.