Snow & Winter Reviews

Leather gloves used to be for farmers and ditch diggers. Skiers and snowboarders eschewed animal hide in favor of nylon or some other weather-proof synthetic with a few Cordura patches sewn in for toughness.. Now, thanks to advances in fabric technology, that’s all changing. A number of manufacturers are using leather in construction of this...

Looking for a college where the average GPA is less important than the average snowfall? U.S News and World Report has your number.Famous for helping students pick colleges through its yearly rankings, the magazine has released a college list for snow enthusiasts – skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers – of schools in close proximity to world-class mountains.. Here’s the...

Ski and snowboard season has arrived and with it the cool, crisp air, the snow-kissed pines and the gorgeous mountain views. A few winter gear manufacturers have embraced the beauty of the winter landscape by using recycled or renewable materials to produce high-performance gear with less environmental impact. If this is the year to replace...

Kiwi college student Nick Eaton won New Zealand’s Best Product Design Gold Award for developing snowboard boots that easily convert into crampon equipped mountaineering boots.. Designed with backcountry snowboarders in mind, the DuoTrek boots feature titanium plates in the souls that can be flipped to hide or expose crampon teeth, depending on whether your boarding or climbing.....

In the recent article Jonathan Stalls contributed to STRAY about his walk across the United States, he included a photo of his trusty sidekick Kanoa sporting dog booties.. Clearly Jonathan was concerned about the wear and tear of asphalt on Kanoa’s furry feet. But what about snow and ice?. Dogs can’t just lay around all winter, gnawing on bones...

Columbia Sportswear is releasing a new line of waterproof, breathable winter outerwear this fall called Omni Tech, lined with a shiny reflective material reminiscent of the space blankets developed by NASA back in the 1960s.. In contrast to insulating layers based on the concept of loft, like polypro or wool, that trap heat in the air between...

Want to feel like a fighter pilot? Slap on a pair of these new GPS-enabled ski goggles from Zeal Optics.. A built-in GPS unit by Recon Instruments records information such as speed, altitude and change in vertical feet. An LCD screen inside the goggle displays the stats in real time as you skiing, snowboarding or snowshoe.. After your...